“This is silly!” Angela cried.

“We stand in recess for eight hours,” Penn said. This time, he slammed his hand on the desk hard enough to hurt. “Mr. Johnson, get me a goddamn gavel!”

* * *

Victoria watched in utter disbelief as Major McCrea shot and killed that girl. By the time she moved to intervene, the deed was done. “Major!” she yelled. “Oh, my God!”

McCrea didn’t even look at Victoria. He holstered his pistol and turned to head back up the embankment while a startled First Sergeant Copley pivoted his stance to stay between the other two adults.

“Don’t you dare walk away from me!” Victoria shouted.

Caleb ran around both of them to take a position between McCrea and the road. He’d taken his mother’s side.

McCrea stopped and whirled Victoria. His jaw was tight and his eyes were red. “What do you want from me, Mrs. Emerson? I told you to stay away from that wreck.”

“You murdered that girl!” Victoria stood with her fists on her hips, ready for a fight.

McCrea was ready for one, too. He stepped closer, till their faces were maybe twelve inches apart. “Say that again.”

“You don’t intimidate me, Major,” Victoria said.

“Say it,” he repeated. “Tell me again right here, eye to eye, that I murdered that girl.”

His eyes burned with a level of anger that Victoria had rarely seen. They showed homicide. She needed to tread carefully. She chose to remain silent.

“That’s what I thought,” McCrea said. “Typical politician. You’re great at talking about war and violence, but when exposed to the reality, you’ve got no goddamn clue what’s at stake.” He kicked at the ground as he paced three steps closer to the broken car and its bleeding cargo. When he turned, his eyes were rimmed with crimson.

He thrust a forefinger back toward the occupants. “That girl. Robin. She’s about the same age as my oldest daughter. The same age as my oldest daughter was. Thanks to you, and to people in your line of work.”

Victoria felt blood rising in her neck. “Now, wait—”

“Shut up, Mrs. Emerson,” McCrea said. “Can you do that for me? Just shut the hell up for a few minutes and let me complete a thought?” He raised his gaze to find Luke still standing at the top of the embankment. “Luke, get down here. Caleb, stand next to your mom where I can see you.”

“I don’t want to come down,” Luke said.

“Did you hear me ask that as a question?” McCrea said. “I didn’t ask you for a favor, Luke. I told you to get your ass down here with your mom and your brother.”

Victoria bristled at the tone, but was willing to give the major a little rope. “Come on down, Luke. You don’t have to look in the car.”