First ship was a destroyer in San Diego. Then a year and a bit in the gunboat Navy, down in the Mekong Delta. Fun times, that must have been.
Then department-head school in Newport, a second tour in another destroyer in San Diego.
Then graduate school up at Monterey. Exec in yet another destroyer, then off to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington. “Ah,” he said out loud. “The Bureau. He was a detailer.” Both of them knew that being a personnel assignment officer was one of the surer routes to the flag selection boardroom. After seeing the Bureau of Naval Personnel item, Carpenter barely scanned the rest of Sherman’s record.’ “Okay,” he said.
“Professionally good enough to get that first job as a detailer, and politically good enough to get another one. I wonder who his patron saint was.”
“He was executive assistant to Admiral Galen Schmidt,” Mccarty said.
“Just before Admiral Schmidt’s ticker trouble forced him to retire.”
Carpenter nodded. “Schmidt would have made a great CNO,” he said. “And young Sherman would not be coming to see me if Schmidt were the CNO today. Okay, he’s something of a pretty boy, and I distrust pretty boys.
Jealousy, I suppose. Bring him in, please.”
Mccarty smiled and left the room, returning a few seconds later with the officer in the picture.
“Sorry about the delay, Admiral,” Carpenter said in a formal tone. “The Deputy Secnav called precisely at seventeen-thirty.” It was a small lie, but he expected Sherman to be adept enough to swallow it.
“No problem, Admiral,” Sherman replied.
“Thank you, Dan,” Carpenter said to his executive assistant, who nodded and left the room. “Admiral Sherman, it’s a pleasure to see you again, especially as a flag officer.
Congratulations” Carpenter smiled as he said it, but he watched to see if the younger officer understood that the JAG was reminding him who was the senior officer in the room.
“Thank you, sir,” Sherman replied. “Even after a year, I’m still getting used to it.”
“I’ll bet you are. Please sit down.”
When Sherman had taken one of the chairs in front of the desk, Carpenter walked him through the morning’s visit from the police.
“I’m sure Dan told you that this concerns the Fairfax County Police. I had a visit today from a homicide detective.
They are investigating an apparent accident that involved a woman having a fall in her town house in Reston.”
“In Reston?” Sherman asked quickly.
Carpenter saw a look of alarm cross Sherman’s face. He leaned forward before Sherman could say anything.
“The woman died of her injuries. An Elizabeth Walsh.”
He stopped when he saw the alarm in Sherman’s face change to shock. “You didn’t know about this? Was she someone close?”
The color was draining out of Sherman’s face. He appeared to struggle for words.
“I-yes. I didn’t know anything had happened,” he stammered. “I-we-we used to date. I’ve known her for three years or so. When did this happen?”
Admiral Carpenter suddenly felt as if he had been caught off base.
Automatically, he looked around for his executive assistant, then shook his head. “This apparently happened three days ago. Friday night. The homicide cop showed up here this morning. They’re investigating her death. I guess because she died by misadventure-you know, as opposed to dying in a hospital with a doctor present. I think the cops are called anytime there’s an unexplained death,”
“But what-“
Carpenter felt genuinely embarrassed now. He should have thought of this-that no one had told this guy. McCarty should have checked. “He said that there was no direct evidence of foul play. But they pulled the usual strings, and they found out that she had a life-insurance policy, a pretty big one. And apparently you’re the beneficiary.”
“Me? Life insurance? Elizabeth?” Sherman was shaking his head. “So I’m a suspect of some kind? In-a murder case?”
“No, no, no,” Carpenter said waving his hand. “That’s why they came to see me first. There is no murder case.
There’s apparently no evidence, of foul play. I think they just want to talk to you.” Sherman was obviously in a state of emotional shock.
“Look, you-want a glass of water or something? Coffee? A drink maybe?” Sherman was still shaking his head, his eyes unfocused.
“No thank you, sir. I saw her-what, three weeks ago. I can’t believe this.”
“Yes. Damn. I am very sorry. I just assumed … well, I don’t know what I was thinking. But back to the cops. You know how they are-they go with what they’ve got. They have to investigate. You’re apparently the only human tied in some fashion, however indirect, to her death, so they want to talk to you. “
“But what-“
Carpenter interrupted him again. “It’s not what you’re thinking. I think they’re just running down their standard procedure checklist. And the guy who came to see me said they disagreed among themselves if it even was a homicide.”
Sherman got up, then sat down again, his hands flailing a little bit, as if he still couldn’t grasp it. “Elizabeth and I dated for nearly three years,” he said. “I’m divorced, you know. Well, hell, of course you don’t know.”
Carpenter nodded encouragingly. He felt like a clod for just dropping the bomb on this poor guy.
“But we saw each other in a pretty meaningful way until about six months ago. We-she-finally realized that our relationship wasn’t going where she wanted it to go. She’s a bright, attractive woman. She wanted to get married.”
“Ah. And you did not, I take it.”
“Right, sir. First time around cured me of that. And that’s something I had told her from the very start. Anyway, we agreed to part company.
Only fair thing to do, the way I saw it. But we missed each other. From time to time, we got together. We did well together. But the long-term relationship essentially was over. Now we’re just good friends, as they say. And I knew nothing about any insurance policy.
Carpenter waited.
“I mean, I guess we were just good friends. Hell, this is terrible.” He put his hands up to his face and rubbed his cheeks.
Carpenter got up and went over to the window, giving Sherman a minute to compose himself Then he came back and sat down.
“What he wanted to do is to meet with you,” he said.
“Informally. I told him I would arrange it, but only if I could be present. I also told him I would shut the meeting off if it started to look like anything but a friendly chat. I recommend you agree to this, and that we do it soon, like tomorrow. You understand that they don’t have to do it this way, right? They could just call you downtown or wherever the cops are headquartered in Fairfax County. But I think they’re actually trying to be discreet. Since you’re a flag officer, that is.”
Sherman nodded, although it was obvious that his thoughts were spiraling elsewhere.
“So why don’t I have my office coordinate with your office on the calendars, and then we’ll get this over and done with, okay?”
“Yes, of course,” Sherman said. “And I appreciate your intervention, Admiral.”
Carpenter nodded and stood up. Sherman remained seated until he realized the meeting was over. He stood up as well.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Admiral,” Carpenter said. “And I apologize for just dropping a bomb Re that.” Sherman nodded but said nothing as he left.
Carpenter scanned Sherman’s bio again while he waited for Sherman to get clear of his outer office. Something about the Vietnam assignment had ticked his memory, but he could not quite put his finger on it. He
