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professionally But it is my dad, so I don’t see why I can’t follow up on my end”
“You know the Army doesn’t make distinctions like that When you wear the uniforreen all the way”
“I’ to talk to her”
“And she’ll tell you that she believed that Dad killed Mom So why bother?”
“I want to hear it from her, Bobby The letter was the watered-down version, or so Stan told me”
“So you’re going to interrogate a tero?”
“I’ht it up”
“And then what?”
“I don’t know I haven’t really formulated a plan yet”
“The Arht formulate one for you As in a court-martial”
“I haven’t disobeyed any orders because I haven’t been given any orders I’m on leave, free to do what I want”
“As long as you’re in uniform you are not free to do what you want You know that!”
“Thanks for the lecture,” barked Puller
“John, I’ you to be really careful about this—”
“Let’s cut to the chase,” Puller said, interrupting “Do you believe that Dad did it?”
“How the hell am I supposed to answer that question? I don’t know!”
“I think you suspect him”
“What do you think?”
“I think our parents loved each other and Dad would never have laid a hand on her”
Robert didn’t answer this right away In fact the silence drew on for so long that Puller thought he ht have disconnected
“Bobby? Did you hear wha—”
“I heard, John”
“And?”
“And ti memories we keep and memories we discard At least for most people The way I’ as it actually happened, I guess, for better or worse”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” said Puller sharply
“I thought it was fairly straightforward I gotta go, John I’ve got three-stars waiting on me Just try not to crater your career, okay?”
The line went dead
Puller stared down at the phone
Selecting memories? What the hell was that about?
An hour later Stan De down the hall in the facility where Lynda Demirjian had come to die A nurse escorted him
Stan De Puller could not blaeant probably would have elected to try to retake Ha his wife tell Puller his father was a murderer
The nurse opened the door and ushered Puller in before leaving Puller looked over at the bed There was an IV stand and afroe of three decades plus the terminal cancer had taken their toll on the woman
Puller looked around the small roo He wondered orse: knowing that you were dying, or being oblivious to it?
He pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed
“Mrs Demirjian?”
The woman moved a bit, her head turned toward him, and her eyes opened