“Aaron Vale is a broken man who could not handle the realities of service,” she said coldly. “We do not destroy our family’s standing for the sake of a disgruntled soldier.”

“I am an investigator,” I said. “My job is the truth.”

“Your job is to protect this family,” she snapped. “If you file those papers, if you bring this into a public courtroom, your father and I will personally issue a statement to the press.”

“A statement about what?”

“About your mental state,” she said, her voice deadly quiet. “About your obsession with this case since you left the Department of Justice. We will tell them you are unstable, Grace. We will testify to it under oath if we have to.”

A chill ran down my spine, colder than the rain outside.

“You would lie under oath to protect Cassandra’s social standing?” I asked, my voice cracking.

“We would do whatever is necessary to preserve our family’s honor,” she said. “Do not test me, Grace.”

She hung up before I could answer.

I sat in the dim light of the office, the silence of the room pressing in on me.