“Scared, Buddy?” Cocky Black Belt Taunts a Single Mom — Unaware She’s a Combat Legend...
Chapter 9
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"No record of him anywhere in my files, Frank," Samuel reported back. "And if he's claiming a third stripe from that period, there's only three boards in this whole region that would have been sanctioned to award it. I sat on two of them myself, and I know the man who ran the third."Frank hung up the phone and sat in his quiet living room, thinking about Jo Merrick's coin lying on that gym floor, and about how much easier it was to mock someone else's earned history when you'd never bothered earning your own.The following Monday, Gary Priestley called an assembly of all the free class participants, town council members, and a reporter from the Mill Haven Gazette."In light of the incredible response," Gary announced, "Ironclad Academy will be hosting a public community showcase in 12 days, on a Saturday evening. Each student will get a chance to show what they've learned."The mayor was invited; the council members set to vote on Ironclad's expansion grant two days later were invited as well.Council member Ruth Polowski asked a pointed question: "And the grant vote falls just two days after this showcase? That timing seems convenient, Gary.""Coincidence, Ruth," Gary said smoothly.As the meeting dispersed, Tanner caught Jo's eye across the room. "See you at the showcase. Try not to embarrass yourself in front of the whole town.""I wouldn't worry about me," Jo said quietly.That night, after her son was asleep, Jo's phone buzzed: an unfamiliar number."Is this Josephine Merrick?" a man's voice asked, formal and careful. "My name is Robert Kessler. I served with your husband. There's some paperwork from his file that never got closed out properly. I think it's something you're going to want to see."Robert Kessler arrived in Mill Haven on a Tuesday morning, six days before the showcase, driving a gray sedan with government plates. Jo met him during her break at the diner.Robert slid a folder across the table. "This is a nomination form for a commendation. It was filed 11 days after the incident, then disappeared into a backlog during a command transition.""A commendation for who?" Jo asked."For you," Robert said. "You pulled four people out of that compartment before it fully collapsed. You went back in twice after you'd already gotten clear yourself, sustaining second-degree burns on your left arm. Your husband was the fifth person in there... too far gone. There wasn't anything more you could have done. The nomination was for the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, for lifesaving heroism."He slid a second page across. "The award has been approved. What's left now is the presentation itself.""I don't want a ceremony," Jo said."Think it over," Robert replied gently. "Sometimes a ceremony reminds a community what quiet sacrifice actually looks like."Walt Higgins had noticed the gray sedan and the government plates. At the monthly VFW meeting that Thursday, Walt spoke to the room: "There's someone in this town who might need us soon. When the time comes, I want this chapter ready to show up. Not with speeches—just with presence."