Chapter 6 - Someone Inside Headquarters“THEY USED A DEAD SOLDIER'S WIDOW TO HIDE EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS? SARAH, THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT FALSIFIED MAINTENANCE RECORDS ANYMORE.”
Nina Park sat across from Sarah, her laptop illuminating the darkened office.
Outside, heavy rain swept across the installation.
It was almost nine at night.
Most of the headquarters staff had gone home.
But Sarah knew she couldn't simply accept what the corporate registration appeared to show.
A name on a document wasn't proof of ownership.
And Grace Bell had given every indication of being an ordinary woman struggling to raise her daughter after losing her husband.
“First,” Sarah said, “we verify the company's registration history and identify the person who actually controlled its bank accounts.”
Nina nodded.
“Agreed.”
“Second, we determine whether Grace's identity was used without her knowledge.”
“And third?”
“We make sure nobody accuses a grieving widow before we've established the facts.”
Nina closed one window and opened another.
“I found the original formation documents.”
“Anything useful?”
“The company was established by Howard Keene, a former logistics contractor.”
“Does he have ties to Fort Liberty?”
“Yes.”
Nina turned the screen.
“He previously worked on several contracts overseen by Colonel Victor Ransom.”
Sarah studied the records.
Keene had left his previous company after an internal audit raised questions about duplicate invoices.
No criminal charges had resulted.
But several contracts were terminated.
“Interesting,” Sarah murmured.
Nina continued.
“Sentinel Readiness Solutions was formed shortly afterward.”
“And when did Grace Bell supposedly become its owner?”
“Three weeks after Nathan died.”
Sarah felt anger rise beneath her carefully controlled expression.
Someone had apparently taken advantage of a widow's identity while she was burying her husband.
If that was true, the cruelty went beyond financial wrongdoing.
It represented a willingness to exploit even the people who had already suffered the greatest loss.
Sarah stood.
“We need to coordinate with the appropriate criminal investigative authorities. Potential fraud and identity theft are outside what we should try to resolve through administrative interviews alone.”
Nina nodded.
“I'll preserve the records and prepare the referral package.”
Before Sarah could continue, her phone rang.
The caller identification showed an unfamiliar number.
“Sarah Collins.”
For several seconds, there was silence.
Then a woman's voice spoke.
“Ms. Collins, you need to stop sending your evidence through the installation headquarters network.”
Sarah became still.
“Who is this?”
“My name is Evelyn Cross.”
Sarah recognized it.
Evelyn Cross had previously worked as an Army civilian investigator.
She had left her position eight months earlier.
Officially, her departure was listed as a voluntary transfer.
“Ms. Cross, why are you contacting me?”
“Because someone just sent me a copy of your preservation request.”
Sarah looked at Nina.
“What preservation request?”
“The one concerning Vehicle 417 and the missing maintenance files.”
Sarah felt her pulse quicken.
That request had been distributed through restricted official channels.
Only a small number of people should have received it.
“How did you obtain it?”
“Through an old colleague. She was worried because she knew what happened when I requested similar records.”
“Where are you calling from?”
“Virginia.”
“Would you be willing to speak through a secure official channel?”
“Yes. But there's something you should know first.”
Sarah waited.
Evelyn lowered her voice.
“I investigated suspicious procurement transactions involving Sentinel Readiness Solutions last year.”
Sarah glanced at Nina.
“And what did you find?”
“Repeated invoices for equipment that didn't appear to exist.”
“What happened to your investigation?”
“I was told the discrepancies had been resolved.”
“By whom?”
“Colonel Miriam Vale.”
Sarah wrote the name down.
Vale was General Ellison's chief of staff.
A highly respected officer with nearly three decades of service.
She controlled access to much of the general's administrative schedule and supervised several important coordination functions.
Sarah had met her only once.
Vale had been polite, efficient, and remarkably interested in learning the scope of Sarah's investigation.
“Did Colonel Vale order you to close the case?” Sarah asked.
“Not directly.”
“Then what happened?”
“My access to several databases was revoked. Then I received a transfer offer with a warning that refusing it could damage my career.”
Sarah looked toward the rain-covered window.
“Did you report that?”
“I tried.”
“To whom?”
“The office responsible for reviewing my complaint.”
Evelyn paused.
“And two days later, Colonel Vale somehow knew exactly what I'd written.”
Sarah's expression hardened.
“Do you have evidence?”
“Copies of correspondence. My original audit notes. And the notification showing when my system access was removed.”
“Please preserve everything.”
“I already have.”
Sarah thanked her and arranged a secure follow-up interview.
After ending the call, she turned toward Nina.
“We have a potential information leak inside headquarters.”
Nina nodded.
“Possibly more than one.”
“Can we determine who accessed the preservation request?”
“I can review the available audit trails.”
For the next two hours, they worked through electronic records.
Nina compared access timestamps, document versions, and distribution lists.
Eventually, she stopped typing.
“Sarah.”
“What?”
“I found something.”
The screen displayed a detailed access history.
Sarah leaned closer.
The preservation request had been opened by several authorized users.
Then a duplicate had been downloaded from a restricted shared folder.
The user account belonged to the headquarters executive office.
“Could that be routine?” Sarah asked.
“Yes. At least initially.”
“What's unusual?”
Nina pointed to another entry.
“Within eighteen minutes, the document was forwarded to an address outside the authorized distribution list.”
“Who controlled that mailbox?”
Nina opened the account details.
“It's associated with a contractor liaison who works closely with Howard Keene.”
Sarah felt the significance immediately.
The investigation's private requests might have been reaching the very people whose conduct was under examination.
“Can we identify who initiated the transfer?”
Nina enlarged the final record.
The system showed a named user rather than a shared workstation.
Sarah read it.
Then read it again.
The account belonged to the one person who was supposed to help General Ellison maintain order inside his headquarters.
May you like
COLONEL MIRIAM VALE—CHIEF OF STAFF.
And according to the timestamp, she had forwarded the confidential document less than twenty minutes after Sarah submitted it.
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