Booktree.ng_Forgotten-Witness

Johnson took another drag and this time he blew a smoke
ring in a smoke ring. Bernard didn’t notice. He was staring at
the tire-like treads on the soles of Johnson’s heavy boots.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Do you mind?” Bernard pushed at Johnson’s feet.
The other man dropped them to the ground, leaned close to
the desk and said: “Ian Francis is dead.”
The color drained from Bernard’s face, his shoulders
slumped, and the muscles in his stomach pulled so tight he
almost cried out.
“I don’t believe you. Who told you that?” he whispered.
“I got a memo asking for clarification on the House,”
Johnson said.
“Why didn’t they send it to me?”
“Because you are the House, buddy. They want me to check
up on you,” Johnson reminded him.
“Oh, no. Oh, no,” Bernard moaned.
“Yep. He was in D.C. of all places. The cops checked up on
Ian when they confiscated his pass after he raised the roof at a
hearing. The Department of Defense still showed Ian actively
assigned to Ha Kuna House. Then he commits suicide and the
cops pass that along. Some computer puts two and two
together because your last report went in after the guy jumped.
Now they’re asking the million-dollar question: how could Ian
Francis file resident status reports, if Ian Francis killed
himself? Bad timing, Bernard. Really bad.”
“Ian killed himself?”
Bernard turned a shade paler than a ghost. He had no real
affection for Ian Francis so news of his death didn’t upset him
but Amelia’s lie and his own stupidity did.
He reached for his in-box and found a stack of
communiqués. They came in like clockwork but he answered
when he felt like it because no one on the east coast paid