Sweepers by P. T. Deutermann

perturbed by her answer.
    “No, nothing like that. I’m a hatchet man, myself” He smiled at her then, and she felt a little less uncomfortable.
    But then his expression sobered. “Something happened last night that I think bears on this whole situation. There’s a story behind it, going back more than twenty years. I’ll give you the basics, and then see what you think.”
    “This bears on Elizabeth Walsh’s death?”
    “Yes, I think so. And unfortunately, it may corroborate my own misgivings about what really happened to Elizabeth. “
    “I’m all ears,” she said, finishing her salad and packing up the plate and wrapper.
    Sherman nodded and went to his desk. He sat down and put his palms up to his face and rubbed his cheeks.
    “Last night, I went home to change before going over to Elizabeth’s.
    Went through the mail. Usual stuff-bills, catalogs. And one letter.” He paused and gave her a long look between his fingers. “A threatening letter.”
    “A threat? What kind of threat?”
    “This relates to something that happened in Vietnamwhen I was a lieutenant. An incident that I suspect the Navy would not want to have come out, even after so many years.
    So for now, I won’t disclose what it was. But because of what happened, a certain individual swore revenge-against me. And he apparently understood the old rule about revenge being a dish best savored cold.”
    Karen was baffled. “And that’s what this letter was about? Revenge?”
    “Yes. Back in the early seventies” this man told me he would get even with me for something we-l-had done.
    But he said he would wait until I had something ‘of value to lose. And that when he came back, he would give me one warning.”
    “Which is what this letter was.”
    “Yes. It wasn’t signed, but it has to be him. Galantz.”
    “Galantz?” Karen wished she had had her notebook out, but was unsure she should go digging for it just now.
    Yes. Galantz.” He spelled the last name for her. “Hospital Corpsman First Class Marcus Galantz. Last known duty station was as a member of SEAL Team One.”
    “A SEAL! Oh, dear.”
    He paused and rubbed his face again, then looked across the room at the far wall, his eyes focused out about a mile into space, his lips pressed together in a flat line. She was beginning to understand his concern. A threatening letter from a SEAL. Lovely. “what did the letter say?” she asked finally. “It said,”Sherman: Time to settle up. Things of value, remember? Walsh was the first.’
    “Uh-oh.”
    “Yeah.’ “Admiral, we have to get this letter to the police. This changes everything. It also means that Elizabeth-” She stopped, seeing the sudden flash of pain on his face. “I’m sorry, Admiral.”
    He nodded but did not say anything for a moment. Then he continued.
    “At first, I didn’t know what to do. And I’m not sure I’m ready to bring the police into this. Or at least I wasn’t sure until I went to talk to my sea daddy, Admiral Galen Schmidt. You may remember him: He was Chief of Naval Personnel in early ‘93, when he had to quit because of heart problems. He’d been my mentor ever since my first Bureau tour back in the late seventies. He’s retired and living in Mclean now, not far from my house.”
    “Yes, I remember him. Everyone said he was a prime candidate to be the next CNO.”
    “Yes. Great guy. Anyhow, after getting that letter and going to Elizabeth’s house, I went to see him. I told him about Elizabeth. He knew her, liked her a lot. I also told him about the letter, and most of the story behind it.” . Which you won’t tell me, she thought. But that detective will surely want to know. “He wasn’t familiar with the incident back in Vietnam?”
    “Very few people are, and probably no one still on active duty. It was all news to him. Long story short, I asked. him whether or not I ought to tell the cops about the letter because of what it implies about Elizabeth’s so-called accident. His