Chapter 4 - A Death Certificate with His Name
Viper sat in the veterinary clinic with his nose pressed against Marcus's knee. Dr. Maya Chen scanned the microchip beneath the dog's skin and frowned at her monitor.
"His chip matches a dog deployed with you in 2022," she said. "But his current file starts in 2023, under a transferred inventory number."
Ortiz folded her arms. "That's sloppy administration, not proof of wrongdoing."
"Wait." Chen clicked again. Her expression changed. "The original record says this dog was euthanized on September fourteenth, 2022."
Brooks actually laughed. "He's right here."
"I can see that, Sergeant."
Marcus stood so fast his bad leg buckled. Brooks grabbed his elbow. On the screen, beside the death authorization, was Marcus's name.
MARCUS VANCE - HANDLER CONSENT RECEIVED.
"I never signed that," Marcus said.
Chen enlarged the scanned document. The signature looked almost perfect, except for the final E. Marcus had always made it like a backward three. Here it was neatly printed.
Ortiz looked at the dog's white muzzle. "Someone buried him on paper and put him back to work. Why?"
"Because he saw what happened at Black Ridge," Marcus answered.
Silence. Chen closed the examination room door. Marcus hadn't spoken the outpost's name aloud in months.
Four years earlier, he had woken after surgery to a major telling him Viper had attacked a medic and been put down. Marcus had argued until his throat bled. The major had shown him a report bearing that same counterfeit signature.
Brooks crouched to check Viper's paws. "He's got old scars under the fur. Somebody cared for him after the date he supposedly died."
Ortiz's phone buzzed. A message from base security flashed across its screen: VISITOR REQUEST FOR MARCUS VANCE SUBMITTED BY JUNE PARK.
"You know June Park?" Ortiz asked.
Marcus stared at the name. June had been the radio operator at Black Ridge. After the disaster, she'd testified that Marcus ignored an order to hold his position.
"She told the board I was responsible," he said.
May you like
Then his own phone lit up with a message from an unknown number.
DON'T LET RUSK TAKE THE DOG. I LIED ABOUT THAT NIGHT.
