They agreed that neither would reveal its location.
But the recording raised another question.
Who had been the second officer at the scene?
Marcus returned to the department that afternoon.
His suspension had not yet been officially processed, and his temporary access card still worked.
He entered through the rear entrance.
The station looked normal.
Officers were drinking coffee, dispatchers were answering calls, and the front desk was crowded with people waiting to file reports.
It was almost insulting how ordinary everything appeared.
Marcus went straight to the records department.
An older clerk named Helen Morris had worked there for more than twenty-five years. She knew where almost everything was hidden.
"Marcus?" she said when she saw him.
"I need something from 2019."
Helen looked toward the hallway.
"Not here."
She led him into a small storage room.
"What are you looking for?"
"The original witness statements from the Carter shooting."
Helen hesitated.
"Those files were sealed."
"Who sealed them?"
"Captain Sullivan."
"Was there another witness?"
Helen slowly nodded.
"There was a woman."
"Name?"
"Rebecca Moore."
Marcus recognized the name from the original case summary.
She had been listed as an unidentified bystander.
According to the report, she had refused to cooperate.
"Where is she now?"
Helen opened an old ledger.
"She worked at the hospital near the shooting. After the investigation, she moved away."
"Did she leave an address?"
Helen shook her head.
But then she opened another drawer and removed a small envelope.
"I kept this because something about the case never felt right."
Inside was a photograph of Rebecca standing beside an ambulance.
On the back was a phone number.
Marcus called it.
A woman answered.
"Hello?"
"Is this Rebecca Moore?"
"Who's asking?"
"My name is Marcus Reed. I was involved in the Elijah Carter investigation."
The woman immediately hung up.
Marcus tried again.
This time, she answered.
"Leave me alone."
"I know you saw what happened that night."
"I saw nothing."
"I have the dispatch recording."
Silence.
Then Rebecca whispered, "You shouldn't have that."
"Why?"
"Because if they know you have it, they'll come for you."
"Who?"
She began crying.
"Officer Reed, there were two shots that night. The first one came from Hayes. The second came from someone standing behind him."
Marcus looked at Helen.
"Who fired the second shot?"
Rebecca took a shaky breath.
"I don't know his name."
"Then describe him."
"He was wearing a police uniform."
Marcus felt his chest tighten.
"Was it Sullivan?"
"No."
"Then who?"
Rebecca whispered:
"It was someone who was supposed to be dead."
The call ended.
Marcus stood motionless.
A few seconds later, his phone received a photograph.
It showed Rebecca sitting inside her home.
Someone had taken the picture through her window.
Underneath it was a message:
SOME WITNESSES SHOULD STAY SILENT.
Marcus drove to Rebecca's address immediately.
It was a small house in a quiet neighborhood.
The front door stood open.
Inside, a television was still playing, but the living room was empty.
A broken glass lay near the kitchen entrance.
Marcus drew his weapon.
"Rebecca?"
No answer.
He searched the downstairs rooms before moving toward the staircase.
At the top, he found a bedroom with its window open.
A chair had been knocked over.
On the floor was a small photograph.
It showed Rebecca standing beside a young police officer.
Marcus picked it up.
The officer was wearing an old uniform.
He had dark hair, a narrow face, and a scar above his left eyebrow.
Marcus recognized him.
Officer Thomas Walker.
But Walker had officially died in a vehicle accident in 2020.
Marcus had attended his memorial service.
He remembered the department presenting his mother with a folded flag.
He remembered Sullivan delivering a speech about courage and sacrifice.
And now his photograph was lying on Rebecca's bedroom floor.
His phone rang.
Unknown number.
Marcus answered.
"Hello?"
A man's voice came through.
"You're asking the wrong questions, Reed."
"Who is this?"
"You remember Thomas Walker?"
Marcus remained silent.
The man continued.
"He was there that night. He saw everything. And he knows why Elijah Carter survived."
"Where is he?"
"Somewhere you won't find him."
Marcus tightened his grip on the phone.
"Why fake his death?"
A brief laugh.
"Because sometimes the dead are more useful than the living."
The call ended.
Marcus immediately contacted Sarah.
She was still at the apartment.
When he told her about Walker, she became visibly upset.
"My brother mentioned him."
"What did he say?"
"He said there was another officer who tried to help him. Someone who told the paramedics not to give up."
"Was it Walker?"
"I think so."
Marcus looked at the photograph again.
For five years, the department had told the public that Elijah Carter was dead and Thomas Walker had died in an accident.
Now both stories appeared to be false.
He opened the original investigation timeline on his laptop.
Something caught his attention.
Walker's reported death occurred on the same date that the department closed the Carter investigation.
Not a coincidence.
A cover-up.
Then another message arrived.
This one contained a location.
An abandoned warehouse near the river.
MIDNIGHT. COME ALONE IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.
Marcus stared at the screen.
Sarah shook her head.
"It's a trap."
"Probably."
"Then don't go."
Marcus looked at her.
"If Walker is alive, he may be the only person who can explain everything."
Sarah lowered her eyes.
"And if they kill you?"
Marcus had no answer.
At midnight, he arrived at the warehouse.
The building was dark except for one light in an upstairs window.
He entered slowly.
A voice came from the shadows.