It sounded so reasonable the way Murdock said it. But how could she shove all the anger and fear and grief aside and answer so calmly? It was her life, her future that hung in the balance.
“You’re not at fault here, Lieutenant,” he said in a gentler tone. “You need to believe that so they can believe it, too.”
She nodded. It was a lot to take in. Especially when she’d made mistakes that had cost Nataleah her life. That was the hardest thing to get past. She looked at Murdock and saw that his anger had dissipated, too. He seemed as troubled by all this as she was. “Why are you trying to help me?”
He shrugged. “Because you’re probably a good soldier. Because I don’t want the army to use you as a scapegoat for their mistake. But mostly, because I might have done the same thing.”
She gave a weary smile. “Thank you for that. And for telling me what I’m up against. I appreciate your honesty.”
He shrugged again and looked away. Not comfortable with compliments, she guessed. Probably didn’t get many in his job.
“So how long until I find out what they’re going to do?” she asked.
“Once I present my findings, CenCom will probably request an Article 32 panel to cover their butts. They’ll have a hundred and twenty days to decide whether to bring charges or not.”
Four months. July. Would she even be well enough by then to withstand such an ordeal? “If they do bring charges, will you testify on my behalf?”
“Be glad to.” He bent to retrieve his notepad and pen from the nightstand.
“Thank you. But clean up first,” she added.
He straightened, dark brows raised in question. “Pardon?”
“You could use a shave, Warrant Officer Murdock.”
For a moment, he looked surprised. Then a laugh burst out of him. A real laugh, one that showed a flash of white teeth, and crinkled the corners of his blue eyes, and changed a grim face into one that had a lot of appeal. “And you could use a hairbrush, Second Lieutenant Whitcomb.”
“I’ll try to rustle one up.”
“See that you do. Just remember what I said, and you’ll do fine.” He turned toward the door, calling over his shoulder as he stepped into the hall, “Probably see you stateside before this is over.” Then, with a backhand wave, he was gone.
The room seemed bigger without him. And quieter. But that laugh echoed through KD’s mind for a long time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kaki Warner is a RITA-winning author and longtime resident of the Pacific Northwest. Although she now lives on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Washington, Kaki grew up in the Southwest and is a proud graduate of the University of Texas. She spends her time gardening, reading, writing, and making lists of stuff for her husband to do, all while soaking in the view from the deck of her hilltop cabin.
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