Chapter 6 - The Return to the Manor
Two days after her father’s body was recovered, the Hawthorne Estate was quiet again, though the oppressive weight of grief and impending war hung heavily over the grand halls.
Eleanor sat in the sunroom, wrapped in her favorite cashmere shawl, sipping chamomile tea while looking out at the gardens where Arthur used to plant his prize-winning roses. Charlotte sat across from her, cleaning her service pistol with methodical, military precision—every part oiled, inspected, and reassembled with absolute perfection.
""The funeral is scheduled for Thursday,"" Eleanor said quietly, her voice fragile but steady. ""The local papers are calling it a tragic accident caused by an intruder. The police chief told me it's safer that way—that if the public learns a sitting U.S. senator and a federal legal syndicate murdered your father for logistics contracts, the backlash could destabilize half the state government.""
Charlotte slid the magazine back into her pistol with a crisp, metallic click. ""My father was murdered and left under a concrete slab like garbage, Grandma. I don't care about their political stability.""
A gentle knock echoed through the open door of the sunroom.
A young courier in a dark courier uniform stood in the doorway, holding a heavy silver envelope stamped with the official seal of the Department of Defense.
""Captain Hawthorne?"" the courier asked nervously.
""Sign for it and leave,"" Charlotte ordered without looking up.
The courier hastily dropped the envelope on the mahogany coffee table and retreated down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him.
Charlotte picked up the envelope, sliced the edge open with her combat knife, and pulled out a single sheet of heavy cardstock.
Typed across the center in stark, bold letters were words that confirmed every suspicion she held:
ORDERS RECALLED.
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, CAPT. CHARLOTTE HAWTHORNE IS PLACED ON ACTIVE INACTIVE RESERVE STATUS PENDING A CLASSIFIED NATIONAL SECURITY INVESTIGATION.
DO NOT LEAVE THE COUNTY. SURRENDER ALL ENCRYPTED DRIVES RECOVERED FROM THE LAKESIDE PROPERTY TO FEDERAL AUTHORITIES WITHIN 24 HOURS.
COMPLIANCE IS MANDATORY.
Eleanor leaned forward, peering at the paper over her reading glasses. ""They're trying to bury you before you can expose them.""
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Charlotte stood up slowly, walking over to the fireplace where the orange flames licked against the dark brick. She looked down at the official Department of Defense seal, then tossed the letter directly into the fire, watching the paper curl, blacken, and turn to ash in seconds.
""They think I'm just a captain,"" Charlotte said, her eyes reflecting the bright orange glow of the flames. ""They forgot who taught me how to run a global supply chain.""
