Chapter 4 - The Motive
“Why?” Whitaker turned to Hayes. “Why erase her?”
Hayes was pale, but his voice was sharp. “Because the mission was unauthorized. Because sending a second operative compromised the pilot’s position. Because she failed to bring him home.”
“Or because,” Emily said, “if it was known two people went in, people would start asking why the backup helicopter was recalled halfway there.”
Silence.
Whitaker’s eyes narrowed. “Recalled?”
“At zero-three hundred hours,” she said. “My radio log shows the order. ‘Return to base immediately.’ The pilot signed off with regret, but he followed orders. I was already on the ground.”
Whitaker looked at Hayes. “You recalled the helicopter.”
“For operational safety—”
“There was no threat that justified it.” Emily pulled a folded paper from her pocket — a copy she had kept sealed in an envelope, waiting for the right moment. “The weather was clear. Enemy movement was reported three miles west. We had time.”
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“Where did you get that?” Hayes demanded.
“From the communications officer who sent the order. He kept a copy. He told me last week you threatened his career if he breathed a word.”
