The entire range crew appeared afraid of the question.

👉 The silence of the instructors revealed that Raines had not switched Avery’s score alone.

Chapter 4 - The Leather Notebook

Avery’s brown leather notebook had belonged to her grandfather.

Sergeant Major Thomas Cole had trained Army marksmen decades earlier.

He taught Avery to record everything.

Wind speed.

Temperature.

Elevation.

Ammunition lot numbers.

The exact moment a shot broke.

“Memory changes when pressure arrives,” he used to say. “Ink does not.”

Avery recorded every Blackridge shot.

That morning, she had also written down the target serial number painted on the steel frame.

Miles confirmed it through the spotting scope.

When Ward compared Avery’s notes with the torn scorecard, the mismatch became undeniable.

Raines laughed coldly.

“A personal notebook is not official evidence.”

Avery turned several pages.

Each entry was signed by Miles as spotter.

Some also carried the initials of range technicians who confirmed equipment checks.