Daniel straightened automatically, as though rank alone could rescue him.
“This is a family gathering,” he said. “You have no authority to conduct an interrogation here.”
Captain Hale’s gaze flicked once to me, then back to Daniel.
“We are not interrogating you at this moment. We are notifying you that an inquiry has been opened. Since Commander Reynolds is a state official and the matter includes alleged falsification of legal declarations submitted across state lines, obstruction of notification records, and possible benefits misrepresentation, jurisdiction has been coordinated.”
The blonde woman—Daniel’s almost-fiancée—turned pale.
“Benefits misrepresentation?” she repeated.
Daniel’s jaw hardened. “Abigail, don’t listen to this.”
Abigail.
So that was her name.
She looked at him the way a person looks at a bridge only after hearing it crack beneath their feet.
“Don’t listen?” she said quietly. “There are four children standing in front of me, Daniel.”
