“I’m handling our public image, Mother,” Ethan said, ending the call and slipping the phone into his jacket pocket.

“Then tell those housekeepers to empty out the laundry room before they go,” Victoria said, her smile growing sharper.

“I don’t want those wrapped boxes Emily left on the counter sitting around all afternoon.”

“What boxes?” Ethan asked, swinging around.

“The Easter presents for her niece that she brought in yesterday,” Victoria said, tapping her glass.

“The cardboard packages on the folding counter.”

In the secure medical wing behind Fort Campbell, the little observation room smelled faintly of scoured stainless steel and cold water.