Michael let out a dry, hacking laugh that sounded like a choke.

“She used the charity funds to pay him,” he said.

“It appears so,” Drummond said.

Michael looked at his own signature block on the character reference.

“I thought I was signing a recommendation for a family friend’s son,” he said.

“She told me it was for a scholarship.”

“She used your credentials to authenticate a lie about your sister,” I said.

The realization seemed to age him by ten years in a matter of seconds.

He looked at the gold braid on his shoulder, then reached up and touched it.

“I didn’t earn any of this,” he said.

“You did the work, Michael,” I said. “But she made sure no one else could compete with you. Especially not me.”

“What do we do now, General?” Michael asked, his voice hollow.

Drummond glanced at his watch.

“The Inspector General’s representatives are already in the building,” Drummond said.

“They are waiting for my signal to proceed with the formal reading of charges.”

Michael looked at the closed office door.