She began her career as a typist for the Agency in 1954[1] and obtained promotions and expertise on the Soviet Union over several decades, serving in Ethiopia, Finland, and the Netherlands.

[5] Over the course of eight years, this investigation led her to Ames's involvement in the disappearances – he had exposed them in exchange for millions of dollars, leading to at least eight executions.

The investigation was fraught with difficulty, but the team began to uncover his treachery in 1989 when it was found that he had bought luxury cars and a house, beyond the salary of a typical CIA agent.

The case was not cracked until 1991, when Vertefeuille and her team correlated Ames's meeting times with large deposits in his bank account.

[2] According to Peter Earnest, executive director (emeritus) of the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., Vertefeuille's "friend, in her final days, was, of course, Sandy Grimes.