I slid the ID back into my wallet. She said, "I overheard you tell the lady on the phone that you're a lawyer. I… an Army lawyer at the Agency?"

"I didn't ask for this gig."

"Weird."

"Right." Of course higher rank is a license to bully, so wasting no time, I said, "Major, you have three seconds-what's going on here?"

"I told you."

"Tell me again. You have my permission to alter your story."

"Why would I change it?"

"Fine. I'm sure you'll have no objection when I leave with Mr. Daniels's briefcase."

"Actually, I'll mind a lot."

"Aha."

She looked annoyed. "Let me remind you, Colonel, Clifford Daniels was a Pentagon employee. The contents inside his briefcase are possibly military property. It's my responsibility and my duty to secure it."

"No, the contents are U.S. government property. The Supreme Court decided this issue long ago."

"What are you talking about?"

"Big Dog vs. Small Dog. Famous precedent. I'm surprised you're unfamiliar with it." She looked clueless, so I offered her a brief technical summary of the decision. "When the big dog pisses on a tree, the little dog gets lost."

She did not find this amusing. In fact, her eyes sort of narrowed and she said, "I'm a law enforcement officer; you're not. That briefcase will leave with me."

"Not outside a military gate you're not, Major. Out here, you're just a lady who doesn't get the dress code."

She cleared her throat. "You're putting me on the spot."

"You put yourself on the spot."

"Don't get carried away by that civilian suit, Colonel," she said with a hard stare. "You're still a military officer. It would be a bad idea to get your loyalties twisted."

"What does that mean?"