“Yes,” Hayes said. “The login was attempted using your credentials, but from an unsecured, external IP address.”

I looked back at Daniel.

His face had gone pale, his confident posture slipping just a fraction.

“My briefcase was forced open, sir,” I said, pointing down the hallway. “My secure laptop is gone.”

Hayes’s brow furrowed, his eyes hardening.

“Are you saying your government-issued computer was stolen from your residence?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” I said. “Just now. I found the briefcase damaged when I returned.”

Daniel quickly stepped in.

“General, my wife is under a lot of stress,” Daniel said, his voice shaking slightly.

“We are going through some personal issues, and she might have misplaced it.”

“I did not misplace it, Daniel,” I said, turning to face him.

“She has been acting erratically,” Daniel continued, looking at Hayes. “I think she’s trying to cover up her own negligence.”

Hayes looked from Daniel to me, his expression unreadable.

“The secure terminal contains classified operations data,” Hayes said, his voice dropping to a dangerous level.

“This is not a domestic dispute anymore, Mr. Vance.”