“Okay, that’s it. I’m making a new shift schedule. I’m assigning one of us to your ass until we roll you into surgery,” Kip growled.
Troy checked his watch. “Shoot, I'm late for an appointment. Saoirse, I still love you.”
* * *
With Troy walking away,the two remaining men stared at Kip. “How is he?” Wes asked.
A harsh breath whooshed between Kip’s teeth. “Being here now was a big test. And from what I can see, no one even seemed to be looking at him. I don't know whether that's a positive or a negative. Ian is in town. I know his mother being here has him rattled too.
“Yesterday, those damn movies. Why didn’t we know how bad it was getting? I watched the whole thing when I was alone. If Jenner wasn’t dead, I’d kill the bastard myself.” Kip swiped his face.
“Novak spoke with him. When he walked back into the office, the look on his face broke my heart. I think at first, it was that he didn’t have any control over his own story. Then a resolve came over him. Last night, when everyone went home or went to bed, he and Tim stayed up late talking.
“I know his family saw the reports. They were all over TV and the internet. From what I remember about his family, this is going to take on a whole life of its own in their town. And now, he can’t avoid it; he has to have that talk with his mother, his sisters, and his brothers-in-law.” Kip watched his coffee swirl as he circled his spoon in his cup.
“And Gwen?” Saoirse asked.
“She loves him. But there’s some serious complications from her past. Is she strong enough to stand and also hold him up? He may not admit it, but he loves her too.”
“We can get to Gwen tonight. We need to give her an out. If her feelings change, she doesn’t have to stay,” Zach said.
“Zach.” Saoirse swatted him. When Zach’s eyebrow rose, she stuck out her tongue. “Give them a chance,” she insisted.
“On the positive end, his new physical therapist and urologist seem to be proactive. They are really pushing him past the plateau physically. They’re trying to build him up.” Kip looked up at the ceiling. “There’s more to be concerned with.” Troy had given the senior executives HIPAA permission, so Kip was free to discuss his medical situation. “Miller told me this surgery is more complicated than anyone made it sound. They expect it to be long and difficult.”
The group sat somberly for a few minutes.
* * *
Troy walkedpast a grousing seaman and opened Richardson Boyle’s office door. “It’s okay, Seaman.” Boyle frowned. “What did I do to receive the honor of your presence, Mr. Bremen?”
“Lieutenant Gwendolen North.” Troy sat, crossing his legs at his ankles.
“What do you mean?” Boyle’s eye twitched.
Troy huffed a laugh. “You need to do something about that twitchy eye.”
Boyle pursed his lips. “A tragedy and above my paygrade at the time.”
“Who made the decisions?” Troy ground his back teeth.
He shook his head and began to sweat. “I don’t know.”
Troy uncrossed his legs and slid forward on his seat. “What do you know? What happened to her is being repeated on women who are going through the Mountain Warfare Training Center. I want to know why and who.”
“I honestly don’t know. Every scene is sanitized. I mean someone goes in there and cleans every bit of material. It’s like it never happened, except for the victims. It’s always a pair. After the victim is subdued, one watches, and one sodomizes and cuts the victim. The descriptions of the attackers of the men vary. The descriptions of the men attacking the women remain static. The story is the same for almost every victim.”
“Almostevery victim?” Troy’s voice tremored with anger.
“We have seven bodies.” Boyle looked down.
“Eight with today. Estella Cavallo.”
“How did…?” Boyle’s face reddened.
“Don’t go there. I assume you told the families they were training accidents.” Troy squeezed the arms of the chairs so tightly, his knuckles whitened. “I want the files. And I want Gwendolen North’s file—the real one, not the one you use for show and tell.”
“Look, Bremen, you’re digging in a dangerous place.” Boyle leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers over his protruding belly.
