Daniel had intended to discuss the findings privately with the city's independent oversight director before deciding what steps to take next.
Now an officer from the very department under review had collided with him, demanded identification, attempted to inspect confidential documents, and threatened to detain him without clearly explaining why.
The irony was almost too perfect.
Almost.
Daniel knew better than to assume that the collision was connected to the investigation.
Coincidences happened.
People behaved badly for ordinary reasons.
And evidence had to lead the inquiry, not suspicion.
Still, he could not ignore the timing.
He looked at Harris.
The officer was now speaking quietly into his radio, apparently asking whether his camera's status could be checked remotely.
Bennett watched him from a short distance away.
Daniel approached her.
"Sergeant, may I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"Is Officer Harris aware of any current investigation involving property seizures or missing documentation?"
Bennett's expression became guarded.
"I can't discuss internal matters that may be confidential."
"Understood."
"Why do you ask?"
Daniel considered his answer carefully.
"Because I was on my way to a meeting concerning records-management issues when this happened."
Bennett looked at the manila envelope.
"Records-management issues?"
"Yes."
"Concerning this department?"
Daniel did not answer immediately.
Then he said, "I cannot discuss the substance of the report until the appropriate people have received it."
Bennett nodded.
She understood the boundary.
Harris, however, had heard enough to become interested.
"What report?" he demanded.
Bennett turned toward him.
"Officer Harris, please stop interrupting."
"I'm asking a question."
"And I'm instructing you to allow the conversation to proceed without interruption."
Harris fell silent.
But he was no longer looking at Daniel with simple irritation.
He was studying the envelope.
His eyes lingered on the printed seal in the corner.
The Office of Public Integrity.
Then his gaze returned to Daniel's face.
Something was happening behind his eyes.
Recognition, perhaps.
Or fear.
He looked away before either emotion could fully reveal itself.
A minute later, Bennett's radio crackled.
"Sergeant Bennett, equipment unit advises that the camera's status can be checked through the system. They are requesting the device identification number."
Bennett looked at Harris.
"Please provide the number."
He read it aloud.
She relayed it to the equipment unit and waited.
A few seconds passed.
Then the radio sounded again.
"Sergeant, the system shows the device was assigned to Officer Harris this morning. We are checking the recording status and event logs."
"Thank you. Please preserve all available data."
"Understood."
Bennett lowered the radio.
Harris shifted his weight.
"How long is this going to take?"
"As long as it takes to document the incident properly."
"Do I have to stand here?"
"Until I finish obtaining the basic information, yes."
He muttered something under his breath.
Daniel heard it but did not respond.
The officer looked toward the entrance and then toward the street.
He seemed to be searching for a way to escape the situation without appearing to retreat.
That was when his phone vibrated.
He checked the screen.
The color drained slightly from his face.
Bennett noticed.
"Is everything all right?"
Harris locked the phone.
"Fine."
"Do you need to respond to an urgent call?"
"No."
He slipped the phone into his pocket.
A moment later, it vibrated again.
This time, he did not check it.
Daniel watched him carefully.
The officer's body camera had failed to power on. A complaint was being documented. Exterior footage was being preserved. And someone was apparently trying to reach him.
Any one of those things might have had an innocent explanation.
Together, they formed a situation that deserved scrutiny.
Bennett's radio crackled again.
"Sergeant, we have an initial status update."
She lifted it.
"Go ahead."
"The device was operating earlier in the shift. We are reviewing the event logs now. The current status indicates the camera entered a non-recording state before the reported collision."
Bennett's eyes narrowed.
"Before the collision?"
"Affirmative. We are checking the exact timestamp."
Harris stared at the radio.
For the first time, he looked genuinely frightened.
Daniel felt the atmosphere change.
The collision had happened only minutes earlier.
But the investigation had already uncovered a question that neither man could ignore.
If the camera had stopped recording before the collision, why?
And if the answer was not an innocent technical failure, what else might the records reveal?
CHAPTER 4 — THE ENVELOPE
At 10:42 a.m., Daniel Reed received his first call from the Office of Public Integrity.
He stepped several feet away from the officers before answering.
"Reed."
"Daniel, it's Morgan."
The voice belonged to Helen Morgan, the oversight director he had been scheduled to meet.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"Outside the municipal building."
"We've been waiting for you."
"I know. An unexpected incident delayed me."
"Are you all right?"
"Yes."
There was a pause.
"Your message was unusually brief."
Daniel looked toward Harris.
The officer was standing beside Sergeant Bennett, listening to another update from the equipment unit.
"I encountered a police officer outside the entrance," Daniel said. "There was a collision. My documents fell. The officer then became confrontational."
"Confrontational how?"
"He demanded identification, ordered me to turn around, and threatened to treat my questions as noncompliance. A sergeant is documenting the interaction."
Helen was silent for a moment.
"Which officer?"
"Matthew Harris."
The pause that followed was longer.
"Did you say Matthew Harris?"
"Yes."
"Daniel, I need you to remain there."
"I am already remaining here."
"I'm serious. Don't leave until we've spoken."
"Why?"
Helen lowered her voice.
"Because Harris's name appears in the preliminary material you were bringing to me."
Daniel felt a familiar stillness settle over him.
He had expected the records to reveal discrepancies.
He had expected to find supervisors who had ignored complaints, reports that had been amended without explanation, and perhaps a pattern of poor recordkeeping.
He had not expected the first officer he encountered that morning to be one of the names in the file.
"What is his connection?" he asked.
"I can't tell you over an unsecured call."
"Is he a subject of the investigation?"
"I need you to hear me carefully. Do not question him about the report. Do not reveal anything from the envelope. Preserve your own notes and document what happened."
Daniel looked at the clipboard.
"I haven't disclosed the report's contents."
"Good."
"Helen, is there evidence connecting him to the missing-property complaints?"
"Preliminary evidence. Nothing that should be treated as a final conclusion."
"Understood."
"Has he touched your documents?"
"He attempted to inspect the clipboard. I prevented him from taking it."
"Did he see anything?"
"He saw the agency seal. He may have read the title on the first page, but I cannot be certain."
Helen exhaled.
"All right. We'll have to account for that."
Daniel watched Harris speaking into his radio.
"Helen, I don't want the collision to become a shortcut to a conclusion about him."
"It won't."
"The incident should be investigated on its own merits."
"Agreed."
"And the existing complaints should be investigated independently."
"That's what we're doing."
Daniel lowered his voice.
"Then I think we have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"The camera entered a non-recording state before the collision. The officer's supervisor is checking the event logs."
Helen went silent.
Then she said, "Do not speculate with anyone about what that means."
"I won't."
"Can you safely wait where you are?"
"Yes."
"I'll send someone to meet you."
"Who?"
"Deputy Director Samuel Price."
Daniel knew Price by reputation. He was a former prosecutor with a reputation for being methodical and difficult to pressure.
"How long?"
"Fifteen minutes."
"I'll be here."
He ended the call.
For a moment, Daniel stood with the phone in his hand, looking at the building's glass entrance.