Politics of Blood (Gray Spear Society, #8)

by Alex Siegel

received confidential information in the past." After a long pause, Tom nodded. "I can tell you a little bit about myself, stuff that happened before I got this job." Will gave him a sharp look but kept quiet. "I was an Air Force pilot," Tom said. "I flew everything from F-16's to A-10's. Eventually, I became an instructor at Randolph Air Force Base. I usually flew the enemy aircraft that the students tried to shoot down. I had a standing offer to buy a bottle of wine for any student who beat me in a dogfight. It didn't happen often. Will was the only one who ever got two bottles." Will glanced back. "I cheated. Tom was the best." "You're not in the Air Force now," Haley said. "Did you retire?" Tom shook his head. "I wish. Will and I were drinking some of that wine together when we caught a colonel raping one of the female students. He was a real tough guy. It took both of us to drag him off her. Then the fight got ugly. In the end, we were injured and he was dead. We were convicted on murder charges." "What about the victim? Didn't she testify on your behalf?" "She was too ashamed and pretended the rape never happened. Everybody knew the truth though. When we were in jail, a man came to us, Ethel's predecessor. He gave us this job. He was an interesting guy to work for. Very inconspicuous." Tom smiled as if he had told a joke. "Are you bitter?" Haley said.