"They may have started smaller," she said. "One false transaction to see whether the account processor flagged it. Then another. After that they built a routine."
"If that's true, the money trail should show a test period," Torres answered. "We're searching it."
A knock came at the door. Sergeant Navarro stood outside with a folder of fuel logs held against her coat. Thorne had asked her to bring the original dispatch records when the convoy arrived, and she had spent the morning watching her carefully assembled evidence turn into a public confrontation.
"Agent Cross, I have the signed movement orders, vehicle capacities, and motor-pool access logs," Navarro said. "The truck they billed on August fifteenth was still at the training site when the charge posted. We have mechanic signatures, gate scans, and telematics records."
Danielle invited her in. Navarro placed the documents on the table and carefully aligned the corners.
"I want to say something," Navarro added. "When I first reported the discrepancy, people treated it like a paperwork inconvenience. There were weeks when our account showed purchases we hadn't made, and I had to explain it every day. Someone asked whether I had trained the drivers properly. They made it sound like we didn't know how to read a fuel receipt."
"I know," Danielle said. "You did exactly what you should have done."
"I'm not looking for praise. I want them to stop making soldiers prove they didn't use fuel they never had."
Torres looked at the logistics records, then at Navarro. "Your insistence on checking the original vehicle logs gave us the foundation for this case. Would you be willing to testify about how the system is supposed to work?"
"Absolutely," Navarro said. "I'll bring the records myself."
Outside, Shaw was moving from officer to officer, speaking quietly and checking his phone. Torres asked Danielle for a rundown of the people on the site and their potential roles. They agreed to keep the detention incident separate from the financial conspiracy during the initial statements, even though the facts overlapped. Voss's destruction of the badge could be documented directly. The fraud would require proof of authorization, intent, and benefit. The intimidation of Leah would require careful testimony that did not treat the frightened manager as a piece of evidence to be pushed around.
Danielle returned to the retail counter with Torres. Leah had made fresh coffee, perhaps because it gave her hands something familiar to do. She listened as the federal agent explained the options for preserving her home backups and documenting any previous threats.
"We can arrange to collect the drives with your consent at a location you choose," Torres said. "We can also help you file a formal complaint through independent channels. For today, would you like someone to accompany you home?"
"I don't know whether my daughter is safe," Leah said.
"Has anyone threatened her directly?"