Chapter 7 - The Paper Trail of Power
Adrian tried to recover his composure, stepping between his pale mother and the doorway, though his body language betrayed his fear.
"Listen to me carefully," Adrian said, attempting to project lawyerly dominance despite his shaking hands. "Whatever federal agency you think you've pulled into this, Colonel, domestic disputes are governed by state statute. I will have an emergency restraining order issued by a Superior Court judge before sunrise. You are committing interference!"
The shadowed lead agent stepped one inch past the door threshold, allowing the harsh ceiling light to catch the edge of a dark navy tactical jacket bearing crisp, silver lettering across the lapel: U.S. ARMY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION.
"This isn't a domestic dispute anymore, Mr. Whitaker," Agent Vance said coldly. "Ten minutes ago, Colonel Hale exercised her authority under U.S. Code Title 10. Furthermore, sixteen minutes ago, a secure server in Charlotte was flagged for unauthorized access to restricted military dependent records."
Adrian froze. His jaw went slack. "What?"
"Your law firm's internal network," Rebecca explained, taking a slow, deliberate step toward Adrian. "You accessed my daughter's military health records through the TRICARE portal using a stolen administrative login this afternoon, didn't you, Adrian? You wanted to build leverage for a divorce settlement."
Adrian swallowed hard, his throat dry. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
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"Accessing protected Department of Defense networks without authorization is a Class C federal felony under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act," Agent Vance stated from the doorway. "And since your firm holds federal defense sub-contracts, the search warrants for your offices in Charlotte are currently being executed by our field team."
Celeste gasped, her hand flying to her throat as her eyes darted toward her eldest son. "Adrian... what did you do?"
