Chapter 6: The Man in the Uniform
“Say that again,” I whispered.
My mother was crying so hard that her words came in broken pieces.
“The man who took Daniel away was wearing a Navy uniform. I recognized him because he had attended the briefing that afternoon.””
“Who was he?””
She hesitated.
“Admiral Richard Voss.””
Captain Hayes's face went pale.
He took the phone from my hand.
“Denise, this is Victor Hayes. Are you certain?””
“Yes.””
“Did you see him speak to Daniel?””
“I saw them arguing near the pier. I couldn't hear everything, but Daniel looked frightened.””
Hayes closed his eyes.
“Why didn't you tell investigators this twenty years ago?””
“Because Richard Voss came to my house two days later.””
My skin prickled.
“What did he say?”” I asked, taking the phone back.
“He told me Daniel had stolen classified documents and disappeared. He said if I contradicted the official report, I would be investigated for interfering with a military operation.””
“That's not a reason to sign a statement accusing Dad of desertion.””
“I know.””
Her voice cracked.
“He also told me that if I cooperated, my daughter would be left alone.””
I stared at the phone.
“So you traded my father for my safety?””
“No, Nia. I thought I was keeping you safe from men who could destroy our lives.””
“You kept me safe by telling me my father didn't love me?””
“I was afraid.””
“So was I!”” I shouted.
“I was a little girl who thought her father had looked at her and decided she wasn't worth staying for!””
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Captain Hayes turned away, giving me room to speak.
My mother finally whispered, “I know I don't deserve your forgiveness.””
“You don't get to decide that yet.””
I ended the call.
For several seconds, I stood motionless beside the vehicle, staring at the dark screen.
Admiral Richard Voss.
Even I knew the name.
He had retired from active service years earlier and become a prominent figure in military charities and veterans' organizations. His face appeared in newspaper photographs beside politicians, admirals, and decorated officers. He had delivered speeches about duty, honor, and sacrifice.
My mother had just accused him of taking my father away.
Captain Hayes put his cap back on.
“Voss was the senior officer overseeing the operation.””
“Could he have altered the report?””
“He had access to the people who could.””
“Did you suspect him?””
“I suspected someone above my level had interfered. I never had evidence tying Voss directly to the disappearance.””
“Until now?””
Hayes looked at Investigator Bennett.
“Denise's statement gives us a new lead. It doesn't establish what happened, but it must be documented.””
Bennett nodded and stepped away to arrange a formal interview.
I looked at the time.
The note in the ledger said October 29. Locker 214. Savannah Central Station.
Today was October 29.
“Can we go to the station?””
Bennett returned before Hayes could answer.
“We can, but we're not going alone. I'll have a team meet us there.””
“Could the locker contain the original report?””
“Or nothing at all,” she said.
“We need to be prepared for either possibility.””
The drive back to Savannah felt longer than the journey to Beaufort. Every red light seemed to hold us in place while the past rearranged itself inside my head.
I remembered Samuel standing in our kitchen, telling my mother that people who betrayed the Navy deserved to be forgotten.
I remembered my mother ordering me to stop asking about my father.
I remembered a school project about family history that she had thrown away because, according to her, there was nothing worth knowing about Daniel Carter.
Had she been protecting me?
Or had she been protecting herself?
When we arrived at Savannah Central Station, two investigators were waiting near the main entrance. The station smelled of coffee, wet concrete, and the metallic chill of air conditioning.
Bennett showed the team the evidence photograph of the ledger's hidden note.
A station employee led us toward a row of old storage lockers near a corridor used by commuters.
Locker 214 sat at the far end.
Its metal door was scratched, and a faded sticker covered one corner.
Bennett photographed the lock before an investigator opened it with the appropriate key obtained by the team.
Inside was a brown envelope, a small digital recorder, and a photograph sealed in a plastic sleeve.
Nothing else.
My heart sank.
“Is that all?”” I asked.
Bennett removed the envelope carefully.
“Let's see.””
The first document was a photocopy of a cargo manifest. Several entries had been crossed out, and handwritten corrections appeared in the margins.
The second was a typed memo authorizing the transfer of several sealed containers through Pier Seven.
The signature at the bottom belonged to Richard Voss.
Captain Hayes leaned closer.
“This is significant.””
Bennett studied the document.
“It's a lead. We'll need to authenticate it and determine how it was obtained.””
I picked up the photograph.
It showed my father standing beside a younger woman in civilian clothes. They were outside a building with a sign identifying it as a naval medical facility.
On the back was a date from eighteen years earlier.
My father had been alive.
At least, someone believed he was.
“Who is she?”” I asked.
Hayes examined the picture.
“I don't recognize her.””
I turned it over again.
A name had been written beneath the date.
Dr. Evelyn Shaw.
Investigator Bennett searched the name on her secure device.
“Evelyn Shaw was a civilian physician who consulted on military medical cases,” she said.
“She left government service several years ago.””
“Could she know where my father is?””
“Possibly.””
I looked at the digital recorder.
“Can we listen to it?””
Bennett checked the device, then connected it to a small playback unit carried by one of the investigators.
A burst of static filled the corridor.
Then a man's voice emerged.
My father's voice.
I had heard it only on an old home video that my mother claimed was the last recording made before he left.
But this voice sounded older, rougher, and exhausted.
“If this recording reaches Nia, then I failed to come home again.””
I pressed my hand over my mouth.
Captain Hayes stood absolutely still.
My father continued.
“Denise, if you're listening, I need you to understand something. I never blamed you for being afraid. But I cannot allow fear to become the only truth our daughter knows.””
A pause followed.
Then his voice grew quieter.
“Richard Voss didn't act alone. The person who helped him move the cargo was someone I trusted. Someone who knew my schedule, my family, and the route I planned to take that night.””
I felt the hairs rise on my arms.
The recording crackled.
“I discovered the second set of records. I hid them where nobody would look, because the person helping Voss had access to every official channel.””
Another pause.
“If Nia is old enough to hear this, tell her to look at the date on the photograph. The person standing beside me knows why I disappeared.””
The recording ended with a sharp click.
No one spoke.
I looked at the photograph again.
Evelyn Shaw.
My father's message suggested she knew what had happened to him. But the recording had revealed something even more disturbing.
Richard Voss hadn't worked alone.
Someone close to my father had helped him.
Someone who knew his schedule.
Someone who knew about me.
I turned toward Captain Hayes.
“Who had access to my father's quarters that night?””
Hayes looked at the photocopied manifest, then at the name written on the ledger.
His face became grim.
“Three people had unrestricted access to that section of the ship.””
“Who?””
He drew a slow breath.
“Samuel Brooks. Admiral Voss. And me.””
I stepped away from him.
“You said you didn't know what happened.””
“I didn't.””
“But you could have helped them.””
His expression crumpled.
“Yes,” he whispered.
“I could have.””
Before I could respond, Investigator Bennett's phone rang.
She answered, listened for several seconds, then looked at me.
“Nia, we've located Dr. Evelyn Shaw.””
“Where is she?””
“She's at a private medical center outside Charleston.””
“Can we speak to her?””
Bennett hesitated.
“We can try.””
“What do you mean?””
“She requested that we tell you something before anyone else contacts her.””
My pulse quickened.
“What?””
Bennett looked down at the message on her screen.
Then she read the words aloud.
“Tell Daniel Carter's daughter that her father is alive.””
My knees nearly gave out.
Bennett continued.
“And tell her that if she wants to find him, she must come alone.””
I stared at her.
“Why alone?””
The investigator looked at Captain Hayes.
“Because, according to Dr. Shaw, the person who betrayed Daniel Carter is still watching everyone involved in the investigation.””
And then my phone rang.
May you like
The caller ID displayed a name I hadn't seen in years.
*Dad.*
