Tin Soldier: The Seven Sequels by Sigmund Brouwer

Author:Sigmund Brouwer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, JUV001000, JUV028000, JUV039120
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2014-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

“Don’t need you trying to make me look good,” Lee said to Webb. “Things I don’t want to discuss either. I been through that stage already. No sleep. No eating. Just anger. Now, at least, I eat and sleep.”

Derek still squinted at Webb, ignoring Lee.

“You’re Canadian,” Derek said.

Webb nodded.

“You said oot and aboot. Dead giveaway. Canadian tourists come in here all the time. We love them. Everybody loves Canadians.”

“Oot and aboot?” Webb said.

Derek nodded. “You said you’re trying to figure some things oot aboot your grandfather’s past.”

Webb thought it wasn’t the time to mention that the person in the room with the real accent was the guy who turned any r in a word into an h, as in Chah-l-ston.

“I really didn’t want to be curious about this,” Derek told Webb, “but now I can’t help it. How about this? If you find out anything worth knowing about Jesse Lockewood and Casey Gardner, you let me know. I’ve often wondered about those two.”

“Yes, sir,” Webb said. He was in the south. Calling Derek “sir” seemed natural.

“Something unusual made you wonder?” Lee said.

“I was the platoon sergeant,” Derek said. “Both of them were in my squad. Our captain, Nathaniel Warwick, came from Albuquerque. He’s a congressman now. Hope he’s a better congressman than he was a captain. Lots of things fell on my shoulders that he should have handled.”

Webb reminded himself that a platoon of thirty-six men had three squads of twelve.

“Nathaniel ignored advice, sent us into a firefight, trapped between Viet Cong pouring bullets at us from both sides,” Derek said. “Almost like he wanted most of us to die. My radioman went down as we retreated, and the only way we could call in support from the air was to get that radio. Casey Gardner didn’t hesitate. He was almost back with the radio when tracers found him. Jesse Lockewood ducked heavy fire and dragged Casey and the radio back to us. Made it back on one leg, dragging the other.”

“Posthumous Bronze Star for Lockewood, right?” Lee said. “Gardner deserted.”

“That’s the official story,” Derek said. “I never bought it entirely.”

Derek ran his hands through his hair. Rubbed his neck. Looked up and to the right, closed his eyes briefly.

“Thing was,” Derek said a few moments later, “both were taken away in the same medivac. To me, it looked like Gardner was bleeding out, and I never expected him to make it. Lockewood took some bullets in the calf of the leg he was dragging. That shouldn’t kill a man. But word reached me that Lockewood died from infection two days later. And Gardner, he was true red and white and blue. He’s the last guy I figured would bolt, but two weeks later, he’s listed as a deserter. Of the two, I would have figured Jesse Lockewood to go native.”

Lee asked the logical question. “Why’s that?”

“A lot of soldiers made promises to Vietnamese women to get them stateside after the war, but when he was on leave, Lockewood guaranteed it for his girl by getting married in a Catholic ceremony, church and all.

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