Maddie knew right away she was in big trouble. Her first clue was that her lawyer looked to be about sixteen years old. That he was so excited to get his first big case, was her second. That hers was considered a big case was the coup de grace certifying she was screwed.

Then came the introduction of these men who were interrogating her—not interviewing. A Warrant Officer and two special military agents with the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. When she asked what this interview was about, they told her they were re-investigating the crash at the request of the Secretary of the Army, because the military asset, the Little Bird, hadn’t been recovered, and that she, as the pilot, was now alive to answer to its whereabouts.

Maddie asked if she was being charged with any crime, and was relieved when they assured her they were not the branch who would file charges. They told her they were merely investigating and would present their findings to the Secretary, who would review them and make a determination whether to close the file, or proceed some other way.

Her relief was short-lived after they asked her lawyer for permission to record the interview and swear her in, because of the nature of the questioning.

“Captain Carter, what caused your hard landing, ma’am?” the CID Warrant Officer asked.

That was his first question, but the other two special military agents with him had asked plenty beforehand, most of which she couldn’t answer either.

Why had she joined the Nightstalkers? How did she do in training in Kentucky? Was it stressful? Did she feel out of place or unfit for the assignment to JCET in El Salvador? Did she want to leave there?

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember, sir,” Maddie repeated, which was the answer she gave to most of their questions, other than her name.

“You were rescued from captivity by a drug cartel, right? Who rescued you and how long had you been in captivity?” one of the special agents asked.

“Yes, I was rescued by men from Deep Six Security six months after I was captured. Before then, I had no idea how long I’d been there. I was just there when I woke up and had no memory of before.”

“I see,” he said, frowning as he scratched on his legal pad. He was too far away for Maddie to see what he wrote.

“Why do you think those men went to Guatemala looking for you?” the other special agent asked.

“I guess they questioned the Army’s determination that I was dead and I’m thankful they did. One of the men with the team who rescued me was, ah…” Maddie’s face flushed. “My boyfriend, and another was my brother.”

“Here’s something I find very odd, Captain Carter,” the Warrant Office said, clearing his throat. “Yours was the only body of the casualties that wasn’t recovered. It was missing from the crash site, along with the helicopter. Now, you suddenly come back from the dead with no recollection of how that happened. I’m sure you can understand our confusion.”

“I must’ve sustained a head injury. My leg was so badly damaged it had to be amputated when I got home. There was a witch—um, doctor at the cartel compound who fixed me up and didn’t do a good job of it, evidently.”

“Is there some reason you haven’t mentioned the baby you had in captivity, Captain Carter?” one of the special agents asked. “Was that baby a result of a sexual assault while you were with the cartel?”

“I thought so at first, because I didn’t know how long I was there when I woke up,” Maddie replied, looking down at her hands, which she twisted in her lap. “But we had a DNA test done when I got home. My boyfriend is her father.”

“So you weren’t raped while in captivity?” he asked.

“No, I wasn’t,” she replied, then tensed as she rushed to add. “That I remember.”

Just because Sarah wasn’t a product of rape, didn’t mean she hadn’t been assaulted while she was unconscious. Before she killed him, Jorge seemed determined to rape her, didn’t he?

“And this boyfriend—did you miss him while you were deployed? Want to go home to him, maybe?” the second agent asked.

“I have no idea, because I don’t remember anything before the crash. Not even him,” she repeated, her frustration building as she mentally upped the purpose of this meeting from interrogation to inquisition. “That is why I thought I was raped when I figured out I was pregnant,”

“Was the helicopter at the cartel compound too, Captain Carter?” the Warrant Officer asked and her eyes flew to him.

“Yes, it was there. After they repaired it, they used it to transport drugs to drop off points,” she replied.

“Why do you think the secret locator beacon didn’t function if the helo was repairable, Captain Carter?” agent number one asked.

“I have no idea, because I’m not a helo mechanic! They removed the com and navigation equipment from the console, too,” she replied, her voice louder than she intended. Maddie’s insides, including her brain, felt like she’d grabbed a live wire at the moment.

“But you knew where the tracking device was located in the aircraft, because that was part of your training wasn’t it?” the second agent followed up.

“I don’t remember my training, sir, since it was before the crash. I don’t even know how I knew how to fly the aircraft. I just did,” she answered, her eyes burning badly.

“So…you flew helicopter for the cartel, Captain Carter? Transported their drugs for them after you recovered from your injuries?” the Warrant Officer asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Yes! It was the only way they’d give me pain medication at first. Then after I had my daughter, that’s how I bought time with her,” she grated, shooting a glare at her lawyer, who sat beside her scribbling notes, but not saying a word.

“Were you restrained at any time while you were there, Captain Carter?” the second agent asked. “Describe your accommodations at the compound to me, please.”

“I was kept in a locked shanty shack when I wasn’t flying,” she replied.

“Shanty shack? As in an insubstantial wooden shack?” the Warrant Officer clarified.

“Yes, it was a wooden shack. That’s how the rescue team got me out. They removed a few boards in the back,” she replied huffing a breath.

“What about the compound. How was it secured?” special agent number two asked.

“They had razor wire on top of a rickety board fence, which seemed kind of stupid to me. But with the thick jungle beyond it, I assume they felt pretty safe.”

“And you felt safe there too, right?” the first agent asked. “They didn’t beat or torture you, they gave you medical attention when you needed it? They fed you?”

“Yes to all of that,” she replied, her brain so exhausted, she couldn’t think. “They needed to keep me flying.”

“To transport their drugs,” the first agent added, and she nodded.

A few minutes of silence ensued while all three of her inquisitors wrote notes. Maddie was glad for the breather and slumped in her chair, but sat straight up when the Warrant Officer looked at the agents and nodded. Agent number two turned off the recorder and put his legal pad away. The Warrant Officer pushed back his chair to stand.

“Thank you for coming in today to answer our questions, Captain Carter. I’m sure the Army will be in touch soon.”

Maddie’s leg wobbled, and her stump sweated beneath the sock inside her prosthesis as she held onto the table to stand. The men filed out of the door without another word, leaving her alone with her Beaver-Cleaver lawyer. When he looked up at her and his face was a lighter shade of green than his uniform, Maddie fell back into her seat and her stomach lurched.

“Can you please tell me what all that was about?” she growled, spearing him with her eyes.

“It was about an investigation into desertion and theft of government property, ma’am, and I think we should talk about a plea deal. If you’re charged and convicted, those offenses carry a life sentence, but I think I can get it reduced to dereliction of duty and misconduct, which is twenty years.”

Maddie felt lightheaded, her ears buzzed and dots danced before her eyes. What they needed to talk about before she passed out was the fact that he was fired.