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over the flower
garden that he and Tracey had worked so hard on last spring. The
tears flowed harder. He knew she was right. He guessed that she had
always been right. When he was forced to quit the Army, a part of
him had died. The part of him that had always allowed him to open
up to others, to trust, and even to love.
    As an M.P. he had felt as though he were on
top of the world. He thought that he was capable of solving any
crime. That he would always find the required answers, and that he
could stop any injustice. But when that injustice had been against
him, he had been completely powerless. From the day that he had
first joined the Army, he had wanted to be an M.P., and had
stressed that to his superiors. They guided him through the proper
training, and he had enjoyed every minute of it. He could never
forget the look on Tracey’s face when he told her that he was
finally going to graduate as an M.P., and it was that same day that
he asked her to marry him. Life had been so good then.
    When Tracey had first told him that she was
pregnant with Bella, Jack had already been on cloud nine. That day
he had collared his first real criminal. As the years went on, and
Brandon was born, everything seemed to come together. His marriage
blossomed. He excelled at his job and moved up into the Criminal
Investigation Division. And he loved being a father. But then
things suddenly fell apart. He had been working a case that
involved a suspicious death, and felt sure that foul play was
involved. From his viewpoint, an apparent homicide had occurred on
base right under his own nose. Normally a homicide on a government
installation would fall under federal jurisdiction, but usually the
FBI would leave it to the CID. He had little evidence, and
virtually no leads, but he felt sure that he could crack the case,
when suddenly charges were brought against him by a supposed friend
for illegal drug use. Though he had never taken any drug more
potent than aspirin in his life, they searched his quarters without
hesitation, and much to his and Tracey’s surprise, they found a
stash of cocaine. A half a kilo, no less. He was quickly given a
choice, face a court martial or resign. A court martial could have
led to years in prison. He had no option, but to resign. To go. And
again, ten years later, here he was, he thought. Going again.
    He walked to the rear of his car, and set the
box down inside the back seat. He shoved at the boxes and slammed
the door. Mike sat in the passenger seat quietly. Their
relationship had always been a close one, and each had always been
there for the other. When Mike’s wife had left him last year, Jack
had been there to console him and to be his friend, but usually it
was Mike who had all the answers. Two years older, but often
decades wiser was how Jack regarded his brother.
    Jack took one last lingering look at the
house that he had called home for the last few years, and then
quietly opened the car door and got in. As he stuck the key in the
ignition, and listened to the motor come to life, he looked up to
their bedroom window. He hoped to see his wife, but watched the
drawn drapes stand motionless instead. A minute or two passed
before he finally accepted the reality, and dropped the car into
reverse. He backed down the driveway. It was time to go. After the
second stop sign had passed in dead silence, Mike finally began to
speak.
    “You okay?” Jack thought about the question
for a moment before he responded.
    “No. I don’t think I will be until we get
this straightened out, Mike. You know how much I love her.”
    “I know buddy, but for now this is best. Like
I told you the other day, she thinks that this is the only answer,
and either she is right or as time passes she’ll realize that she’s
not. Either way, I see a day in the future where life will be good,
and everybody will be happy. All you have to do between now and
then is survive.”
    “It sounds easy enough, but it sure hurts
now.” Jack