“It’s a tragedy when old records are lost to fire.”

“Not all of them were lost,” I said.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line.

“You always were stubborn, just like your father,” Gregory said.

“But Daniel didn’t know when to stop either, and look where that got him.”

“I have the signed manifests, Gregory,” I said.

“Every single one of them.”

“A few pieces of paper won’t save you from a charge of military espionage, Colonel,” he said.

“The authorities are already looking for you.”

“We’ll see who they’re looking for by morning,” I said, and ended the call.

I tossed the phone back into the console.

My hands were tight on the steering wheel, my knuckles white.

“He’s going to use his connections to block us,” Vance said.

“He has allies in the Department of Defense who will protect their own interests.”

“Then we bypass them,” I said.

I knew a retired federal prosecutor who lived just outside the city.

He had no love for Gregory or the corrupt military contractors who funded his campaigns.