Killer was sitting obediently by Matt’s chair.
“We’re a bit early for the annual reenactment,” Sylvia said, indicating her elaborate garb. “But Jordan’s company has a special luncheon today. The men under General Armistead at Pickett’s Charge have a get-together with the men who reenact General Hancock’s Irish Brigade. Always breaks my heart. Armistead’s mortal wounding was somewhat romanticized in that wonderful book by Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels, but the emotion behind it was so real. Armistead and Hancock both served as quartermasters in California before the war, and when Armistead chose to go with his state and the Confederacy, he said to Hancock, ‘You can never know what this has cost me.’”
“I suppose this is one of the reasons we remember,” Jordan said. “Best friends, sons and fathers, brothers—all torn apart. It should teach us today to listen to one another, to establish real equality for everyone and do whatever we can to keep such a tragedy from happening again.” He sniffed. “Members of Congress should be made to take part in one of these reenactments. Maybe they’d quit name-calling and do what they swear they’re going to do—serve the country!”
“Now, now, dear, these are government agents,” Sylvia said.
Matt laughed. “Hey, we’re American citizens, too. And we’d love to see congress get along.”
“You’re here with Walker’s party?” Jordan asked. When Matt nodded, he said, “Well, he isn’t a bad guy. Not as good as Hubbard—that man was a shoo-in. But Walker’s all right. But what if you were asked to protect a politician you didn’t like?”
“We’d still watch over him. Our personal opinions don’t enter into it,” Matt said. “Our vow is to protect our country and our people, whether we like them or agree with them—or not.”
Sylvia grinned. “Well, I think you should run for congress, Matt!”
“No way!” Matt vowed, and they all laughed.
“Have you been here for a reenactment?” Jordan asked.
“Many times,” Meg said, and Matt nodded.
“Visit us at the camp if you get a chance,” Sylvia said. “My great-great-great-grandfather was a surgeon in the Civil War. Jordan’s ancestor was a Rebel, mine was a Yankee. I switch around at the camps.”
“If the war was happening now, we would’ve been in opposite camps,” Jordan said.
“But I’d have followed you anywhere,” Sylvia said.
“You’re the best, babe,” her husband teased. “You know, Mary Lincoln had to turn her back on her family because of her husband.”
“I’d do that, too, if I had to,” Sylvia insisted.
“Aww.” Charlene rolled her eyes to more laughter. “How sweet.”
Matt looked over at Meg. “We should pack up and get going,” he said. “You ready?”
Meg had managed to down a cup of coffee and an egg-and-cheese croissant as they talked. They couldn’t get into the MacAndrew until later in the afternoon but they told Jordan and Sylvia Avery that they hoped to see them again. Sylvia scratched out some notes for them.
“If you want to check out some Civil War surgery, this is where I’ll be ‘assisting,’” she explained. “Not everything is allowed on park service property, but we rent from a farmer every year and we can do full-scale theatrical work. I’m hoping we’ll be able to continue to do that. We’re next to the ruins of the Brewer mansion, and the property has just been purchased. I don’t know who bought it—hopefully, an historian—and that he or she won’t object to our goings-on every year. Anyway...stop by if you can.”
Meg thanked her. Normally, she loved to go to the reenactment camps, but doubted she’d have the opportunity during this trip. They left soon after, Killer at their heels.
“Where are we off to? Any ideas?” Meg asked Matt.
“You’re supposed to call the shots.”
“But I’m not sure how. So...any ideas?” she repeated.
“How about a drive around the park, which will take us some time,” Matt replied. “The problem is that we don’t have a lot of time. There are museums everywhere, as well as the cemeteries and battlefields. I’m sure you and Lara went to all of them at one time or other. But hopefully, we’ll be able to narrow things down when Angela gets back to me.”
“Oh? What did you ask her to do? And what about Congressman Hubbard? Do we have any results from his autopsy yet?”