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evening?”
    He took a step back, which helped calm me. I blinked a few times and shook my head hoping my senses would return.
    “I was looking for someone, but I changed my mind.”
    “Good decision,” he said handing me my wallet and nodding. “I think it would be a good idea if you went home. Have a good night.”
    Finally, I had my chance to escape the déjà vu moment, but I was s
till
curious. “Officer, what’s going on back there?”
    A soft smile reached across his face. “We’ve heard some illegal activities are taking place there, and we’re going to make some arrests.”
    I immediately thought of Tim. “Who’s getting arrested?” I blurted out.
    He had already taken a few strides toward the other gathered officers, but he turned and dropped his chin. “Everybody, and unless you want to be included, I suggest you head home.”
    “Okay.” No need to tell me twice. I pulled out of the space thanking my lucky stars that I had
not
gone inside. I’d be in handcuffs right now, and explaining that to my mother was not on my to-do list.
    But Tim? He was in there, and the officers would include
everyone
when it came to being arrested, and that meant I would have him right where I needed him.

Chapter 8

THE CALL: DR. EVAN CARTER
     
    D uring the long walk back to my office, I wondered how things had gotten so out of control. I had been making significant progress toward curing my patients, and most importantly, we were beginning to have long-term success. Many of the soldiers who had been through my treatment had gone back to active duty or had decided to take the offered honorable discharge and education assistance package.
    Things were going quite well in my opinion, so the fact that the sergeant major ordered the abduction of a well-respected civilian just didn’t make sense. Not to mention the fact that he attempted to drug him. There was no way this situation was going to end well.
    No, this situation was inexcusable and protocol had just been blown to bits, so I made the decision to call another superior officer. I knew that going directly above the sergeant major would be useless because I had a feeling his recent commands were coming from
above
him. That meant I needed to bypass his chain of command altogether.
    Once back at my desk, I made a call to my former commanding officer. He had no authority over this facility, but he did have connections. I asked him to look into where my current assignment came from, who was funding it, and who the commanding officers were.
    Trying not to disclose too much, I informed him of my concerns that the mission had been compromised. Finally, I told him I feared for my life, and would appreciate it if he could alert someone high in the government that this operation could lead to civilian deaths and unwanted attention if a formal inspection wasn’t started ASAP.
    I didn’t fear for my life and I wasn’t positive civilian lives were at risk, but something inside told me to send up some flares.
    Just as I hung up the phone, my office assistant Larry rushed in, “They’re moving him.”
    “Moving him where?”
    “To the interrogation room. They said you have thirty minutes.”
    The interrogation room offered little or no privacy. Anyone in the next room would be able to hear our conversation.
What was I supposed to do with that?
I needed to talk to Weston
alone
.
    I came up with the only plan I could think of on the spot, pleased with how good it actually was. I briefly questioned my reasons for going through such measures to protect Mr. Wilson, but I knew it needed to be done.
    “Larry, do me a favor please. In fifteen minutes, I’d like for you to interrupt my interrogation and tell me that one of the patients from Block 3 escaped his room and is missing. Then I want you to tell me you received a report that he was spotted leaving the first floor.”
    He looked at me, stunned. “But—”
    “Don’t worry, Larry, I just need a few minutes alone with Mr.