Chapter 10 - The General
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
General Cutter had signed Hale’s inspection order.
He had personally told her the investigation had to remain independent.
Now he was standing beside Sloan at the training range where Inès was being held.
Thomas broke the silence.
“We’re done.”
Hale turned on him.
“No.”
“He owns Regional Command.”
“He owns a uniform and a title.”
“He can crush every report we make.”
Léa looked at the folder containing the copied witness statements.
“No.”
Thomas followed her gaze.
Thirty witnesses.
Again.
Léa said, “We stop treating this like one chain of command.”
Hale understood.
“Outside investigators.”
“Federal.”
“Civilian prosecutors.”
“Press if necessary.”
Delcourt looked at her sharply.
“Not yet.”
“I said if necessary.”
Hale grabbed a secure satellite phone from one investigator.
“I have a contact at Defense Criminal Investigative Service.”
Thomas looked at Léa.
“And Inès?”
“We get her out first.”
At 11:56, Léa drove toward Range Four alone.
The black ledger sat on the passenger seat.
It was not the real ledger.
Thomas had photographed every page.
The original was already inside a sealed evidence bag traveling off base with an investigator Hale trusted.
Léa stopped at the gate.
Varenne stood under a floodlight.
He was no longer wearing his uniform coat.
He looked tired.
Older.
“Get out.”
Léa did.
“Ledger.”
“Inès first.”
He laughed.
“You still think you’re negotiating.”
“I think you’re standing in front of someone who knows General Cutter is here.”
Varenne’s smile disappeared.
That was worth the risk.
“You didn’t know I knew.”
“Give me the ledger.”
“Why?”
His voice rose.
“Because I said so.”
“No.”
He stepped forward.
“You have made a spectacular mistake, Lieutenant.”
“What was my mistake?”
“Believing this was about me.”
Léa looked toward Building C.
“Where’s Inès?”
“Safe.”
“Show me.”
Varenne took out his phone.
A live video.
Inès sat inside a room.
Hands tied.
A guard behind her.
Alive.
Léa exhaled.
Varenne held out his hand.
“The ledger.”
She gave it to him.
He opened it.
Flipped through the pages.
Then looked at her.
“You copied it.”
“Of course.”
“You think that matters?”
“Yes.”
Varenne shook his head.
“You still don’t understand how this works.”
“Explain it.”
He stepped closer.
“Parts disappear. Contractors get paid. Command receives readiness numbers that keep politicians happy. Everybody wins.”
“Except soldiers driving unsafe vehicles.”
“Collateral.”
Léa’s stomach twisted.
“Mercer was collateral?”
Something flickered in his eyes.
“You know about Mercer.”
“I know you put Vehicle 4417 back into service.”
“I gave no such order.”
“Someone did.”
Varenne glanced toward the building.
For the first time, Léa saw fear.
Not of her.
Of the men inside.
“You’re scared of Cutter.”
“Stop talking.”
“You’re not running this.”
“Stop.”
“You’ve been taking orders.”
Varenne grabbed her jacket.
“Shut your mouth.”
A calm voice came from the darkness.
“She’s right.”
General Cutter walked toward them.
Major Sloan followed.
Cutter looked at Varenne with disgust.
“You always did talk too much, Marc.”
Varenne released Léa.
Cutter held out his hand.
“The ledger.”
Varenne gave it to him.
Cutter opened it.
Then he laughed.
“This isn’t the original.”
Léa said nothing.
Cutter looked at Sloan.
“Search her.”
Sloan moved toward Léa.
Then three red laser dots appeared on his chest.
Delcourt’s voice came through the darkness.
“I wouldn’t.”
Military police stepped from behind the concrete barriers.
Hale walked with them.
Cutter stared at her.
“You have no authority to interfere with me, Colonel.”
Hale stopped twenty feet away.
“I don’t need it.”
“Excuse me?”
She lifted the satellite phone.
“The Defense Criminal Investigative Service is listening.”
Cutter’s face changed.
Hale continued.
“So is the Inspector General’s emergency operations center.”
Thomas emerged beside her.
“And thirty signed witness statements are already off base.”
May you like
For one second, nobody moved.
Then Sloan pulled a pistol.
