Chapter 14 - The Last Lie
“Move!”
Léa ran before the command finished leaving her mouth.
Federal agents moved from both sides of the distribution yard.
Thomas sprinted toward the loading dock.
Delcourt covered the north gate.
Rhodes pressed the gun against Mercer’s chest.
“Give me the recorder.”
Mercer held up the device.
“My family first.”
“You’re not negotiating.”
“You shoot me, you get nothing.”
Rhodes’s hand shook.
That was when Léa saw it.
He was terrified.
Not confident.
Not in control.
“Captain Rhodes!” she shouted.
His head snapped toward her.
“Put the weapon down!”
“Stay back!”
Mercer’s wife pulled their daughter against her.
Rhodes looked around wildly.
“There are people everywhere.”
Léa slowed.
“Then this is over.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Explain it.”
“They’ll kill my son.”
The words stopped everyone.
Thomas lowered his weapon slightly.
“Who?”
Rhodes laughed helplessly.
“Kestrel.”
Léa looked toward the armed civilians holding Mercer’s family.
One of them began backing toward a truck.
“Federal agents!” someone shouted.
The man fired.
Agents returned fire.
Glass shattered.
Mercer tackled his wife and daughter behind a concrete barrier.
Rhodes dropped his gun and covered his head.
Thomas dragged him to safety.
Within thirty seconds, it was over.
Two Kestrel men were arrested.
One was wounded.
Nobody else was hit.
Mercer wrapped both arms around his daughter.
She cried into his chest.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
He shut his eyes.
“I’m always coming.”
Léa turned away for a second.
Then Rhodes spoke behind her.
“They took my son yesterday.”
She turned back.
“Where is he?”
“Safe now. Hale’s people found him twenty minutes ago.”
Rhodes broke down.
He sat on the pavement.
“I shredded the reports.”
“We know.”
“I helped alter files.”
“We know.”
“I moved equipment.”
“We know.”
“But I didn’t start the fire.”
Léa crouched in front of him.
“Who did?”
Rhodes looked at Delcourt.
“Sloan.”
Delcourt’s jaw tightened.
“And the orders?”
“Cutter.”
“Varenne?”
“Varenne knew about the theft. He knew about the false readiness numbers.”
Rhodes swallowed.
“But after Mercer got hurt, he wanted out.”
Léa remembered Varenne’s fear.
“He couldn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Cutter had everything.”
“What everything?”
“Payments. Messages. Signatures. Varenne had been taking money for years.”
Thomas shook his head.
“So nobody was innocent.”
Rhodes looked at him.
“No.”
Léa stood.
That mattered.
Varenne had finally told part of the truth.
But he had not become a victim simply because someone more powerful had controlled him.
He had humiliated people.
Destroyed careers.
Falsified records.
Placed soldiers in danger.
And when Léa had challenged the documents, he had tried to destroy her.
The investigation lasted through the night.
At 6:20 the next morning, General Cutter was formally placed under arrest pending federal charges.
Major Sloan followed.
Varenne remained in military custody.
Rhodes agreed to cooperate.
Kestrel Tactical’s offices were raided in three states.
But at 8:03, Colonel Hale walked into the temporary command center carrying a single sheet of paper.
She placed it in front of Léa.
“What is this?” Léa asked.
“Varenne’s statement.”
“He confessed?”
“Partially.”
Léa read.
Then stopped.
Varenne admitted altering maintenance records.
He admitted stealing military property.
He admitted pressuring witnesses.
But one paragraph stood out.
I deny ordering or authorizing the public humiliation of Lieutenant Beaumont. Any removal of rank insignia was voluntary and has been misrepresented.
Thomas read over her shoulder.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Léa smiled.
Hale noticed.
“What?”
Léa looked toward the stack of witness statements.
“Nothing.”
She picked up the first one.
Sergeant Mullins.
Then another.
Inès Laurent.
Then another.
Thirty soldiers.
Thirty descriptions.
Different handwriting.
Different words.
Same event.
May you like
Varenne had lied one final time.
And the first mistake he made was still waiting for him.
