Chapter 7 - THE GENERAL'S SECRET
We returned to Washington before sunrise.
I didn't sleep.
Neither did Ryan.
The documents from my father's facility were locked in a secure container.
Only three people knew what we had found.
Me.
Ryan.
And General Whitaker.
That was a problem.
Because if my father's warning was correct, one of those three people might be the betrayal.
At 0715, I requested a private meeting with General Whitaker.
He agreed.
The meeting took place in a secure room.
No assistants.
No phones.
No recording devices.
He looked tired.
“You found the facility.”
“Yes.”
“And the files?”
“Yes.”
He leaned back.
“What did you find?”
I watched him carefully.
“Evidence that my father was investigating a covert network.”
He nodded.
“He was.”
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“More than I told you.”
I felt anger rise.
“Why?”
“Because you weren't ready.”
“I'm a colonel.”
“You were his daughter before you were his investigator.”
I placed the photograph of Evelyn on the table.
His face changed.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
“You know her.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“She worked with your father.”
“Against him?”
“Sometimes.”
“With him?”
“Sometimes.”
I leaned forward.
“Who killed my father?”
He looked away.
“I don't know.”
I studied him.
He was telling the truth.
Or he was very good at lying.
“Why is your name on his list?”
Silence.
Whitaker looked at the document.
“Because your father suspected me.”
“Did you betray him?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
He closed his eyes.
“Because I betrayed someone else.”
“Who?”
“Your father.”
I stared at him.
“What did you do?”
“I gave him information.”
“That sounds like helping.”
“I gave him information I wasn't authorized to possess.”
“Why?”
“To save your life.”
My heartbeat quickened.
“What does that mean?”
Whitaker looked directly at me.
“Your father discovered the network years before you joined intelligence.”
I listened.
“He believed you were being watched.”
“Why?”
“Because you were his daughter.”
“That doesn't explain it.”
“It does when you understand what your father had.”
I waited.
“A list.”
“What list?”
“Names of people who had infiltrated American defense organizations.”
I thought about the document.
“How many?”
“Forty-seven.”
“Where is it?”
Whitaker's expression hardened.
“Gone.”
“Who has it?”
“I don't know.”
“Evelyn?”
“Possibly.”
“Marcus?”
“Possibly.”
“Ryan?”
“No.”
I stared at him.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because Ryan isn't smart enough.”
I almost smiled.
“That's harsh.”
“It's true.”
Then Whitaker leaned forward.
“But he's useful.”
“To whom?”
“To people who know how to manipulate him.”
I understood.
“Evelyn.”
Whitaker nodded.
“She didn't recruit Ryan because he was important.”
“Then why?”
“Because he was married to you.”
The room felt colder.
I looked at the clock.
“Did my father know?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't he warn me?”
“He tried.”
“How?”
Whitaker reached into his jacket.
He pulled out a sealed envelope.
My name was written on it.
My father's handwriting.
I took it.
“Why have you had this?”
“Because your father asked me to give it to you only if you became a colonel.”
I stared at him.
I opened it.
Inside was a letter.
My little girl,
If you're reading this, you became the woman I always knew you could become.
My eyes blurred.
I continued.
There are things I couldn't tell you because telling you would make you a target.
But if you're wearing the eagle now, you're already a target.
I stopped.
The letter continued.
Trust your training.
Trust your instincts.
And never confuse love with loyalty.
I swallowed.
The final paragraph broke me.
If Ryan is still beside you when you read this, understand that I tried to warn you about him.
I looked up.
Whitaker was watching me.
“What did my father know about Ryan?”
“He suspected Ryan had been approached.”
“Before I married him?”
“Yes.”
My hands shook.
“Why didn't you stop me?”
“Because your father didn't have proof.”
“And now?”
“Now we do.”
I folded the letter.
“Then arrest him.”
Whitaker looked at me.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because Ryan is our path to Evelyn.”
I hated the answer.
But I understood it.
My husband wasn't simply a traitor.
He was a doorway.
And somewhere on the other side of that doorway was the person who had been manipulating my family for years.
Then Whitaker's secure phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“Repeat that.”
Silence.
“Understood.”
He hung up.
“What happened?”
He looked at me.
“Evelyn Cross has disappeared.”
“Where?”
“No one knows.”
I stood.
“Then find her.”
“We're trying.”
“No.”
I looked him directly in the eyes.
“I'll find her.”
Whitaker frowned.
“Colonel—”
“This started with my family.”
I picked up my father's letter.
“And I'm ending it.”
But as I walked out, I didn't notice the small red light blinking beneath the conference table.
May you like
Someone had been listening.
And they had just heard everything.
