Chapter 2 - The Man Leaving Through the Side Door
I ran.
Behind me, somebody shouted my name.
I hit the side door hard enough to slam it against the brick wall.
Cold Georgia night air rushed across my face.
Dale Mercer was halfway across the parking lot.
“Dale!”
He didn’t stop.
He walked faster.
That told me everything I needed to know.
I kicked off the low heels Marjorie had complained about earlier and ran after him.
“Natalie!” Dad yelled behind me.
Dale reached a black SUV.
He grabbed the driver’s door.
I caught it before he could pull it open.
“Move.”
His friendly small-town smile was gone.
“What’s on your phone?”
“None of your business.”
“Somebody thinks it is.”
He shoved the door harder.
I held it.
“Natalie, let go.”
“Show me.”
“You don’t have authority here.”
He was right.
Technically.
I stepped back.
“Then leave.”
He hesitated.
That was the mistake.
People who truly believe they’re free to go usually go.
Dale looked past me toward the hall.
Marjorie was standing outside now.
Our eyes met.
She gave Dale one tiny shake of her head.
There.
I saw it.
So did Admiral Keene, standing ten feet behind her.
Dale cursed under his breath.
Then his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
I didn’t see the name, but I saw his face change.
He answered.
“What?”
A pause.
“No. She’s here.”
Another pause.
“I said she’s here.”
He looked directly at me.
Then he ended the call.
I held out my hand.
“Who was that?”
He laughed.
“You really do think the uniform makes you special.”
“I’m not wearing one.”
“That might be the first smart thing you’ve done.”
Dad stepped between us.
“That’s enough.”
Dale’s expression instantly softened.
“Robert, this is ridiculous. Your daughter comes home, causes a scene, and now she’s chasing people through the parking lot.”
“I didn’t cause the scene,” I said.
Marjorie hurried over.
“She’s embarrassed because people know she failed.”
Admiral Keene stared at her.
Marjorie immediately corrected herself.
“Or whatever happened.”
Dad turned to me.
“What is going on?”
“I don’t know yet.”
That was the truth.
The text had come from an unknown number.
No explanation.
No proof.
Just a warning.
Dale climbed into his SUV.
This time I let him.
Before shutting the door, he looked at my father.
“Check your daughter’s record before you decide who to trust.”
Then he drove away.
The parking lot stayed silent.
Dad looked at me.
“What did he mean?”
“I don’t know.”
Marjorie folded her arms.
“Oh, please.”
I turned toward her.
“What?”
“You show up after months of silence. An admiral magically appears. Then you start chasing one of your father’s closest friends.”
“Why did you signal Dale not to leave?”
Her face changed for half a second.
“I didn’t.”
“You did.”
“You’re seeing things.”
Admiral Keene spoke quietly.
“She did.”
Marjorie stared at him.
Dad looked between them.
“What the hell is happening?”
My phone vibrated again.
Another message.
This time there was an attachment.
A photograph.
I opened it.
It showed a bank statement.
At the top were the words:
GEORGIA VETERANS HOME PROJECT.
Underneath were twelve transfers.
Each transfer went to the same company.
Mercer Community Consulting.
Total amount:
$184,600.
I zoomed in.
At the bottom was an authorization signature.
My father’s name.
Robert Reed.
Dad leaned over my shoulder.
His face drained.
“I never signed that.”
Nobody spoke.
May you like
Then Marjorie whispered,
“You shouldn’t have come home.”
