“You never told me that.”
“I thought you didn’t want to hear about her.”
“I didn’t want to hear excuses.”
“She didn’t give any.”
Emma looked toward the window. Beyond it, the sunlight fell across the concrete walkway in a bright rectangle.
“Where is she now?”
“Colorado, I think.”
“You think?”
“She moved a few years ago.”
“Do you talk to her?”
“Not much.”
“Why?”
I searched for an answer that didn’t make me sound better than I was.
“Because talking to her reminded me of everything I couldn’t fix.”
Emma let out a slow breath.
“That sounds like something you would say.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re very good at carrying things alone and calling it responsibility.”
Mercer lowered his eyes. I wondered how many times he had heard the same accusation in different words.
“She’s right,” he said.
I looked at him.
He moved to the table and placed a second document beside Rachel’s letter.
“I should have found this years ago.”
“What is it?”
“A copy of my brother’s personal effects inventory.”
Emma leaned closer.
Mercer slid the page toward me.
For illustration purposes only
Most of it was ordinary: a watch, a wallet, a set of keys, a photograph, two letters. Near the bottom was a handwritten notation.
Leather wristband transferred to SSG David Carter at request of deceased.
I touched the line.
“I thought I was given this after the accident.”
“You were,” Mercer said. “But the inventory was altered. The original noted that Michael asked for the band to be given to you before the exercise.”
I looked up.
“Before?”
Mercer nodded.
“He knew the brake system was unsafe.”
The room seemed to grow smaller.
“Then why was he in the vehicle?”
“He was ordered to take it.”
“By whom?”
Mercer’s silence answered before his words did.
“Colonel Voss,” he said. “He was the commanding officer responsible for the inspection.”
I knew the name. Everyone in the unit knew it. Colonel Peter Voss had been admired for his efficiency and feared for his temper. He had spoken often about readiness, about never allowing maintenance delays to interfere with scheduled evaluations.
“Voss told us the issue had been cleared,” I said.
“He signed the clearance.”
“And then changed the records.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
