I reached across the mahogany desk and pressed the speaker button.

The dial tone cut out, replaced by the sharp, static-laced voice of Chief Warrant Officer Miller.

“Colonel Parker, this is Miller down in the basement archives,” the voice said.

“Go ahead, Chief,” I said.

My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

“We just cleared the false backing from the bottom drawer of Lieutenant Colonel Carter’s personal filing cabinet,” Miller said.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

“And?” I asked.

“We have two ledger books, three thumb drives wrapped in foil, and a stack of cashier’s checks made out to cash,” Miller said.

The line crackled with a slight hum.

“The total on the checks alone exceeds eighty thousand dollars, ma’am,” Miller added.

I looked over at Claire.

Her face had lost every trace of its usual high color.

She looked small in her designer linen suit, suddenly swallowed by the leather chair she sat in.

“That’s his personal property,” Claire whispered, her voice cracking.

“Those files belong to the United States Army now, Mrs. Carter,” the General said from his seat behind the desk.