Chapter 8: The Man Who Was Paid to Watch Me
Agent Collins immediately ordered the officers to separate Marcus from the rest of the room.
"Mr. Reed, stand up.""
Marcus didn't move.
"You're making a mistake.""
"Stand up.""
He slowly rose.
I stepped toward him.
"Who paid you?""
He looked at me.
"Your supervisor.""
"How much?""
"At first, five thousand dollars.""
My mother gasped from the hallway.
Marcus continued.
"Then another ten. Then twenty.""
"For what?""
"Information.""
"What information?""
He rubbed his face.
"Your travel schedule. The names of people you visited. Whether you were returning home. Whether you mentioned upcoming assignments.""
I stared at him.
"You were spying on me?""
He nodded.
"For money?""
"Initially.""
The word made my jaw tighten.
"Initially?""
Marcus looked away.
"Then I realized there was more involved.""
Agent Collins stepped closer.
"Explain.""
Marcus glanced at her.
"About a year ago, Bennett contacted me through an encrypted messaging account. He said he needed someone outside the command structure to monitor a potential security concern.""
"What security concern?""
Marcus pointed at me.
"Her.""
I shook my head.
"Why?""
"He said you had become difficult to predict. That you were asking questions about a logistics irregularity.""
I frowned.
"I've never investigated a logistics irregularity involving my own command.""
Marcus gave a humorless laugh.
"That's what I told him.""
Agent Collins interrupted.
"You're claiming Major Bennett recruited you to monitor his own subordinate?""
"Yes.""
"Did he explain why?""
"He said there was a sensitive operation underway. He wanted to know whether Jessica had discovered anything.""
I stared at Marcus.
"What operation?""
He shook his head.
"He never told me.""
"Then why did you agree?""
Marcus looked embarrassed.
"Because he promised to help my consulting company secure government work.""
There it was.
Not patriotism.
Not duty.
Not some grand military mission.
Money.
My mother stepped into the doorway.
"Marcus, you told me you were building an honest business.""
He looked at her.
"Linda, I was trying to make something of myself.""
"By spying on my daughter?""
"I didn't think it would hurt her!""
My mother stared at him.
"You used her name. You stole her photograph. You lied to me about everything.""
Marcus raised his voice.
"I was trying to protect this family!""
Richard stepped forward.
"From what? The truth?""
Marcus turned toward him.
"Stay out of it.""
Richard didn't move.
"No.""
For several seconds, the two men stared at each other.
Then Agent Collins spoke.
"Mr. Reed, did Major Bennett provide you with any physical materials?""
Marcus hesitated.
"Yes.""
"What kind?""
"An envelope.""
"Where is it?""
"Not here.""
"Where?""
Marcus looked at the den.
"In the garage.""
Agent Collins gestured toward the officers.
"Secure the garage.""
One officer moved immediately.
I turned toward Marcus.
"What was inside?""
He rubbed his forehead.
"Photographs. A printed schedule. Some pages with names.""
"Whose names?""
"People connected to your assignments.""
"How many?""
"Six or seven.""
I closed my eyes.
This was no longer about a man pretending to be a military hero.
Someone inside my command had potentially exposed sensitive personnel information.
And Marcus had been paid to collect it.
Agent Collins returned several minutes later with a sealed evidence bag.
Inside was a brown envelope.
It contained photographs.
I recognized three locations.
One was a training facility.
Another was a government office.
The third was a parking structure near a building where I'd attended a briefing several months earlier.
But the final photograph made my blood run cold.
It showed me leaving a restaurant with a man in civilian clothes.
I recognized him immediately.
Sergeant Daniel Price.
He had been part of my team during a previous assignment.
He had since transferred to another unit.
Beneath the photograph was a handwritten note:
*REED AND PRICE — POSSIBLE COMMUNICATION. VERIFY CONTACT.*
I looked at Marcus.
"Why was Daniel being watched?""
He shrugged.
"I don't know.""
"Did Bennett ask you to follow him?""
"No.""
"Did anyone else?""
Marcus looked toward Agent Collins.
Then he hesitated.
"Daniel Voss.""
The name returned like a punch.
Agent Collins stepped closer.
"What did Voss want with Sergeant Price?""
"He said Price had something.""
"What?""
Marcus shook his head.
"I don't know.""
I examined the envelope.
There was a second sheet of paper beneath the photographs.
A list of dates.
Several matched periods when I had been away from home.
One date was circled.
The date of my next scheduled return to Washington.
I looked at Marcus.
"You knew when I was coming home.""
He nodded.
"Bennett told me.""
"And the barbecue?""
Marcus swallowed.
"He wanted confirmation.""
"Confirmation of what?""
"Whether you were still operational.""
I stared at him.
"So you planned to provoke me.""
He didn't answer.
"That was why you kept challenging me. You wanted to see how I moved.""
Marcus looked down.
"I was told to observe your reaction.""
My hands tightened.
"You threw a full-force punch at me.""
"I wasn't supposed to hit you.""
The room went silent.
My mother made a small, broken sound.
I took one step toward him.
"Do you hear yourself?""
Marcus lifted his eyes.
"He said you'd react automatically. He wanted to know whether your training had changed.""
I felt sick.
My entire childhood home had become an observation point.
My stepfather had been pretending to be a dangerous man while secretly gathering information about me.
And my own supervisor had apparently paid him to do it.
Agent Collins placed the envelope on the desk.
"We need to contact Major Bennett.""
"He's not going to answer," I said.
"Why?""
I looked at the time.
"Because I just called him.""
Agent Collins studied me.
"What happened?""
"He told me to stop discussing the investigation. Then he admitted knowing about Project Mirror.""
She immediately reached for her phone.
"That's enough to justify an urgent notification.""
My phone rang.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
*Jessica, don't trust Collins. Bennett isn't the one running Project Mirror. He's only following orders.*
I showed Agent Collins.
She read it twice.
"Do you recognize the number?""
"No.""
Another message arrived.
*Ask Marcus about the black envelope. The one he was paid to keep hidden.*
I looked toward Marcus.
His expression changed.
Agent Collins noticed.
"Mr. Reed?""
Marcus shook his head.
"That's not real.""
I held up the phone.
"What's the black envelope?""
He stared at me.
Then he looked toward the locked cabinet.
"There's something you need to understand.""
"What?""
He swallowed.
"The photographs and documents weren't the only things I was collecting.""
He paused.
"Someone wanted proof that you were preparing to expose an operation.""
I stared at him.
"I wasn't.""
"I know.""
"Then why would anyone believe that?""
Marcus looked toward the ceiling.
"Because they needed a reason to remove you.""
Nobody moved.
My mother whispered my name.
I looked at Marcus.
"Remove me from what?""
May you like
He finally answered.
"Your next assignment.""
