This wasn’t simply theft.
It had been planned, documented, and filed.
I returned to the transactions and totaled them twice.
$45,000.
The money mattered.
But the access, intent, and forged paperwork mattered more.
I followed the trail beyond Evelyn’s account.
Large credits.
Irregular payments.
Then I saw the name attached to the debts.
Vance.
I stared at the screen and laughed once.
Sharp.
Of course.
Lieutenant Vance.
Perfect uniform.
Perfect posture.
Always talking about integrity and career progression.
Meanwhile, he was buried in gambling debt severe enough to require $45,000 to disappear quietly.
Debt that could destroy his security clearance.
And his career.
Everything clicked.
Evelyn hadn’t stolen from me for herself.
She had done it to protect Vance.
To protect Chloe’s perfect life.
At my expense.
I closed my eyes briefly and locked the facts into place.
Federal wire fraud.
Identity theft.
Forgery.
And an active-duty officer.
