I walked back to the center of the office.

I did not sit down.

A few minutes later, three sharp knocks sounded on the door.

“Come in,” I said.

The door opened.

An armed military policeman escorted my family into the room.

“Leave us,” I told the guard.

The guard saluted and stepped out, closing the heavy wooden door behind him.

My mother immediately stepped forward.

“Emily, what have you done?” she asked.

Her voice was trembling.

“I did my job, Mother,” I said.

“Your job?” Claire screamed.

She lunged toward the desk, but my father held up his hand to stop her.

“They took Andrew in handcuffs,” Claire sobbed. “In front of the neighbors.”

“He broke the law, Claire,” I said.

“He is your brother-in-law!” my mother cried. “He is family!”

“He is a thief,” I said. “He stole from the United States Army.”

My father took a slow step forward, leaning heavily on his cane.

He looked at me with the same disapproving eyes I had seen my entire life.

“You always had to be the competitive one, Emily,” he said. “You couldn’t let Claire have anything.”