Chapter 3 - THE PHOTOGRAPH WITHOUT A FACE
Walter did not defend himself.
That bothered Daniel more than anger would have.
"You left him?"
"No."
"My father just said—"
"I heard him."
"Then explain it."
Walter stared through the restaurant window.
Richard was speaking with two police officers near the burned office.
Emily was showing one officer the security tablet.
Walter said, "Not here."
Daniel almost grabbed his arm.
He stopped himself.
"Why does everyone in this story keep saying not here?"
Walter looked at him.
"Because people who knew I was coming burned a warning ten minutes ago."
That was fair.
They moved to Daniel's truck.
Walter refused to get inside until Daniel showed him there was nobody in the back seat.
Daniel noticed.
He said nothing.
Walter finally opened Thomas Bennett's letter.
Not to give it away.
To check something.
Inside was a photograph Daniel had never seen.
Six soldiers stood beside a transport aircraft.
One was Thomas.
One was Walter.
The face of the third man had been scratched away.
Daniel stared.
"Who did that?"
"Tommy."
"When?"
"The night he wrote the letter."
"Who was he?"
Walter looked at the ruined face.
"Captain Robert Voss."
Daniel searched the name on his phone.
Nothing useful appeared.
Walter said, "That's because Robert Voss officially died two months before Tommy did."
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
"Officially?"
Walter nodded.
"But he was standing beside us on October nineteenth."
Daniel looked again at the photograph.
"Then who was buried as Voss?"
Walter's answer was quiet.
"We never found out."
A knock struck the passenger window.
Both men jumped.
Emily stood outside.
She held a plastic evidence sleeve.
Inside was a small piece of paper recovered from Richard's burned envelope.
Three words had survived beneath Walter's name.
Daniel read them aloud.
"Voss is alive."
Walter closed his eyes.
For forty-four years, he had believed that sentence was impossible.
Then someone started Daniel's truck from outside.
The engine roared.
Neither man had touched the key.
(To be continued)
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