Chapter 3
Chapter 4
“It was.”
“And?”
“Voss denied signing it.”
“Was the signature authenticated?”
“Yes.”
“Then why wasn’t he charged?”
Olivia looked at the document.
“Because the original disappeared before investigators could conduct ink and paper analysis. All that remained was a scanned copy.”
The commander cursed under his breath.
Hale understood.
“A forged signature.”
“Possibly.”
“Or a genuine signature he knew could not be proven.”
“Also possible.”
The colonel looked toward the field.
“And you joined this course because?”
“Voss oversees training accessions. If somebody wanted to identify whether Evelyn Shaw was really dead, this was one of the few environments where they could observe me without raising suspicion.”
Hale’s expression darkened.
“So you expected someone to test you.”
“Yes.”
He looked toward the torn jacket covering her back.
“Was today part of that?”
“I don’t know yet.”
The answer came sooner than any of them expected.
There was a knock at the door.
An administrative captain entered.
“Sir, Colonel Voss is requesting that Recruit Mitchell be removed from training immediately.”
Hale’s eyes hardened.
“On what grounds?”
“Unauthorized insignia, false identity concerns, and possible security violations.”
Olivia remained completely still.
The commander looked at her.
“That was fast.”
Hale asked, “How does Voss know about the tattoo?”
The captain hesitated.
“He said someone sent him a photograph from the training field.”
Olivia looked at Hale.
“That’s why I didn’t cover it immediately.”
He understood.
“You wanted to see who reacted.”
“Yes.”
The commander stared at her.
“You let your identity get exposed on purpose?”
“No. Derek tearing my shirt was unexpected.”
A pause.
“But once it happened, I decided not to waste the opportunity.”
Hale gave a humorless laugh.
“That sounds more like the woman I remember.”
Olivia’s face softened only slightly.
The door opened again before anyone could answer.
Nathan Voss entered without waiting for permission.
He was tall, silver-haired, and immaculately composed.
His eyes moved first to Hale.
Then to Olivia.
“Colonel,” he said. “I understand we have a serious problem.”
Hale stepped between them.
“We do.”
Voss looked at Olivia’s training jacket.
“This recruit appears to be impersonating personnel associated with a classified unit.”
Olivia said nothing.
Voss continued.
“She should be detained until her identity is verified.”
Hale watched him carefully.
“You seem remarkably familiar with the symbol.”
Voss’s expression barely shifted.
“I have served long enough to recognize things above a recruit’s clearance.”
Olivia spoke for the first time.
“Interesting.”
Voss looked at her.
“What is?”
“The Grey Lantern mark was never included in any official insignia registry.”
Silence.
Hale’s gaze sharpened.
Olivia continued.
“There are only four surviving photographs of it in government archives. All are restricted under a compartment you were never assigned to.”
Voss smiled faintly.
“Then perhaps you should explain why you are displaying it.”
“I didn’t display it. My shirt was torn.”
“That distinction won’t matter during an investigation.”
May you like
Olivia nodded.
“You are probably right.”
