Chapter 17 - The Security Officer
Rebecca Shaw was furious when she saw her name circled.
Not afraid.
Offended.
“Am I supposed to be flattered?”
I said:
“Apparently.”
Then investigators examined Anthony’s notes.
SHAW:
Security.
Report risk.
Sloan says strict.
Find leverage?
No evidence he found any.
He had asked Bell to search public background.
Bell refused beyond public records.
Anthony learned:
Rebecca had a son in college.
Owned a house.
Ran marathons.
Nothing useful.
Good.
Then another note:
IF M REPORTS PERSONAL FINANCE, SHAW COULD CONNECT.
That explained why Anthony constantly discouraged me from treating theft as security issue.
When I first discovered false contribution, I mentioned perhaps talking to command legal assistance.
He said:
“Do not bring our marriage into your job.”
I agreed.
He framed disclosure as unprofessional.
Actually, he feared Shaw.
Then one argument I remembered.
I had said:
“If someone is signing my name, I may need to report identity misuse.”
Anthony became furious.
“You want your command digging through our bank accounts?”
I backed off.
That was eighteen months before arrest.
He knew.
Then Rebecca told investigators:
Had I reported then, security office would likely have focused on identity theft and potential compromise.
They might have found Sloan earlier.
That hurt.
Could I have prevented later diversions?
Maybe.
Not certain.
The last two transfers occurred after that argument.
Maybe.
I carried guilt for weeks.
Then Rebecca called me into office.
“You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Taking responsibility for crimes based on hypotheticals.”
“I could have reported.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t.”
“Yes.”
“Two transfers happened later.”
“Yes.”
She leaned forward.
“That is a lesson. Not confession.”
I stared.
“Learn the difference.”
I did.
Then Anthony’s strategy against security.
He instructed Sloan:
If Marissa reports anything, tell her command she mixes personal wealth with vendor network.
Meaning?
Create suspicion around me.
Sloan never did.
He was willing to steal.
Not fabricate espionage allegation apparently.
There are boundaries even criminals keep.
Then one message:
SLOAN:
I’m not framing her.
ANTHONY:
Nobody said frame.
SLOAN:
You did.
ANTHONY:
Forget it.
That mattered to me unexpectedly.
Peter Sloan had betrayed government and me.
He still refused that.
Human beings remain complicated.
Then storage unit contained receipts showing Anthony paid a data broker to collect my travel schedule from publicly available sources.
No classified itinerary.
He used social media postings by event organizers.
Combined with Bell surveillance.
He knew when I was away.
Operational security reviewed.
No sensitive mission exposed.
Still, I changed habits.
Then my command made training.
Not “don’t have spouses.”
But:
Personal financial anomalies can be security relevant.
Identity theft by family counts.
Report early.
No shame.
That last phrase.
No shame.
Because people hide from embarrassment.
And hiding is where manipulators work.
Then Rebecca asked whether I wanted to speak at training later.
“Not now.”
“Fine.”
Years later, yes.
Not while case active.
Then Rourke called.
“Anthony’s attorney requested plea conference.”
“What changed?”
“The ledger.”
Eleanor’s cooperation.
Sloan’s confession.
Briggs logs.
Too much.
Anthony could still go to trial.
But evidence was closing.
Then one more blow.
Private bank review discovered my trust was not the only personal account Anthony touched.
My military retirement savings account had an attempted loan application.
Rejected.
Why?
Authentication failed.
Amount:
$50,000.
Date:
Three days after I filed divorce.
May you like
He had tried even then.
Nothing was enough.
