Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch’s red-white-and-blue homecoming has reignited rumors that she is working with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rick Bragg on a book about her capture and controversial rescue in Iraq.

Bragg was spotted in the crowd that waited for Lynch’s motorcade in Elizabeth, W. Va., on Tuesday. According to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story, Bragg said he was “just hanging out,” but state officials said he was researching a possible book on Lynch. Bragg resigned from The New York Times in May after questions were raised about his reporting methods.

Bragg’s agent had no comment Wednesday; neither did Knopf, Bragg’s publisher.

Lynch, a 20-year-old Army supply clerk, suffered multiple broken bones and other injuries when the 507th Maintenance Company was attacked. Her rescue from an Iraqi hospital quickly made her an American hero.