Chapter 13 - Unannounced Arrival
The downpour had turned I-95 into a slick, black ribbon of reflective asphalt as Claire’s silver SUV cut through the night.
She was dressed in dark civilian attire—a tailored black trench coat and plain leather boots—devoid of any uniform or military insignia.
She pulled up to a modest apartment complex on the outskirts of Richmond.
This was where Owen had been living since their separation six months ago.
The lights on the second floor were on.
Claire exited her vehicle, her face pale and sharp under the buzzing streetlights.
She climbed the exterior stairs and knocked on the door of apartment 204.
It took twenty seconds before the door unlocked.
Owen stood in the doorway, wearing a plain gray sweatshirt and sweatpants, holding a textbook.
When he saw Claire standing in the rain, his eyes widened in absolute shock.
"Claire?" he stuttered, stepping back.
"What... what are you doing here?"
"Where is your mother, Owen?" Claire asked directly, stepping straight past him into the small, messy living room without waiting for an invitation.
Owen shut the door, looking bewildered and alarmed.
"Mom? I told you, she’s in Florida!"
"She’s living in Boca Raton with her sister!"
"She’s not in Florida, Owen," Claire said turning around to face him, her eyes locking onto his with lethal intensity.
"Her cell phone tower logs put her in Richmond three days ago."
"And her late husband’s naval access key was used from an IP address mapped to this building yesterday at noon."
Owen’s face drained of all color.
He looked around his apartment as if the walls were closing in on him.
"What are you talking about?" Owen stammered, his hands shaking.
"Naval access key? What access key?"
"Don't play stupid with me, Owen!" Claire’s voice cracked like a whip through the quiet apartment.
"Someone used Thomas’s retired credentials to breach the Atlantic Fleet submarine logs."
"They routed the authorization through my old Norfolk administrative portal code."
"If NCIS finishes their audit tomorrow, I will be placed under arrest for high treason."
Owen collapsed onto his sofa, burying his head in his hands.
"Oh god," he groaned, his voice muffled and trembling.
"Oh god, Claire... I didn't know."
"You didn't know what?" Claire took two slow steps toward him, towering over him.
"Tell me everything, Owen."
"Right now."
Owen looked up, tears brimming in his eyes.
"Mom came here two weeks ago," Owen confessed, his voice broken.
"She was broke, Claire."
"Dad didn't leave her a fortune when he died."
"He left her millions of dollars in debt to foreign investment groups in Europe."
"They were going to repossess her house and expose everything to her social circles."
"She was desperate."
Claire felt a cold sensation settle in her chest.
"Go on," Claire commanded.
"She brought a man with her," Owen whispered.
"A defense consultant named Julian Vance."
"He said he was a distant relative of your lieutenant commander, Sarah Vance."
"He said he could clear Dad’s debts if Mom just provided some old administrative files from Dad’s home study."
May you like
"Files that Mom stole from your home office three years ago."
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