She’d ask, though. Because it was something she did want to know.
“Cruz was a para rescue jumper.” Her stepfather must’ve opened David’s service record right there, on the spot, based on the pensive note in his commentary. “Air Force. Obviously not much ambition for himself, since he left the service without advancing as far as his records indicate he had the potential to achieve.”
Of course it was always about potential. What her stepfather never understood was that people measured success in different ways. Their goals weren’t the same as what he’d expect. What satisfied a person—made them feel whole—wasn’t something quantifiable or repeatable in each individual the way following a recipe to bake a cake would be.
“Self-worth isn’t always measured by promotions or advancements.” She should’ve kept her mouth shut but nope, the words had slipped out dry and disapproving as you please.
“Your opinion in this case may be biased,” her stepfather snapped. He had no tolerance for her opinions, especially when they were expressed with “attitude,” as he’d made a point to tell her back when she was younger.
He couldn’t know, though. Not about her and David. Her stomach twisted. “How so?”
“You’re working side by side with the man. Obviously you’re pleased with the cooperative arrangement.” Her stepfather huffed. “Any partnership introduces bias. You’re too close. You can’t see the forest for the trees. This is why I insisted you give me timely status reports so I can ensure you have the objective perspective this requires. That asset is too valuable to ruin with sentimentality.”
This, she could address. The idea of him knowing about her and David was too many levels of complicated. No way was she going there until she absolutely had to.
“I’ve demonstrated repeatedly my ability to accurately assess and rehabilitate dogs of a wide variety of breeds and temperaments.” And her record demonstrated it in glowing personal recommendations from her clients. “No matter how cute the tiny toy breed or how intimidating the larger breed, I approach each case with objectivity. As soft as some might consider the psychological foundation to the rehabilitation approach, it is by no means compromised by sentimentality.”
It also turned out this way. Conversation ramped up until the big words drowned out the practical meaning of the discussion. It was a contest to see who could speak with greater formality and not get caught at a loss for words. It wasn’t about the original topic anymore.
“In this case, it’s not you I have concerns over.”
Oh. Lyn rocked back on her heels. Almost uttered the gut response and ruined the whole conversation. “I see.”
“David Cruz is obviously working with Atlas in honor of the memory of his deceased friend. They served together.” Her stepfather cleared his throat. “I can sympathize to a certain extent. It’s not easy to lose the men you’ve fought beside. But at least it was overseas and in combat, as opposed to some sort of overdose or home and asleep in bed.”
Because passing away at peace in bed was the most horrible way for a person to die.
Some people were willing to put away their uniforms. Maybe not her stepfather, and she could respect him or the choice, but she also wondered if he ever gave any sort of consideration to the alternative choices people made.
“I want your status reports expanded to give me insight into how Cruz is reacting to Atlas’s progress.” Captain Jones made a clicking noise with his tongue. “My concern is that he is chasing ghosts better laid to rest instead of focusing on the task at hand. I do not want this asset put at risk because a man couldn’t leave well enough alone.”
There was an interesting way to put it.
“What would he be looking into?” Because now she wanted to know why her stepfather was coincidentally concerned with David’s investigation of Calhoun’s death. It wasn’t a secret as far as she could tell. David had mentioned openly going to the nearby military base to look over the reports.
“Every friend is convinced there are suspect circumstances around the way a man has died in service. They’re looking for a reason. Call it a form of grieving. My concern is that Cruz could become delusional, depending on how much he’s indulging in other bad habits veterans occasionally pick up once they leave the service. While you are the contractor I’ve engaged to work with this asset, he is also involved in the project and could reflect on it negatively.”
Ugh. And it was always about how things could reflect back on his reputation.