Chapter 6: The Secret He Was Never Supposed to Know
Agent Collins asked my mother and Richard to remain in the living room.
Then she led me into the kitchen.
She closed the door.
"Jessica, I need you to listen carefully.""
I nodded.
"Go ahead.""
"The document Marcus submitted references a restricted training operation. It includes a personnel designation that should not have been available to a private contractor.""
"Does it include my name?""
"Yes.""
My jaw tightened.
"How much information?""
"Your name, a professional photograph, and a reference to your current assignment.""
I leaned against the counter.
"That's not possible.""
"We're not assuming anything yet.""
I looked toward the hallway.
"Has Marcus been in contact with anyone from my unit?""
"We're checking his communication records.""
"Can I see the document?""
Agent Collins hesitated.
Then she opened a secure file on her tablet and showed me a limited section.
The document contained a company name.
Reed Tactical Consulting.
Below it was a list of proposed instructors.
My name appeared first.
Marcus's name appeared second.
I read the description beneath mine.
*Senior operational consultant. Specialized defensive training. Restricted government experience.*
My stomach turned.
He had invented an entire professional relationship.
I scrolled further.
There was a proposed training program for private security personnel.
It included a list of dates, locations, and personnel references.
Some details were fictional.
Others were not.
One location was familiar.
It was the site of an upcoming training exercise.
"Where did he get this information?""
Agent Collins shook her head.
"That's what we're trying to establish.""
I looked at her.
"Could he have accessed it through me?""
"Have you ever discussed your assignments at home?""
"No.""
"Shown him documents?""
"Never.""
"Left a work device here?""
"Never.""
She nodded.
"Then we need to examine his other possible sources.""
I thought about the house.
The den.
The computer.
The locked cabinet.
The envelope with my name.
Then something occurred to me.
"Agent Collins, Marcus has been asking me questions about my work for years.""
"What kind of questions?""
"Where I travel. Who I report to. Whether I work with military personnel. Sometimes he asks whether certain assignments involve private contractors.""
Her expression sharpened.
"Did you answer?""
"Usually I gave him nothing.""
"Usually?""
"I might have mentioned general travel arrangements. Nothing operational.""
She made a note.
"Did he ever ask you to bring home paperwork?""
I remembered something.
A conversation from the previous winter.
Marcus had asked whether I could review a business proposal for him.
He'd claimed it was a routine logistics contract.
I'd refused.
But he'd later asked me to confirm whether a particular government office handled contractor approvals.
I'd dismissed it as ordinary curiosity.
Now the memory felt different.
"Yes," I said.
"He asked about contractor approvals.""
Agent Collins stopped writing.
"When?""
"Approximately eight months ago.""
"What exactly did he ask?""
"He wanted to know which office reviewed training credentials.""
She looked up.
"Did you tell him?""
"I told him to contact the relevant public office.""
She nodded slowly.
"That may matter.""
Before she could continue, Richard knocked.
"Jessica?""
I opened the door.
He looked unsettled.
"Your mother wants to show you something.""
We returned to the living room.
My mother sat on the sofa with a small wooden box in her lap.
I'd seen it before.
It belonged to my biological father.
He had died when I was seventeen, and Mom kept a few of his belongings in that box.
His old watch.
A photograph.
A collection of letters.
She opened it carefully.
"I found something while I was looking for the house documents.""
She removed a folded sheet of paper.
It was an old printed email.
The date was nearly two years earlier.
"Marcus asked me to help him organize some paperwork," she explained.
"I thought it was for his business.""
I read the email.
The sender's address was unfamiliar.
The subject line read:
*Re: Jessica Reed — Professional Verification.*
The message was short.
It asked Marcus to confirm whether I could be approached about a consulting opportunity.
The sender claimed to represent a private security company.
At the bottom was a telephone number.
Agent Collins photographed the page.
"Do you recognize this sender?""
I shook my head.
"No.""
My mother looked at me.
"He told me it was someone who wanted to hire you.""
"Did he ever show you a contract?""
"No. He said it was confidential.""
I examined the date again.
Two years earlier.
Before Marcus had started displaying his new medals.
Before the fake business profile.
Before the barbecue.
This wasn't something he had invented recently.
He had been building toward it for a long time.
Richard leaned over my shoulder.
"Look at the email address.""
I read it again.
Then I noticed something.
The sender's name wasn't a person.
It was a company department.
*HARRINGTON SECURITY — TALENT ACQUISITION.*
I looked at Agent Collins.
"Can you verify this company?""
She nodded.
"We'll check.""
My phone rang.
Colonel Hayes.
I answered.
"Jessica.""
"Have you seen the authorization?""
"Yes.""
"Then you need to hear this.""
I walked toward the window.
"Go ahead.""
"We've identified the contractor who received Marcus's proposal. Harrington Security is a real company. It provides training and logistical support to several government agencies.""
I looked down at the old email.
"Did they approve his credentials?""
"No. Their compliance team flagged the inconsistencies.""
"Then why is my name in their system?""
"Because someone submitted a professional reference claiming you had worked with Marcus.""
I closed my eyes.
"Who submitted it?""
"Marcus Reed.""
That was expected.
Then Colonel Hayes continued.
"But the reference wasn't submitted directly to Harrington.""
I straightened.
"What do you mean?""
"It came through a third-party consultant.""
"Who?""
There was a pause.
"That's the part you won't like.""
I waited.
"His name is Daniel Voss.""
The name meant nothing to me.
"Who is he?""
"Former contractor. He worked in logistics support several years ago. He was removed from a restricted project after an investigation into unauthorized document access.""
I felt a chill move through my shoulders.
"Is he still working in the industry?""
"Apparently.""
"Does he know Marcus?""
"We found communications between them.""
I looked toward the den.
Marcus was sitting in a chair now.
His hands were folded.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
"Colonel, how much communication?""
"Enough to establish that this wasn't an accidental association.""
I lowered my voice.
"Did Voss provide him with information about my assignment?""
"We're investigating that possibility.""
I watched Marcus through the open doorway.
He suddenly looked up.
Our eyes met.
He smiled.
Not the arrogant grin he usually wore.
Something smaller.
Something knowing.
I turned away.
"Colonel, I think there's something else.""
"What?""
"Marcus has been keeping a photograph of me in his office. It was taken during a restricted training exercise.""
The line went silent.
Then Colonel Hayes spoke.
"Jessica, describe the photograph.""
I did.
He asked about the location, the personnel, and the date.
When I finished, he exhaled sharply.
"That photograph should never have left the secure archive.""
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"Then how did Marcus get it?""
"We're checking the archive access logs.""
"Colonel, I need to know whether my identity has been compromised.""
"That's exactly what we're determining.""
He paused.
Then his voice became more serious.
"Jessica, I want you to stay away from Marcus's computer and any removable storage devices. Let the investigators handle the evidence.""
"Understood.""
"And there's one more thing.""
"What?""
"We discovered that someone recently attempted to access your personnel profile using a contractor credential.""
I looked at the den.
"Was it Marcus?""
"We don't know yet.""
"Then who?""
Colonel Hayes hesitated.
"The credential belonged to Daniel Voss.""
I stopped moving.
The same man who had helped Marcus approach Harrington Security had apparently tried to access my personnel information.
And he had done it only three days earlier.
I looked at my mother.
She was watching me with frightened eyes.
"Jessica?""
I turned back toward the phone.
"Yes, Colonel?""
"There's a possibility that Marcus is being used as a front. We need to understand what Voss wanted from him.""
Before I could answer, Agent Collins appeared beside me.
She held up her tablet.
"Jessica, we found something on Marcus's laptop.""
I covered the phone.
"What?""
She turned the screen toward me.
It showed an email exchange between Marcus and Daniel Voss.
The most recent message had been sent that morning.
Its subject line read:
*THE DAUGHTER — FINAL CONFIRMATION.*
I read the message.
Marcus had written:
She's coming to the family gathering today. I'll get her to reveal whether the assignment is still active. Once I have confirmation, we can move forward.
I read it twice.
Then I looked at Agent Collins.
"He planned to question me at the barbecue?""
She nodded.
"That's what the message suggests.""
My mind returned to the patio.
His insistence that I demonstrate my abilities.
His questions about my job.
His sudden aggression when I refused.
Perhaps he hadn't simply wanted to humiliate me.
Perhaps he had wanted to provoke a reaction.
A reaction that might reveal something about my training, my capabilities, or my current assignment.
I looked through the doorway.
Marcus was still sitting in the den.
He saw me reading the message.
His smile disappeared.
Then he stood.
"Jessica," he called.
I didn't move.
He took one step toward the doorway.
"There's something you need to understand about Daniel Voss.""
Agent Collins raised her hand.
"Mr. Reed, stay where you are.""
Marcus ignored her.
His eyes remained fixed on me.
"That man isn't the person you should be worried about.""
I stared at him.
"Then who should I be worried about?""
Marcus glanced toward my mother.
For the first time, his voice sounded almost sincere.
"Because Daniel wasn't the one who gave me your photograph.""
He swallowed.
May you like
Then he delivered the words that changed the entire investigation.
"It was someone who works inside your command.""
