Chapter 26 - The Interrogation Protocol
Inside the federal detention center in downtown Cincinnati, the stark concrete walls offered no comfort. Richard Whitaker sat across a stainless steel table, the harsh fluorescent light emphasizing every wrinkle and line of terror on his aging face. He was sweating profusely through his prison-issued jumpsuit.
The door clicked open, and two figures entered. One was the federal prosecutor. The second was Rear Admiral Harrison Vance—the very same flag officer who had stood beside me at my promotion ceremony months earlier, the man who had looked into my parents' eyes and told them the truth they refused to acknowledge.
When Richard saw the gold stars on Harrison’s collar, a desperate glimmer of false hope ignited in his eyes.
"Admiral!" Richard stammered, leaning forward against his handcuffs. "Please... you remember me from Eleanor’s ceremony. You know my family! You have to explain to these agents that my family has always supported defense! Eleanor would never want her own father in a cage!"
Admiral Vance did not take a seat. He stood towering over the table, his gaze colder than polar ice.
"Mr. Whitaker," Admiral Vance began, his voice deep and cutting like a tactical blade. "Do you remember the four words I whispered into the microphone when your daughter stood before two hundred proud families?"
Richard swallowed hard, his throat dry as sandpaper. He remembered. The entire room had remembered. *She chose this nation.*
"You thought that was a compliment to her patience," Admiral Vance continued ruthlessly. "It was a condemnation of your neglect. Eleanor chose duty, honor, and loyalty because she found none of those virtues inside your home. And last night, when your treason nearly took the lives of three hundred American sailors, Eleanor did not hesitate for a second. She did her duty."
"She’s my daughter!" Richard screamed, tears of rage and humiliation streaming down his cheeks. "Blood is thicker than water!"
"Not in the United States Navy," Admiral Vance responded without blinking. "Out at sea, blood is spilled to protect liberty. You disgraced your country, you disgraced your heritage, and you disgraced the finest officer I have ever had the privilege to mentor. There will be no bail. There will be no plea bargain. You will spend the remainder of your natural life behind federal bars."
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Admiral Vance turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Richard alone with the cold echo of his own ruin.
***
