He dialed a number from memory.
When the call connected, he spoke in a whisper.
“She found the transfer order.”
A voice answered.
“What else does she know?”
Cross looked toward the closed office door.
“She knows Pierce's name.”
There was a long silence.
Then the voice said:
“Then we have a problem.”
Cross swallowed.
“What do you want me to do?”
The answer came immediately.
“Get rid of the witness.”
CHAPTER 3 — THE MAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
Staff Sergeant Michael Turner had been waiting for six months for someone to believe him.
He had reported the maintenance failure.
He had filed the paperwork.
He had contacted his supervisor.
And every time he tried to explain what had happened, someone told him the same thing.
The records were correct.
The aircraft was safe.
The transfer was authorized.
Then, one night, two men in civilian clothing appeared outside his apartment.
They didn't threaten him.
They didn't touch him.
They simply showed him a photograph of his wife and daughter leaving their house.
After that, Turner stopped asking questions.
He disappeared from the base.
For weeks, he stayed in a small apartment under a temporary identity arranged by a retired military attorney.
But he never stopped keeping copies of the documents.
Now, for the first time, someone had found him.
And that someone was Colonel Rebecca Hayes.
At 11:20 a.m., Hayes entered the secure interview room where Turner was waiting.