Semper Fi Pt. 07

Copyright @ calibeachgirl

All rights reserved, 2012

Thank you for reading. A special thanks to Bill, Michael, Lewis, Cassandra and Elliot for editing, reading and commenting to make this tale that much better.

Chapter 26: A minor inconvenience

Three weeks after Solvang...

Diego Gonzalez casually strolled down the hallway, a bag of chips in one hand and a soda in the other, slowly twisting his head to watch the three cheerleaders sway by. Although he had only three minutes left to get to class, he was in no hurry to get to the other end of the building. He upended the bag of chips, caught several in his mouth and started to chew them. He turned around for one last look at the girls.

He had taken a more circuitous route, avoiding the football players that had lay in wait to take away his food. Of course, Diego knew there'd never be a teacher in sight to help him. For that matter, he was sure the teachers didn't like him very much, either.

He finally arrived at his geometry class and took his seat near the back. Borrowing a piece of paper from the girl in the next desk over, he patted his pocket for a pen and finding none, also borrowed one from her. He set about drawing his version of a KISS poster.

In the front of the room, the woman put down her blue marker, turned and looked directly at him. "Mr. Gonzalez, will you kindly pay attention!"

Diego hated Mrs. Smith, the harbinger of low grades his entire year. "So what," he said under his breath, "who cares about an obtuse angle, anyway? God, I hate this class."

"All right, turn to page 148 and we'll go over obtuse angles once again for the benefit of Mr. Gonzalez who seems a little obtuse himself this morning."

A loud collective groan rose from the rest of the students, for they had gone over everything at least twice, every time Diego refused to pay attention. Several football players were convinced that another meeting after school might be just the thing that Diego needed to study harder. They needed to finish the course to keep their grades up and be eligible to play.

Diego nervously looked at his classmates, all of whom had turned and were now watching his every move. He was a victim of 'no child left behind.' He already had two study halls in his schedule and they wouldn't let him take another. He preferred summer school with girls wearing shorter skirts and tighter blouses. Besides, he thought, they always had cigarettes and were willing to share.

"Sorry, Mrs. Smith..." his voice dropped off as he realized no one cared for his insincere apologies. One football player was already catching his eye, one fist hitting his palm, his stare drilling a hole in Diego's head. Diego put his head into the book, trying to block out the view of the larger boy watching him. He watched the clock... only three more minutes until the end of class. If only he could survive 'til the bell rang.

The evening heat hung heavily over the neighborhood even though it was less than a mile from the beach. Diego watched as the pretty woman in the next house finally came home. He spent most of the afternoon waiting for her, hoping that she would once again forget to close the bedroom blinds. Too shy to speak to her, never-the-less he had fallen in love with the wife of Sergeant William Smith, USMC, currently on patrol in Afghanistan. The fact that she was married only seemed a minor inconvenience to Diego as each night he watched what he could through the windows. A minor inconvenience, he reasoned, since it didn't seem to stop her from dating two different men instead of dutifully waiting for her husband to return from the war. And, he reasoned, if she was able to date two men, what was one more? All he had to do was convince her he was worthy of her attentions.

Of course, the fact that he was only fifteen never entered his mind as a major inconvenience. He'd find a way to convince her, it was just a matter of time, just a minor inconvenience. His mouth dried. Wiping his moist hands on his pants, he started out of his room and went into the kitchen to get a drink of water.

Not satisfied with watching from his own bedroom window, Diego had found that he could stand outside her bedroom window and see everything that transpired inside much better. This night, he had brought his cell phone along, determined to gather enough memories to satisfy himself on the rare nights that she stayed at home alone.

She had brought home a new date this time. Diego waited a few minutes before leaving by his back door and then quietly skulking around the fence and up the driveway. Finding his place among the shrubbery outside her bedroom window, he brought his camera up to the glass and prepared to enjoy himself for as long as the private show should last and capture the action for future enjoyment. What he saw, though, caused him to drop the phone into the soft dirt next to the house and run down the street as fast as he could, screaming like the young fool that he was.

..........

Frank opened the refrigerator and peered in. "Oh, well," he said to himself, "time for a pizza... or maybe I'll just take her out to eat. Going out to eat... I'll just say I want to treat her." He heard the key unlocking the door and went into the living room to greet his wife who, to his surprise, was moving much slower than her usual quick pace.

"All I need is a stiff drink," Caitlyn said, raising her arm and groaning. "Damn, my shoulder feels like it's been used for target practice."

"Let's see." Frank led her to the bathroom, turned her toward the mirror over the sink and slid her loose-fitting green sweater over her shoulder so that both the line of her throat and the swell of her breast were visible.

A dark purple bruise had appeared beneath her collarbone but she suddenly lost interest in it. Her attention was on their reflection in the mirror and to the way his gaze slid over her body like a warm summer breeze. Gone was the easy-going, lighthearted man she loved. In his place was a hard-edged man, a dangerous man set on revenge. It was a good thing the molester was already dead. Garrett had seen to that. She wouldn't have given his life a chance, either in jail or out.

The sight of Caitlyn with her oversized sweater down one shoulder... he brushed one finger over her collarbone, lifting her hair away. "If something happened to you, I would have killed him," he said, all interest in going out to eat gone.

"He's already dead. Garrett shot him. Is it bad?"

As he pulled the sweater lower in the back, he tried to control his anger. "Yes."

"No bullet holes, though... right?" She tried to relieve his fears, her voice soft, husky. Her skin was hot and he could feel the desire between them like steam in a sauna.

"No, no bullet holes." The urge to bury himself in her warm and willing body was evident, his erection pushing against her. He met her eyes in their mirrored reflection and found a loving temptation that overcame his fear and anger.

Waves of desire flowed through her body and she swayed lightly, her hardened nipples brushing against the palms of his hands. He brought his mouth to hers, tracing the outline of her lips with the tip of his tongue until she moaned.

"Let me kiss it and make it all better," he said.

Though Caitlyn responded slowly, Frank held her closer, coaxing her mouth open so he could deepen the kiss, awakening and intensifying her desire. Her thoughts fragmented into wisps and floated away like a meteor breaking up high in the sky. She could no longer think of anything but him and what he was doing.

His hands slipped under her T-shirt and she heard him draw in a shaky breath that blended with her own moan when he cupped her naked breasts. She couldn't blame it on anything except the love that had grown each day for him and when he pulled her sweater and T-shirt over her head and off, she reached for his, needing to feel her breasts against his naked chest and the smooth skin of his back under her hands.

"Sweetheart," he said as she moaned once again.

He frantically pulled off the rest of his clothes and then pulled her close again, kissing her mouth, her throat, pausing at her breasts just long enough to taste first one and then the other, driving her wild. Her full lips parted to let him come in and ravish her tongue. He was already aroused. She could feel his erection pressing hard against her and she snuggled closer, feeling her own need grow and then explode within her.

His fingers disappeared between her thighs as his mouth left hers to kiss his way to her ear. He knew she was more than ready for him and he wanted to take forever but he knew that was impossible and then he was inside her, wrapped in her moist warmth and she moved with him in perfect rhythm as they showed each other the way to make love.

.........

"Well, this is interesting," said Garrett. "We might have a witness to the festivities, so to speak. Seems the boy next door was doing some investigating of his own with his cell phone and once our techs go over the video, we might have a photo of our killer."

"That would be a big break," said Caitlyn, "if it's true. It might be THE break we've been waiting for. It's about time. I guess we better call Barbara and Frank." She pulled out her cell phone and made the call, hoping that maybe, just maybe, once and for all, they had caught a break.

A little less than an hour later, all four were watching the teenager in the interrogation room.

"He looks nervous, wouldn't you say?" asked Caitlyn, smiling. "Maybe this is it. The woman's no help; she's still in the hospital. She might be able to speak to us later, the doctors aren't sure."

"God, I hope so. Between his testimony and what we're going to pull off from his phone, we've got a good chance to catch this guy. Let's let him sweat a little bit more and then scare the hell out of him. Has he asked for a lawyer?" Garrett pulled out a Snickers.

Barbara looked at the candy bar in her husband's hand. "I thought you gave those things up. No, but I think we should wait for his parents. Last thing I want is for this to go south, no matter what happens."

"Parents are divorced; probably why there's no strong male presence in his life. He looks like he could use a good swift kick in the ass." Garrett looked like he wanted to be the one to do it.

Later that morning, the boy's mother arrived. It had taken two uniformed officers to convince her grocery store manager where she was working to let her go and not lose her job. Frank was afraid she might be illegal and so did his best to be friendly.

"Mrs. Gonzalez, thank you for coming. This is a very delicate situation and it's important that we explain what we need before we speak to your son. Now, first I want to say that he's in no..."

Frank pushed two color photos across the table to Diego. "Is this what you saw?"

"Yes, I didn't mean to... you know, but she's so... she's so pretty, you know and I didn't see any harm to it. Am I in trouble?"

"Look, if this was just a simple situation, I'm not going to lie to you, you'd probably be looking at community service, maybe more but what you saw overrides that. You understand?""

"Yeah, I get it. Yeah, that's what I saw. But, you got it all wrong. It wasn't a guy, it was a girl."

"A girl?" Frank pulled one photo back and looked closely. "You're kidding!"

"Nah, look, I could tell because her cap fell off and her hair fell down when she saw me and ran."

"How'd we miss that?" Frank looked at the photos once more. "Don't we have anything better than these two?"

"I'll call down and see what else they've done." Caitlyn left the room and walked over to her desk.

"Let's get a sketch artist up here. All right, Diego, here's your chance to be a hero."

..........

Later that evening...

"...tonight's news starts with a lead on the Lonely Hearts Murder cases. This woman is a person of interest. If you know this person, you should call NCIS as soon as possible..."

The television was on at Murphy's and as the woman's sketched face flashed onto the screen, Johnny Trittle spewed his beer out onto the bar top. "Holy shit!" He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and quickly called the number on the television.

"Hello? Listen, I think I know who that woman is. Yeah, she's one of those Marines over at Pendleton. Her name? Yeah, right. It's Maribelle Sampson. Swear to God. Hey, is there a reward or something?"

..........

Two o'clock in the morning...

"Well, Corporal, it seems like you have explaining to do."

The woman sat there, silently glowering at the four, her eyes looking around the room like a cornered rodent. "I got nothing to say."

Frank put his hands down on the table and gave her a killing stare. "Well, that's too damn bad because there's a cell at Gitmo with your goddamn name on it if you don't start talking. We'll find a way to make this into a terrorist act. You're a disgrace to the uniform."

"And those women were a disgrace to their marriage vows..." Sampson quickly stopped speaking, wondering if her outburst was enough to hang herself. "Ah, fuck it. What do you want to know?"

"Why don't you just start at the beginning..." Frank was surprised it was going to be this easy. Maybe, he thought, his empty threat worked, after all.

"Well, this has been going on long before I ever joined up." The woman squirmed on her chair, looking around the room at the two people staring back.

"We know that," Barbara said. "Just start with your participation. Take your time and don't leave anything out. Spell out the names when you need to."

"You're going to take this into consideration, right? I mean, I never got around to actually killing anybody."

'Yeah, just talk."

"It all started when..."

.........

Even though the corporal had eventually told them the name of the sergeant who brought her into the clique, that was as far as she would go. Frank thought she really didn't know anyone farther up in the group. After all, something like this would only work if there was secrecy with all concerned.

The sergeant was arrested and brought in for questioning. Barbara could only guess how many would go unpunished; so many years had gone by. Even killings only a year old were unlikely to be solved since so many had been transferred in and out. From what they could discern, each person was assigned several targets, five at the most... and all had been originally the angry victim of a cheating spouse. What greater motivation, Barbara thought, could there be?

..........

Two weeks later...

Ever since her trip to Solvang, Barbara had been more intense, more alive, more loving. Garrett had never felt so good in his life and while he wondered what had happened, he decided to just enjoy the result. He did notice her right hand diamond ring was gone and wondered if she'd tell him why.

"I've never seen you this excited before," he said.

"I don't think I ever have been," she answered, grinning as he stood behind her, holding her by the waist.

They were a set, he thought, her dark features in sharp contrast to his, as if they were always meant to be together. Tilting her head back, she looked at his face.

"My," she said, "how dark it's gotten. Look at the sunset."

"The darkness makes me think of something else."

He began with her lips, sweet, seductive and incredibly responsive under his. Slowly, tenderly, he kissed his way along her throat and lower until he touched the soft mounds of her breasts. He caressed one, then the other with his lips and tongue until she began to moan, then continued his journey farther down.

When he reached that moist warmth, he gently urged her legs apart until they opened, offering him access to his quest. Hot and throbbing though he was, he refused to hurry. Placing his hands under the enticing curves of her buttocks and raising her, he took his time as he pleasured her.

Unable to speak, she made a sound in the back of her throat that sounded like a contented cat. What was driving her? Was he the reason or her own need to recommit herself to him? To banish the ghost that had ridden north with her and back again?

Her incoherence mixed with gasps not only told him she was on the edge but fired his own need to an almost unbearable pitch. When she cried out, he lost the ability to prolong his wait and rose above her, plunging into her moist and welcoming warmth, feeling her draw him deeper and deeper.

She called his name until it dissolved into nothingness as her voice rose in volume to a near scream. She wanted to tell him, needed to tell him... but it was too late for words. She couldn't speak, she could only cry out as she had done, joining him as they both reached a peak and then broke through it.

Only when she returned to awareness and eased from him onto her side, then pulling him into her arms, did she realize she had to tell him.

"I'm pregnant."

.........

Six months later...

"How does that feel?"

"Wonderful." Barbara looked down at her husband as he rubbed her foot, pressing his thumbs into the arch with gentle, circular motions. She moaned as he found a particularly sensitive spot and her head dropped back onto the pillow.

"You shouldn't have walked so much today," he muttered. "We don't have to do everything in one day. You're not in any condition to be so active."

"Nonsense." Barbara patted her round stomach. "The doctor says I'm disgustingly healthy. He doesn't suggest running a marathon but normal exercise is fine. Besides, I love being here. You're not going to make me miss everything, hear?"

"I hear."

Garrett kissed the curves of his wife's foot and continued his massage. It didn't matter how many times the doctor said she was fine, he couldn't help worrying. But so far her pregnancy was progressing smoothly.

"You worry too much. I'm surprised the doctor hasn't started charging for those phone calls in the middle of the night."

Garrett smiled.

They'd stolen a few minutes to be alone, leaving Frank and Caitlyn on their own at the resort. Easing his hands up Barbara's legs, he touched her stomach and kissed it.

"You still don't want to know if it's a boy or a girl?" she asked.

"Nope. I like surprises. The doctor can look at the sonograms but I want to do this in the traditional way, as a surprise. We'll find out when the baby is born."

He began to stroke her breasts with a touch that was less soothing, more arousing. Barbara quivered, responding instantly to the caresses she'd come to know so well.

"I don't think we've enough... oh!"

Garrett pulled the extra pillows from beneath her shoulders and lay beside her, scattering kisses across her throat and neck. The more he made love to his wife, the more he needed her. Whatever happened in Solvang seemed to light a fire in her soul.

"What do you want? Diamonds? Emeralds? How about a sports car?"

"How about just you?"

He smiled and untied the shoulder ribbons of her maternity dress. "You have me."

"That's all I want."

Garrett tugged the fabric away, freeing her breasts, now rounder with pregnancy, her nipples even darker than before... and, so sensitive. She was so generous, so responsive... nothing was held back.

Gently he brushed the darkly crowned center of her breasts with the back of his hand and she moaned.

"This isn't fair. There's people walking around outside. They'll hear us. We can't make love now."

"Oh, yes, we can," he said tracing the valley between her breasts.

"Caitlyn or Frank are going to bang on the door, wondering what we're doing."

"Shhh... the door's locked and if they can't figure out what we're doing, then shame on them," he whispered, throwing her dress onto the floor. He peeled his shirt off and shoved his pants down his legs. "They can come back later."

"Oh." She shivered in delight. It seemed so wicked to make love, knowing everyone was walking past their room in the hallway.