{"id":3603,"date":"2026-01-03T23:35:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T23:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/up-country-demille-nelson\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T23:35:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T23:35:58","slug":"up-country-demille-nelson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/up-country-demille-nelson\/","title":{"rendered":"Up Country – Demille, Nelson"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Book Preview<\/h3>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

CHAPTER ONE<\/h2>\n

\"[image]\"<\/p>\n

B<\/span>ad things come in threes.<\/p>\n

The first bad thing was a voice mail from Cynthia Sunhill, my former partner in the army\u2019s Criminal Investigation Division. Cynthia is still with the CID, and she is also my significant other, though we were having some difficulties with that job description.<\/p>\n

The message said, \u201cPaul, I need to talk to you. Call me tonight, no matter how late. I just got called on a case, and I have to leave tomorrow morning. We need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d I looked at the mantel clock in my small den. It was just 10 P.M.<\/span>, or twenty-two hundred hours, as I used to say when I was in the army not so long ago.<\/p>\n

I live in a stone farmhouse outside Falls Church, Virginia, less than a half-hour drive to CID Headquarters. The commute time is actually irrelevant because I don\u2019t work for the CID any longer. In fact, I don\u2019t work for anyone. I\u2019m retired, or maybe fired.<\/p>\n

In any case, it had been about six months since my separation from the army, and I was getting bored, and I had twenty or thirty years to go.<\/p>\n

As for Ms. Sunhill, she was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, about a fourteen-hour drive from Falls Church, or twelve if I\u2019m very excited. Her caseload is heavy, and weekends in the army are often normal duty days. The last six months had not been easy on our relatively new relationship, and with her interesting career and my growing addiction to afternoon talk shows, we don\u2019t have a lot to talk about.<\/p>\n

Anyway, bad thing number two. I checked my e-mail, and there was a message that said simply, 1600 hrs, tomorrow, the Wall<\/i>. It was signed, K<\/i>.<\/p>\n

K is Colonel Karl Hellmann, my former boss at Headquarters, and Cynthia\u2019s present commanding officer. That much was clear. What wasn\u2019t clear was why Hellmann wanted to meet me at the Vietnam War Memorial. But instinctively, I put this under the category of \u201cbad things.\u201d<\/p>\n

I considered several equally terse replies, none of them very positive. Of course, I didn\u2019t have<\/i> to respond at all; I was retired. But, in contrast to civilian careers, a military career does not completely end. The expression is, \u201cOnce an officer, always an officer.\u201d And I had been a warrant officer by rank, and a criminal investigator by occupation.<\/p>\n

Fact is, they still have some kind of legal hold on you, though I\u2019m not really sure what it is. If nothing else, they can screw up your PX privileges for a year.<\/p>\n

I stared at Karl\u2019s message again and noticed it was addressed to Mr. Brenner. Warrant officers are addressed as Mister, so this salutation was a reminder of my past\u2014or perhaps present\u2014army rank, not a celebration of my civilian status. Karl is not subtle. I held off on my reply.<\/p>\n

And, last but not least, the third bad thing. I\u2019d apparently forgotten to send in my response to my book club, and in my mail was a Danielle Steel novel. Should I return it? Or give it to my mother next Christmas? Maybe she had a birthday coming up.<\/p>\n

Okay, I couldn\u2019t postpone the Cynthia call any longer, so I sat at my desk and dialed. I looked out the window as the phone rang at the other end. It was a cold January night in northern Virginia, and a light snow was falling.<\/p>\n

Cynthia answered, \u201cHello.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHi,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

A half-second of silence, then, \u201cHi, Paul. How are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

We were off on the wrong foot already, so I said, \u201cLet\u2019s cut to the chase, Cynthia.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hesitated, then said, \u201cWell\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. Can I first ask you how your day was?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a great day. An old mess sergeant gave me his recipe for chili\u2014I didn\u2019t realize it fed two hundred, and I made it all. I froze it in Ziploc bags. I\u2019ll send you some. Then I went to the gym, played a basketball game against a wheelchair team\u2014beat them big time\u2014then off to the local tavern for beer and hamburgers with the boys. How about your day?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. I just wrapped up the rape case I told you about. But instead
\nof time off, I have to go to Fort Rucker for a sexual harassment investigation, which looks tricky. I\u2019ll be there until it\u2019s concluded. Maybe a few weeks. I\u2019ll be in Bachelor Officers Quarters if you want to call me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t reply.<\/p>\n

She said, \u201cHey, I still think about Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe, too.\u201d That was a month ago, and I hadn\u2019t seen her since. \u201cHow\u2019s Easter look?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, Paul\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. you could move here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you could be reassigned anytime. Then I\u2019d wind up following your career moves. Didn\u2019t we discuss this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, but\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI like it here. You could get stationed here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that an offer?\u201d<\/p>\n

Whoops<\/i>. I replied, \u201cIt would be good for your career. Headquarters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me worry about my career. And I really don\u2019t want a staff job. I\u2019m an investigator. Just like you were. I want to go where I can be useful.\u201d<\/p>\n

I said, \u201cWell, I can\u2019t be following you around like a puppy dog, or hanging around your apartment when you\u2019re away on assignment. It\u2019s not good for my ego.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could get a job here in law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m working on that. Here in Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so on. It\u2019s tough when the guy\u2019s not working and the woman has a traveling career. To make matters worse, the army likes to change your permanent duty station as soon as you\u2019re comfortable, which calls into question the army\u2019s definition of permanent. On top of that, there are a lot of temporary duty assignments these days\u2014places like Bosnia, Somalia, South America\u2014where you could be gone for up to a year, which pushes the definition of temporary. Bottom line, Cynthia and I were what\u2019s called these days GU\u2014geographically unsuitable.<\/p>\n

The military, as I\u2019ve always said, is tough on relationships; it\u2019s not a job, it\u2019s a calling, a commitment that makes other commitments really difficult. Sometimes impossible.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you there?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t go on like this, Paul. It hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat should we do?\u201d<\/p>\n

I think she was willing to resign and forfeit a lot of her pension, in exchange for the M word. Then we\u2019d decide where to live, find jobs, and live happily ever after. And why not? We were in love.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. I\u2019m thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should have already thought about all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. Look, I think we should talk about this in person. Face-to-face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing we do face-to-face is fuck.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. well, we\u2019ll talk over dinner. In a restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. I\u2019ll call you when I get back from Rucker. I\u2019ll come there, or you come here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. Hey, how\u2019s your divorce coming?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s almost final.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d Regarding her loving husband, I asked, \u201cDo you see much of Major Nut Case?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much. At the O Club once in a while. Can\u2019t avoid those situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes he still want you back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t try to complicate a simple situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not. I\u2019m just concerned that he might try to kill me again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe never tried to kill you, Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI must have misinterpreted his reason for pointing a loaded pistol at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we change the subject?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure. Hey, do you read Danielle Steel?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, why?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI bought her latest book. I\u2019ll send it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe your mother would like it. It\u2019s her birthday, February 10. Don\u2019t forget.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have it memorized. By the way, I got an e-mail from Karl. He wants to meet me tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought maybe you knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I don\u2019t,\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe he just wants to have a drink, talk about old times.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wants me to meet him at the Vietnam Memorial.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally? That\u2019s odd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. And he never mentioned anything to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she replied. \u201cWhy should he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I can\u2019t figure out what he\u2019s up to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy do you think he\u2019s up to anything? You two worked together for years. He likes you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he doesn\u2019t,\u201d I said. \u201cHe hates me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does not hate you. But you\u2019re a difficult man to work with. Actually, you\u2019re difficult to love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother loves me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should re-check that. Regarding Karl, he respects you, and he knows just how brilliant you are. He either needs some advice, or he needs some information about an old case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy the Wall?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. I don\u2019t know. You\u2019ll find out when you meet him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s cold here. How\u2019s it there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSixties.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s snowing here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful driving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d We both stayed silent for a while, during which time I thought of our history. We\u2019d met at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. She was engaged to Major What\u2019s-His-Name, a Special Forces guy, we got involved, he got pissed, pulled the aforementioned gun on me, I backed off, they got married, and a year later Cynthia and I bumped into each other again.<\/p>\n

It was in the Officers Club at Fort Hadley, Georgia, and we were both on assignment. I was undercover, investigating the theft and sale of army weapons, she was wrapping up a rape case. That\u2019s her specialty. Sexual crimes. I\u2019d rather be in combat again than have that job. But someone\u2019s got to do it, and she\u2019s good at it. More important, she can compartmentalize, and she seems to be unaffected by her work, though sometimes I wonder.<\/p>\n

But back to Fort Hadley, last summer. While we were both there, the post commander\u2019s daughter, Captain Ann Campbell, was found on a rifle range, staked out, naked, strangled, and apparently raped. So, I\u2019m asked to drop my little arms deal case, and Cynthia is asked to assist me. We solved the murder case, then tried to solve our own case, which is proving more difficult. At least she got rid of Major Nut Job.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaul, why don\u2019t we put this on hold until we can meet? Is that okay?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds okay.\u201d In fact, it was my suggestion. But why point that out? \u201cGood idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe both need to think about how much we have to give up and how much we stand to gain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you rehearse that line?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. But it\u2019s true. Look, I love you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know. That\u2019s why this is difficult.\u201d Neither of us spoke for a while, then she said, \u201cI\u2019m younger than you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m more immature.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease shut up. And I like what I do, I like my life, my career, my independence. But\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. I\u2019d give it up if I thought\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear you. That\u2019s a big responsibility for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not pressuring you, Paul. I\u2019m not even sure I want what I think I want.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a bright guy, but I get confused when I talk to women. Rather than ask for a clarification, I said, \u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d Totally clueless.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you miss me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss you. I really do. I\u2019m looking forward to seeing you again. I\u2019ll take some leave time. I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take some leave time, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not working.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight. But if I was, I\u2019d take a leave to be with you. I\u2019ll come to you this time. It\u2019s warmer there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. That would be nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou like chili?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you liked chili. Okay, good luck with the case. Give me a day\u2019s notice, and I\u2019ll be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll be about two weeks. Maybe three. I\u2019ll let you know when I get into the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSay hello to Karl for me. Let me know what he wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe he wants to tell me about his alien abduction.\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed.<\/p>\n

So, just as we were about to end on a happy note, she said, \u201cYou know, Paul, you didn\u2019t have to resign.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that a fact?\u201d The case of the general\u2019s daughter had been trouble from minute one, a political, emotional, and professional minefield, and I stepped right into it. I would have been better off not solving the case because the solution turned out to be about things no one wanted to know. I said to Cynthia, \u201cA letter of reprimand in my file is the army\u2019s way of saying, \u2018Call your pension officer.\u2019 A little subtle, perhaps, but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you misinterpreted what was happening. You were scolded, you got all huffy, and you acted impulsively because your ego was bruised.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that so? Well, thank you for informing me that I threw away a thirty-year career because I had a temper tantrum.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should come to terms with that. I\u2019ll tell you something else\u2014unless you find something equally important and challenging to do, you\u2019re going to get depressed\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m depressed now. You just made me depressed. Thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, but I know you. You were not as burned out as you thought you were. The Campbell case just got to you. That\u2019s okay. It got to everyone. Even me. It was the saddest, most depressing case\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay. But what you needed was a thirty-day leave, not a permanent vacation. You\u2019re still young\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re younger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got a lot of energy left, a lot to give, but you need to write a second act, Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you. I\u2019m exploring my options.\u201d It had gotten noticeably cooler in the room and on the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you angry?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. If you were here, you\u2019d see me smiling. I\u2019m smiling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if I didn\u2019t love you, I wouldn\u2019t be saying these things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still smiling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSee you in a few weeks.\u201d She said, \u201cTake care of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence, then, \u201cGood night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Bye.\u201d<\/p>\n

We both hung up. I stood, went to the bar, and made a drink. Scotch, splash of soda, ice.<\/p>\n

I sat in my den, my feet on the desk, watching the snow outside. The Scotch smelled good.<\/p>\n

So, there I was with a Danielle Steel novel on my desk, an unpleasant phone call still ringing in my ears, and an ominous message from Karl Hellmann on my computer screen.<\/p>\n

Sometimes things that seem unconnected are actually part of a larger plan. Not your plan, to be sure, but someone else\u2019s plan. I was supposed to believe that Karl and Cynthia were not talking about me, but Mrs. Brenner didn\u2019t raise an idiot.<\/p>\n

I should be pissed off when people underestimate my intelligence, though in truth, I affect a certain macho idiocy that encourages people to underestimate my brilliance. I\u2019ve put a lot of people in jail that way.<\/p>\n

I looked at the message again. 1600 hrs, tomorrow, the Wall<\/i>. Not even \u201cplease.\u201d Colonel Karl Gustav Hellmann can be a bit arrogant. He\u2019s German-born, as the name suggests, whereas Paul Xavier Brenner is a typical Irish lad, from South Boston, charmingly irresponsible, and delightfully smart-assed. Herr Hellmann is quite the opposite. Yet, on some strange level, we got along. He was a good commander, strict but fair, and highly motivated. I just never trusted his motives.<\/p>\n

Anyway, I sat up and banged out an e-mail to Karl: See you there and then<\/i>. I signed it, Paul Brenner, PFC<\/i>, which, in this case, did not mean Private First Class, but meant, as Karl and I both knew, Private F-ing Civilian.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"[image]\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Read the full book by downloading it below.<\/p>\n

DOWNLOAD EPUB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Preview CHAPTER ONE Bad things come in threes. The first bad thing was a voice mail from Cynthia Sunhill, my former partner in the army\u2019s Criminal Investigation Division. Cynthia is still with the CID, and she is also my significant other, though we were having some difficulties with that job description. The message said, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[197],"class_list":["post-3603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-nelson-demille"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}