“Everyone on the committee will see,” she said.

“The wives from the officer’s club are already texting me,” my mother added.

She pulled her gold-trimmed phone from her purse.

“They are asking why there are military police cars outside Claire’s quarters,” she said.

Claire didn’t turn around from the window.

“What are they saying, Mom?” Claire asked.

“They want to know if the luncheon is still on for Thursday,” my mother said.

She stared at the screen of her phone.

“They are asking if Andrew has been reassigned early,” she added.

“They know,” Claire said.

She pressed her hand flat against the glass.

“Of course they know,” she said.

“They’ve been waiting for this,” Claire added.

“They hated that we had the corner quarters,” she said.

“They hated that Andrew was next in line for the full colonelcy,” Claire said.

I stood by the door, my hands clasped behind my back in a parade rest.

“Andrew brought this on himself, Claire,” I said.

“He took money meant for the barracks renovation,” I added.

“He used the base contracts to pay off his personal debts,” I said.