“This is an active command inquiry, ma’am.”

“I’ve got something for the senior officer,” Clara Higgins said, her voice coming through clearly over the noise of the terminal.

She pushed a blue sheet torn from a spiral notepad through the gap.

Knox looked back at General Vance, who gave one nod.

Clara stepped over the threshold, resting her heavy shoulder bag on her left hip while her two kids waited by the water fountain outside.

“I saw him put his hand on her uniform sleeve at two minutes after three.”