Jackson thought for a moment. He didn't want to keep anything from Chloe, but he was afraid of what she might think of him if he told her. She was a gentle soul, kind and compassionate. What would she think of him if she knew the horror and destruction he had wrought?
"I don't know," Jackson answered honestly. Arthur nodded slowly.
"Do what you think is right. She will know everything about you eventually, and I guarantee should would rather find out from you than on her own." Arthur returned to facing forward. The car was quiet again.
Jackson's mind buzzed with thoughts. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell Chloe what he had done, but that was pushed to the back of his brain. One thought kept bubbling to the surface and made it hard to concentrate on anything else. He wasn't going to hurt Chloe. He could be with her. And that was what he wanted more than anything else in the world.
Chapter 30
Jackson walked casually onto the base after being dropped off a quarter mile down the road. He showed the gate guard his ID and began walking toward the parking lot with his truck. The snow was almost melted and dead yellow grass lay in strange patterns as he walked across the field to his truck.
As he came closer to the building, he could see yellow tape blocking off the main entrance, and numerous Military Police vehicles parked along the edge of the building. The smell of acrid electrical smoke and water hung heavy in the air. It made Jackson's nose itch. A guard stood at the corner of the building, waving away anyone coming toward the medical center. Jackson could hear him tell a group of soldiers that the medics were now located in the chapel for the time being.
Jackson sauntered over to the guard. The guard gave him a polite nod, noting the rank on Jackson's uniform as he straightened. He rendered a quick salute.
Jackson returned the salute lazily, as if telling him that it was no big deal. "What's going on over there, Specialist?" Jackson asked, giving the man his most friendly smile. The Specialist relaxed as he saw the Captain wasn't going to pull rank on him.
"Well, sir, there was an accident last night."
"What kind of accident? It smells terrible!" Jackson leaned against a nearby tree. "You've got a rough job today," Jackson said. The soldier smiled, warming up to him.
"There was an electrical fire. The experiment in the lab it was in was ruined," the soldier said.
Jackson nodded. "Anything to do with the Colonel's death? I heard a rumor he was there."
The soldier nodded, his body language relaxing the longer Jackson spoke with him. This was how Jackson got a lot of his intelligence; just being friendly.
"Rumor is the Colonel started it," the soldier replied, leaning in conspiratorially. "They say he wasn't pleased with how the experiment was going and blew a gasket."
Jackson nodded. "After meeting the Colonel, I wouldn't doubt it. He wasn't exactly polite the last time I had to work with him."
"I hate to speak ill of the dead, sir, but I have to agree with you." The soldier glanced around and then whispered to Jackson, "Rumor is if he had survived, he'd be looking at a court-martial for some of the things he authorized."
"Wow, at least now I know why I didn't have a good feeling about him. Did anyone else get hurt?" Jackson asked.
"Yeah, the scientist who was working the lab. Just some burns. He's with the MPs now if you need to talk to him," the soldier offered up helpfully.
Jackson shook his head. "It's my day off and I'm just here to get my car today. You know how the Army is, though. I have a feeling I'll get called in tomorrow to help sort this mess out."
"Good day to be off. Hope you get the rest of it off," the Specialist replied, waving his hand to indicate the weather.
"Yeah, it is. Don't get sunburned," Jackson joked as he turned to walk toward his car. So far, things seemed to be going the way they should, but he still wanted to do some checking before heading back to tell Chloe it was safe.
Jackson's truck rumbled to life, and he drove it to the front of the little building he used as his office. The guard that had been stationed there was gone, and Jackson was glad he didn't have to show ID just to get into his office anymore. Things were already changing with the Colonel gone.
The door to Jackson's office swung open easily and he did his usual checks to see if anyone had been inside. No one had. He pulled out his computer, waiting at the boot screen so he could dig up files and make sure Herbert was sticking to his story.
Jackson's eyes fell on the picture of his unit. He stood, picking it up and cradling it in his hands. He missed them. He would have given his right arm to have them back, but he knew that wasn't an option. Their eyes stared out at him from the frame, and he knew he had to tell Chloe. Even if she hated him for it, he had to tell her.
The computer beeped and he set the picture down, pulling up his search boxes and quickly querying the system. Several reports had already been filed, and Jackson checked them one by one. Each one said the same thing. The Colonel had been angry at the lack of progress on his pet project and had taken the drug himself. It reacted badly and he had knocked over the tanks, thus starting the electrical fire. The test subjects Dr. Hulsey had been using hadn't even been in the lab that night, according to the doctor. So far, it appeared as though Herbert was sticking to the story and that they were believing it.
Jackson searched through the reports for another thirty minutes, but no new information came up. He checked on the status of the men who had attacked them earlier, but with Colonel Bronn gone, there was no reason for them to keep searching for Chloe. It appeared as though they were all going to get out of this without too much trouble, but he was going to have to keep an eye on the situation. Jackson didn't want any surprises coming up that could put Chloe in danger.
Jackson closed the lid to his laptop. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to explain Blake, Joel, and Evan's disappearance from the base, but since they were never officially on-base to begin with, he wasn't too worried. If what the Specialist had said about Bronn's authorizations being questioned, the fake orders to Afghanistan would pop up soon enough. Maybe even his connection with the men who attacked Chloe would come to light. A guy could dream.
With a creak of the chair, Jackson stood and stretched before putting the laptop in a protective case. He thought about stopping for flowers, but changed his mind, instead simply heading out to his truck and tucking the laptop under the passenger seat. A smile crossed his face as he started the engine, ready to go back up to the camp. He was going to see Chloe.
Chapter 31