Chapter 10: The Admiral’s Lie
Celeste refused to believe the footage.
Admiral Reed had saved her career, defended her before the Navy, and saluted her when her own family mocked her.
Yet the video was clear.
Reed entered the evidence room at 2:14 a.m.
He left carrying the original recordings.
He disappeared before investigators could question him.
Agent Hale suspected Reed had been working with Arthur.
Celeste rejected the idea until she found an encrypted message on Reed’s secure naval channel.
The daughter is under control. Proceed with final transfer.
The message had been sent to Arthur’s private account.
Eleanor watched Celeste read it.
“You trusted him.”
“Yes.”
“Then find out why before deciding what it means.”
They traced Reed to a decommissioned naval station.
Celeste entered alone.
Reed stood inside an empty operations room.
The missing recordings were on the table.
“You betrayed me,” she said.
“No.”
“You stole federal evidence.”
“To prevent Hale from destroying it.”
Reed revealed that Marcus Hale had altered portions of the investigation.
Hale did not only want Arthur imprisoned.
He wanted Ashford Maritime collapsed so he could seize its military contracts through a private security company he secretly controlled.
The message to Arthur had been staged to convince him Reed was corrupt.
Reed had spent years undercover tracing the network surrounding the company.
“Why did you not tell me?”
“Because your father had someone close to you reporting every move.”
Celeste thought of Victoria.
Then Margaret.
Then Eleanor.
Reed pushed a surveillance photograph across the table.
It showed Arthur meeting with Agent Hale three days before the ballroom gala.
Arthur and Hale were not enemies.
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They were partners.
And the investigation had been designed to place every crime on Celeste.
