The room was dominated by a long mahogany table covered in legal yellow pads.

A brass lamp in the corner cast a warm, yellow glow over the mahogany.

“General Avery gave me a brief summary,” Vance said, sitting down.

“But I need to see the physical evidence.”

I placed the red folder on the table and pushed it toward her.

“This contains the original ledger sheets from Richards Strategic Consulting,” I said.

“They show direct payments to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.”

“And a sitting general at the Pentagon,” Sterling added.

Vance opened the folder and began to read, her eyes moving rapidly.

She did not speak for several minutes, only flipping the pages with a soft rustle.

The silence in the room was heavy, broken only by the hum of the air vents.

“This is extraordinary,” Vance said finally, looking up at me.

“This is not just historical fraud.”

“These transactions are active,” I said.

“They occurred as recently as last Tuesday.”

“If I take this to a grand jury, Gregory Richards will know within hours,” Vance said.