Sarah Williams: "Emily, I wanted to see how you were doing."
Emily Carter: "I'm better. Thank you."
Sarah Williams: "I've given my statement. I hope everything gets resolved."
Emily looked at her.
Emily Carter: "I really appreciate what you did. You didn't have to get involved."
Sarah smiled gently.
Sarah Williams: "Someone needed to tell the truth."
Emily felt tears gathering in her eyes.
For much of the morning, she had believed that nobody would stand up for her.
Sarah's decision to speak had changed that.
Emily Carter: "Thank you. I'll never forget it."
James looked at Sarah.
James Carter: "I'm grateful you helped my sister."
Sarah Williams: "I only said what I saw."
The three exchanged a brief farewell.
Then Emily and James walked toward the exit.
But before they reached the doors, Robert appeared from the administrative corridor.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Ms. Carter, may I speak with you for a moment?"
Emily stopped.
Emily Carter: "Yes, Captain."
Robert approached carefully.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "I want to update you on the investigation. We have secured the security footage and obtained several administrative records. There are indications that your appointment was restricted before you arrived."
Emily looked surprised.
Emily Carter: "Why would someone do that?"
Captain Robert Mitchell: "We're still investigating."
James stepped forward.
James Carter: "Does this mean someone knew she was bringing those documents?"
Captain Robert Mitchell: "The records suggest that certain employees knew about the appointment and the nature of the documents."
Emily became worried.
Emily Carter: "Am I in trouble?"
Robert shook his head.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "No. At this stage, you are the injured visitor and the person who submitted the complaint. We are trying to establish why your access was restricted and why you were treated that way."
Emily looked relieved.
Emily Carter: "I just wanted the documents to be received."
Robert nodded.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "I understand. We will make sure your submission is properly recorded."
James looked at him.
James Carter: "And what about the officer?"
Robert answered honestly.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "His conduct is being reviewed separately. The footage shows physical contact, and his actions will be assessed under the applicable disciplinary and legal procedures."
Emily nodded.
She did not ask for revenge.
She only wanted the truth to be established.
Emily Carter: "I don't want anyone else to experience what happened to me."
Robert looked at her.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "That's an important reason to speak up."
Emily and James eventually left the building.
But the investigation was far from over.
Later that afternoon, the compliance team obtained authorization to examine the administrative records connected to the Carter file.
They discovered that several documents had been accessed by different employees during the previous month.
One of those documents was an original payment authorization connected to a disputed financial transaction.
The transaction had been approved for a substantial amount of money.
However, the supporting documentation appeared incomplete.
There were discrepancies between the original authorization and the amount recorded in the final administrative report.
The difference was significant.
The compliance officer, Amanda, examined the documents carefully.
Amanda Foster: "These figures don't match."
Thomas Reed: "Could it be a recording error?"
Amanda Foster: "Possibly. But we need to compare the original authorization with the payment ledger."
They requested the relevant accounting records.
A few minutes later, another employee brought them a printed ledger.
The numbers immediately raised further questions.
The original authorization listed one amount.
The final payment record listed another.
And the difference had been entered under a separate administrative category.
Amanda looked toward Robert.
Amanda Foster: "Captain, this may explain why the original document was restricted."
Robert examined the ledger.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Who approved the final amount?"
Amanda pointed to the signature.
It belonged to Richard Collins.
Thomas Reed: "We need to speak with him."
Robert nodded.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Arrange the meeting."
At 3:15 p.m., Deputy Director Richard Collins arrived at the conference room.
He was a well-dressed man in his early fifties.
He carried a leather briefcase and appeared confident.
He had worked in courthouse administration for nearly twenty years and was accustomed to dealing with senior officials.
When he entered, he looked around the room.
Richard Collins: "I was told this was an administrative review. I hope this won't take too long."
Amanda Foster: "Thank you for coming, Deputy Director. We need to clarify several records connected to a complaint submitted by Emily Carter."
Richard placed his briefcase on the table.
Richard Collins: "I'm familiar with the general matter."
Robert watched him carefully.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "Were you aware that Ms. Carter had an appointment this morning?"
Richard Collins: "I was aware that some documents were expected."
Amanda Foster: "Did you authorize the restriction placed on her appointment?"
Richard Collins: "I requested additional verification."
Amanda Foster: "Why?"
Richard Collins: "The documents were connected to an internal administrative review. They could not simply be accepted without checking their authenticity."
Amanda placed the appointment record on the table.
Amanda Foster: "Your account changed the appointment status at 8:16 a.m. Did you personally authorize that change?"
Richard Collins: "I believe so."
Amanda Foster: "Did you instruct Victor Hayes to prevent Ms. Carter from submitting the documents?"
Richard Collins: "I instructed him to follow the correct procedure."
Amanda Foster: "Did you speak with Officer Brooks?"
Richard paused.
Richard Collins: "No."
Robert looked at him.
Captain Robert Mitchell: "The security recording shows you entering the administrative corridor shortly before the incident."
Richard's expression changed slightly.
Richard Collins: "I was in the building. That doesn't mean I spoke with the officer."
Amanda Foster: "We have not yet established that you did."
Richard looked uncomfortable.
Amanda opened another folder.