Chapter 10 - The Wrong UniformBlair had spent twenty years learning not to panic when a fact refused to fit the picture. This one strained even that discipline.

The prospect of a security investigation frightened Blair in a way she refused to disguise. Her career mattered. The soldiers she supervised depended on her judgment, and even an unfounded allegation could damage their confidence. She told Hsu everything, including the embarrassing possibility that Nolan had used photos from official ceremonies to cultivate donors. Hsu listened and said, 'Reporting a concern early is what we need from you.' Blair had braced for suspicion and found a professional response instead. She left the meeting with no guarantee about the future, but with a clear conscience about her own conduct.

"Who has access to your office line?" Ortiz asked.

"My staff. The duty desk. And anyone who can find the published number."

"Then we don't accuse anyone yet."

Blair called her commanding officer and requested to be temporarily removed from any matter connected to the investigation. She would cooperate as a witness, not conduct her own unauthorized operation.

That afternoon, Major Dana Pierce noticed Blair staring at a photograph of her father.

"What if someone used your office as a drop?" Dana asked.

"Then they wanted the message to look like it led to me."

An Army security representative, Captain Hsu, met with Ortiz. Phone records showed the message had been sent to a publicly listed desk extension routed through a civilian answering service. There was no indication any soldier had received it.

"A stage prop," Hsu said. "To make you look involved."

Blair's phone buzzed. Nolan had sent a photograph of their wedding day.

I LOVED YOU BEFORE YOU KNEW WHO YOU WERE, his message read.

Then another: ASK YOUR MOTHER WHY SHE PICKED ME.

Blair handed both messages to Ortiz.

Corinne read them in silence. Then she said, "I didn't pick him. Your father warned me about him the morning before the crash."

Blair stared at her. "You never said that."

"Because I thought he'd been mistaken."

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She swallowed. "Blair, Nolan was at the crash site before the police."