Compliance Officer: "There is a second instruction attached to the Carter file. It was entered using a senior-level account."
Robert stopped walking.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Whose account?"
Compliance Officer: "We are still verifying the authorization. But the instruction was entered at 8:16 a.m., before Officer Brooks approached Ms. Carter."
Robert looked toward the conference room door.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "What did the instruction say?"
There was a brief pause.
Compliance Officer: "It directed staff to withhold the original documents until further notice."
Robert's expression hardened.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Was there a reason recorded?"
Compliance Officer: "Yes. The note refers to a pending internal investigation."
Robert closed his eyes for a moment.
The phrase was familiar.
It was the same type of wording that appeared in the documents Emily had been carrying.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Send me the complete record."
Compliance Officer: "There's something else, Captain."
Robert waited.
Compliance Officer: "The person who authorized the instruction has already requested that the file be removed from the normal review system."
Robert looked toward the end of the corridor.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Who made that request?"
Compliance Officer: "We're confirming the identity now."
The call ended.
Robert remained standing in the hallway.
He now understood why the situation had become so sensitive.
Someone had tried to restrict Emily's access before she arrived.
Someone had spoken with Daniel.
Someone had accessed the file through a senior administrative account.
And someone was now sending warnings to stop the investigation.
But Robert still had one important question.
Why was Emily's folder so dangerous that several people appeared willing to take such extraordinary steps to prevent it from being submitted?
He returned to his office and opened the documents again.
This time, he examined the final page.
There was a reference number written in the lower corner.
He entered it into the official records system.
The search returned a result.
Robert stared at the screen.
The file was not an ordinary administrative complaint.
It was connected to a previous investigation that had been closed several months earlier.
And the name listed as the original reporting party was someone Robert recognized.
Someone who had previously attempted to expose serious irregularities inside the courthouse.
Robert leaned closer to the monitor.
He opened the historical report.
The first page contained a list of individuals who had been interviewed.
The second page contained a summary of disputed payments.
The third page contained a recommendation that had never been formally approved.
Robert slowly scrolled down.
Then he stopped.
A signature appeared at the bottom.
It belonged to the same senior official whose account had accessed Emily's file that morning.
Robert sat motionless.
The connection was now much stronger than he had expected.
Before he could examine the remaining pages, another call came through.
This time, it was James Carter.
James Carter: "Captain, my sister just remembered something else."
Captain Robert Mitchell: "What is it?"
James Carter: "She said the person who contacted her yesterday told her to make sure she brought the original correspondence. He also said someone would be waiting for her."
Robert looked at the historical report.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Did she recognize the voice?"
James Carter: "She isn't certain, but she thinks she has heard it before."
Captain Robert Mitchell: "From where?"
James Carter: "She says she heard the same person speaking to someone in the courthouse lobby a few weeks ago."
Robert took out his notebook.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Can she describe the person?"
James Carter: "She remembers that he had a deep voice and spoke very confidently. She also remembers hearing someone call him Director."
Robert slowly looked up.
The deputy director.
He had been accessing the file.
His office had been connected to the appointment restriction.
And now Emily's brother was reporting that the person who contacted her may have been someone holding a senior position inside the courthouse.
Robert thanked James and ended the call.
He immediately contacted the compliance office again.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "I need the deputy director's access records preserved. I also want confirmation of every person who viewed or modified the Carter file during the last thirty days."
Compliance Officer: "We'll begin that review immediately."
Captain Robert Mitchell: "And nobody should be permitted to remove the original documents from the records department."
Compliance Officer: "Understood."
Robert put down his phone.
For the first time that day, he realized that the incident might involve more than misconduct by one young officer.
It might involve a deliberate attempt to prevent an important complaint from reaching the people responsible for reviewing it.
Meanwhile, in the conference room, Daniel had finally begun to lose his patience.
Daniel Brooks: "You told me this was just a routine verification."
Victor Hayes: "Keep your voice down."
Daniel Brooks: "You said the documents weren't supposed to leave the administrative department."
Victor Hayes: "I told you to follow procedure."
Daniel Brooks: "You told me she had to be stopped."
Victor Hayes: "I told you to verify her appointment."
Daniel Brooks: "And now I'm the one being investigated."
Victor looked toward the door.
Victor Hayes: "You made your own decisions. Don't put them on me."
Daniel laughed bitterly.
Daniel Brooks: "That's convenient."
Victor Hayes: "Watch your mouth."
Daniel leaned forward.
Daniel Brooks: "You know what? I'm tired of protecting people who won't protect me."
Victor's face changed.
Victor Hayes: "What are you suggesting?"
Daniel Brooks: "I'm suggesting that if they ask me again, I'm telling them everything."
Victor stared at him.
Then he slowly reached into his briefcase and removed a small document.
Victor Hayes: "Before you do anything, you should understand what happens if this information becomes public."
Daniel looked at the paper.
He recognized the reference number.