Chapter 6 - The Offer
Cross waited until Elaine went upstairs before approaching Daniel.
"I came because I don't want your mother upset by a misunderstanding," he said.
Daniel kept a few feet between them.
"You can mail whatever you have to her attorney."
"An attorney costs money. This can be handled quietly."
Cross extended the envelope.
Inside was a draft agreement proposing a payment from the charity in exchange for withdrawal of complaints and a promise not to make public statements about its records.
Daniel did not touch the papers.
"Did my mother ask you for this?"
"No. But it would bring closure."
"Closure for whom?"
Cross sighed.
"Captain Hale devoted his life to service. One old paperwork discrepancy should not destroy the foundation he built."
Daniel stepped back.
"If it's paperwork, fix the paperwork."
Cross's eyes narrowed.
"Your father was not an easy man, Lieutenant. There are things about that deployment your mother never knew."
Daniel had heard versions of that threat before.
This time he said nothing.
He wrote a contemporaneous account when Cross left and gave the document to Park.
Park read it with the tired expression of someone whose worst worries had just become official.
"You should speak with counsel about the agreement," she told him. "And do not negotiate through the command."
A legal assistance appointment helped Elaine understand the document, though the attorney made clear that the office could not represent her in every private dispute.
She declined the offer in writing.
Meanwhile Sarah discovered that the retirement event included a fundraising dinner promoted through the memorial foundation.
The dinner invitations used the disputed rescue citation as their centerpiece.
She recommended postponing that portion of the event until the historical review was complete.
Her supervisor warned her not to turn a scheduling concern into a crusade.
"I know the difference," Sarah replied, though she went home wondering whether she truly did.
Two days later Daniel received a summons to speak with a reviewing officer about the confrontation in the hall.
He expected a lecture.
Instead the officer had a copy of a photograph taken from a different angle.
It showed Owen Mercer behind the same ambulance, not at the landing zone.
"Someone submitted this as proof your photograph was staged," the officer said.
Daniel examined the vehicle's registration number.
It was different.
"That's not the same day," he said.
The officer did not agree or disagree.
"Then we need more than your word for it."
May you like
For the first time, Daniel understood how easily the truth could be buried under two genuine pictures with the wrong dates.
