cream‑colored stock. The edges were soft from years of being unfolded and refolded. I placed it on the counter without a word.
He looked down. The smirk stayed for a half‑second longer. Then his face went slack.
The citation was headed with an eagle and a shield. The words “Distinguished Flying Cross” were stamped in bold beneath. Below that, a brief paragraph described an event that had occurred in the Philippine Sea during Typhoon Helen, and how a pilot had taken off with a damaged F‑22 in a Category 5 storm, intercepted a hostile bomber, and destroyed it with a gun when her missiles failed, saving 4,000 lives before ejecting into the sea.
The name at the bottom read Captain Evelyn Hope.
“Distinguished Flying Cross,” he read, his voice suddenly smaller. He looked at me, then back at the citation, as if he needed to confirm the name twice. “
