Chapter 4 - The Boy Who Wouldn't Laugh
Travis Reed had asked for a lawyer, then asked for me.
Ellison said the second request didn't cancel the first and wouldn't permit a private conversation.
Instead she arranged a recorded interview through counsel, with me watching a delayed feed from the hospital.
Travis looked younger without the warehouse shadows.
His knuckles were bruised, and he couldn't stop rubbing his thumb against the edge of his chair.
"I thought we were retrieving stolen property," he said.
Ellison kept her expression neutral.
"Who told you that?"
"Voss. He said Commander Brennan had taken classified components and was going to sell them."
"Why would you believe him?"
"Because he showed us an order with a real command seal."
I leaned forward despite the pain.
The document had listed a recovery deadline of midnight and a restricted point of contact identified only as OBSERVER.
Travis admitted seeing Voss receive a call in the warehouse before the assault.
The speaker had been a woman, he said, but the voice was electronically flattened and he couldn't identify it.
"She said to check the left pocket," Travis whispered.
Dom and I exchanged a look.
That single detail narrowed the leak to whoever could see me at the inspection table.
Ellison asked if he knew where Lily was.
He shook his head, then stopped.
"I heard Voss say something about the grandmother."
I gripped the blanket.
"What exactly?"
Travis bent toward the microphone.
"He said, 'They got the kid out before the old lady noticed.'"
Then he began to cry, quietly, without theatrics.
He had not tried to stop the attack soon enough.
His regret didn't undo my injuries or bring Lily back.
But for the first time one of the four men was giving us a direction.
Ellison ended the interview.
On the screen, Travis rose to leave, then turned back.
"There's something else. The Observer promised nobody would get hurt."
"What changed?" Ellison asked.
He swallowed.
"Garrett said she changed the plan after Commander Brennan texted Reyes."
The feed went black.
Dom's phone rang immediately.
A duty officer reported that Voss had requested protective custody because someone had slipped a warning beneath his cell door.
May you like
The note contained only a drawing of a blue paper star.
