Chapter 3: Great Falls, Virginia

“Hi Blake, glad I got hold of you.”

“Hey, what a pleasant surprise. Nice to talk to you again, Major Sutton—and what great timing because I just walked in the house.”

“Well that’s great, Blake—how about if I pick you up in two hours and take you out for some of that famous Italian food you like so much—you know, over at that restaurant in Potomac where we ate last time.”

“OK, in about two hours. I’ll try to make it sooner.”

The waiter placed their food on the table. It was so hot you could see steam rising off their plates. Virgin olive oil was in bowl—bits of basil and oregano floating on top. A basket of French bread was covered by a checkered cloth. The wine was poured from a bottle of 1989 Secco-Bertani. Not the best wine in the world but at three dollars a glass, Sutton wanted something nice.

“I hope that salad didn’t fill you up—you know it’s only fair that I leave you half.”

Laughing, “Hey, you don’t have to worry about that Major Sutton. Man does this look good!  I just love their stuffed eggplant parmesan.”

“Oh yeah, it’s hard to beat good Italian food.” Sutton reached for the salt and pepper. “Blake, I want to ask you a big favor.”

“What’s that Major Sutton? Do you want me to take you mountain climbing?”

“No Blake, I’m way too old for that. Actually, I want you to accompany me to Minneapolis. I want you to come with me when I give Nick’s letter to his wife. I talked this over with General Samm and we both think it’s best that I see her personally. After all, no one is closer to this thing than I am. And you were there, too.

Setting his fork down, trying to comprehend what he just heard, “Well—sure—I guess.  Sure—I’d be glad to go but I must say that this is a real surprise.”

“I understand Blake, but—you know—considering the turn of events, this whole thing has become more complex than either of us ever imagined. And we’ve become pretty good friends. Honestly, this isn’t something that I’m exactly looking forward to doing alone. I would really appreciate you coming along. And don’t worry about money—that’s all taken care of. 

Blake sat up a little straighter. “When do you want to go?”

“This Friday, if it’s OK—we’ll fly. I’ve already made reservations. Look, we should be back on Saturday—Sunday at the latest. We owe this to her. And look, I know you were talking about taking that job over at TRW but if we can just get this last thing out of the way, this will be it—for good.”

“Of course I agree, Major. Nick’s wife needs to know that we found him. Well, I mean, not exactly found him but we do know what happened to him and we did find his dog tag and that letter.”

“That’s right, Blake. Everyone needs to bury their dead at some point. We can only imagine how much she has suffered over the years.”

The French bread looked delicious and Sutton reached for another piece. It felt warm in his hand.

“And what about their daughter, Mr. Sutton. Wasn’t her name Mary?”

“Maria, I think. Same thing. Yeah, well, she’s probably all grown up and married by now. She’s just about your age. Tell me Blake, why aren’t you married? Do you have a girlfriend? I hope you don’t mind me asking.”

“No, that’s alright. I just haven’t found the right girl, yet. Well, I did once. When I was 21 I was engaged to the most wonderful girl anyone could ever imagine. But one day she was killed. You know—a car accident. Some guy didn’t see her. Said the sun was in his eyes.”

“Jesus, Blake, I am sorry to hear that. Damn, I wish I hadn’t asked.”

“Oh, that’s OK. You know—that was a long time ago—almost four years.”

Sutton looked self-conscious. No matter where he turned to in his mind only tragedies looked back.