Both Paynes had been up to check on him because of the tumultuous day, but this time the colonel’s unreadable features sent a chill of alarm through his blood. “Am I in trouble?” “Depends on the answer to this question. Do you have an e-mail account that you’ve been keeping a secret?” Preston couldn’t help it. He began shaking. His mind raced like electrons in a particle accelerator as he tried to figure out how he’d been found out, and how long Reverend Paula might preach at his upcoming funeral, because he knew he was dead. “Waiting on an answer, son.” “Um. Is Mrs. Payne going to join us? She’d probably want to hear my answer, too.” “No. This is going to be one of those father-son conversations.” “Oh.” Preston really wanted Mrs. Payne there to keep the colonel from punishing him by making him do nine thousand pushups or something else marine-ish.
