Crawford pointed toward her cap.
“Then where’s her rank?”
Jessica looked at the patrol cap beneath her arm.
“Right where I told you.”
Her mother’s eyes followed.
Crawford stared.
The crowd seemed to hold its breath.
Jessica had not hidden the cap.
She had carried it in plain sight the entire time.
That was what made the moment unbearable for Crawford.
He had seen it.
He had dismissed it.
He had chosen the interpretation he wanted.
Jessica slowly unfolded the cap.
The insignia appeared.
Major.
The gray-templed staff sergeant inhaled.
Someone behind him whispered, “Oh, damn.”
Crawford did not move.
His face emptied.
Jessica held the cap without putting it on.
She did not need theater.
The small insignia had already changed the balance.
Crawford stared at it.
Then at her.
“You’re a major?”
Jessica replied, “Yes.”
His mouth opened.
No words came.
The crowd reacted in waves.
