“Stand back, ma’am,” he warned.

“You don’t understand,” I said, my voice shaking. “The federal government is already investigating this.”

Walter let out a short, mocking laugh.

“The federal government doesn’t care about a broken soldier, Hannah,” Walter said.

He stepped closer to me, his breath smelling of stale tobacco.

“You should have stayed in the cold,” he whispered so only I could hear. “You and the baby.”

I wanted to hit him, but I forced myself to look past him at Jake.

Jake was looking at the long, dark driveway leading to the main road.

Suddenly, the headlights of the cruiser caught a sudden movement in the snow.

A dark sedan turned onto the road, its lights off.

It was moving fast, fishtailing slightly as it raced toward the trailer.

The car slid to a halt right behind the cruiser, blocking the exit.

The driver’s side door flew open, and a man in a thick winter coat stepped out.

He was holding a large manila envelope.

“Stop!” the man shouted, his voice echoing off the trees.

He ran toward us, slipping on the ice but keeping his footing.