There was something sexy in the way Chris swung his bat. Cat was sure it was some kind of phallic thing, but she was more interested in enjoying the moment than in dissecting it. She sat on the bleachers behind the batting cages with Hannah on her lap. Hannah would occasionally watch her father, but she was more interested in trying to pull the eyes off her doll.

Chris turned and gave his family a wink and a smile. He was smiling more often than not these days. His new duties at the Pentagon did not involve babysitting his prima donna father. The first couple of months after the Soldier Boy Project was shut down were tense, but then Cat could see Chris’ tension slowly melt away. He now had time to do things he enjoyed, like hitting a small white ball with a big wooden club.

“Say hi to daddy,” Cat told Hannah. The child obeyed loudly enough to be heard over most of the park. Her vocabulary was coming along fine, but volume control was something she had yet to master.

“You’re a cute family.”

“Thank you,” Cat said to the young man sitting nearby. She was gracious even though it had become habit for her to entertain suspicions about strangers. It was the baggage that came with being a parent. “Is that your son?” She nodded toward the youth in the cage adjacent to Chris.

“Uh, no. Actually, no,” the man said. “I’m here to speak with your husband, Mrs. Reynolds.” He extended a hand. “I’m Geoff Geoffery.”

Cat refused the outstretched hand opting to pull Hannah closer. “I don’t understand. What?”

“I come in peace,” Geoffery chuckled. “I’m a journalist. I just want to speak to your husband about his years with the Soldier Boy Project.”

“He has office hours. Most people would have made an appointment.”

“Yeah, frankly I haven’t been able to get him to answer my emails or return my calls. I know this is unorthodox, but I just want some face time.”

“Well, now you have it,” Chris said as he approached grim faced. Geoff was taken off guard and jumped a bit.

“Hello Col. Reynolds. I’m Geoff Geoffery. I’ve been trying to get hold of you.” Once more he offered his hand. Chris gave him an unfriendly handshake, a bit firmer than it needed to be and delivered with a grim expression that said ‘I can kick your ass if I have to.’ Chris reminded Cat of his father, but in a good way.

“Let’s step over here,” Chris said. They stayed within earshot of Cat, but the point was made. Keep away from my family. “What do you want?”

“I’ve created an awkward situation here and I apologize for that,” Geoff said, “but I haven’t received a response from you regarding any of my inquiries.”

“Most people would have taken the hint.”

“Well,” Geoff said, “I must be special then. Colonel, I’m writing a book about Soldier Boy. I just have a few basic questions. I don’t even need a quote. If you’d be so kind as to verify some of my research, I’d be happy with that and I’d be out of your hair.”

Chris sighed. “Sure. If it’s that easy, go ahead with your questions. A lot of stuff is still classified, so I can’t guarantee that I’ll answer.”

“Fair enough,” Geoff said. “Colonel, what role did Lance Manley play in the Soldier Boy Project?”

“Excuse me?”

“Lance Manley. He’s an actor, currently playing the patriarch on a daytime soap.”

“Why would you be asking about him?”

“He was on the SBP payroll from 1986 until 1998. I was just wondering why you needed to have an actor on retainer, especially an actor of approximately the same age and physical dimensions as Soldier Boy.”

Chris was getting agitated. He hid it well, but Cat could tell. “How did you get payroll information?”

“Also, those years bracket a time when Soldier Boy was most accessible to the public. Kind of implies something doesn’t it?”

“How did you get payroll information?”

“I don’t have to tell you, Colonel. What about Deirdre Snelling? She was paid a lot of money over the years, yet she seems to have no connection to the SJP.”

“I wouldn’t know about that.”

“She says she was being paid off.”

Chris stopped hiding his irritation. “What the hell else did she say?”

Geoff smiled. “For that you’ll just have to wait for the book to be published. Listen, this isn’t working out for either of us. I’ll be on my way. You and your family have a good day.”

“Hold on,” Chris said. “Why are you writing this book?”

“I always thought Soldier Boy was a fascinating person and I think there are enough readers out there who’d agree with me. It’s as simple as that.”

“So, why do I get the impression you’re doing a hatchet job?”

“Colonel, I didn’t say one word about content. I just threw out a couple of names. Is there something irregular about Mr. Manley and Ms. Snelling’s role with the SBP, something that would imply a hatchet job?”

“Soldier Boy is a good man.”

“Actually, I met him and he’s a son of a bitch.”

“Sunumabish!” Hannah called out, and Cat decided to hate Mr. Geoffery.

Chris’ hands became white knuckled fists, but he kept them out of view. “You and everyone you know owe your lives to that son of a bitch. You realize that, don’t you?”

“I do, and his heroism will be front and center in the book, but I’m uncovering a bunch of sordid stuff and I can’t ignore it. I have to write the truth.”

Chris stared at Geoff Geoffery.

“You really respect him. Don’t you, colonel?”

Chris shook his head.

“I’ll remember that. I promise.” Geoff handed Chris a business card. “If you decide you want to contribute to the story just give me a call.”

Chris took the card. Geoff turned and walked away. Chris sat next to his family, took a moment to look at the card, and then slowly tore it into confetti. The smile was gone from his face, and tension began to weigh him down. Cat closed her eyes and sighed. She knew it couldn't last.