Chapter 14 - The Wrong Arrest
By sunrise, military investigators had enough to detain Voss.
They arrived at his residence.
He was gone.
His vehicle sat in the driveway.
His uniform remained in the closet.
On the kitchen counter sat a cup of coffee still warm.
Hale stared at the open back door.
"Somebody warned him."
Olivia looked at Ward.
Ward looked offended. "Don't start."
"I'm not."
"You looked at me."
"I look at everyone."
The answer came twenty minutes later.
Colonel Hale was placed under arrest.
The order came from division command after investigators discovered two million dollars in an offshore account connected to his service number.
Hale laughed when they showed him.
"I drive a twelve-year-old truck."
The lead investigator did not smile.
"The account is authenticated."
Olivia stepped between them. "So were the cloned credentials."
"Commander, move aside."
Hale raised one hand. "Let them do their job."
Olivia looked at him.
"Someone is clearing Voss's path."
"Then catch them."
As MPs led him away, Hale stopped beside her.
"Don't make the mistake your father made."
"Which mistake?"
"Thinking the conspiracy ends with the highest-ranking man you can see."
Olivia stood motionless.
Then she understood.
Voss had signed contracts and protected the system.
But somebody had built Black Lantern before Voss had enough power to do it alone.
She returned to Daniel's files.
Buried in the oldest ledger was a name that appeared only once.
Civilian procurement adviser Malcolm Rusk.
Ortiz leaned over her shoulder.
"Who is he?"
Ward's face went pale.
"He isn't an adviser anymore."
"What is he?"
Ward looked at Olivia.
"He is the deputy secretary overseeing military procurement audits."
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Olivia stared at the screen.
The man responsible for investigating corruption was sitting above the entire investigation.
