Chapter 9 - A Witness of Her Own
Tessa chose an attorney who specialized in military record corrections and veterans' advocacy. Leah learned that from Margaret, not from Tessa. It was a small ache she deserved.
The attorney, Rebecca Shaw, arranged for Tessa's account to be documented through a signed statement. Caleb agreed to provide his recollection privately. Neither wanted the statement posted online. They wanted the Navy's prior review records examined and the public history corrected if the evidence warranted it.
Leah submitted her own account through established channels. She wrote what she'd actually seen from the aircraft, including what she could not identify in the rain. She enclosed a copy of the old report and identified inconsistencies she could verify. She did not rewrite her 2019 statement to make herself more heroic.
"This is shorter than the version you told me in the kitchen," Samuel said, reading it at her request.
"Because the kitchen version had things I learned later."
"Good. You can be wrong about your own memory."
Captain Naomi Kwan called a week after the submission.
"The appropriate review office acknowledged receipt," Naomi said. "That is not a finding. Don't let anybody describe it as one."
"I won't."
"I've also asked that the foundation materials not be treated as official Navy documents. We need to keep that distinction clear."
Naomi was about to hang up when Leah asked, "Why did you speak to Mrs. Bell before the gala?"
A pause.
"Because she wrote to me last spring."
"What did she ask?"
"Why I hadn't corrected the story about her son when I had the chance."
Leah sat straight. "You were involved in the first review?"
"I was the reviewing officer for a related personnel matter. I accepted that the accident inquiry had settled the rescue account. I was wrong to assume the public retelling matched the official documents."
"You didn't tell me."
"I will disclose my involvement to the reviewers. I can't be the impartial person overseeing this."
May you like
Naomi's admission carried no thunder. It was simply the sound of someone surrendering the comfort of appearing blameless.
A copy of the old correspondence arrived from Mrs. Bell that evening. At the bottom of a 2020 letter was Naomi's signature beneath one sentence: No further action is recommended at this time.
