The third was unfamiliar.
Evelyn studied it carefully.
EVELYN CARTER: "Who is this?"
The general leaned closer.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "That signature belongs to Colonel Andrew Mitchell."
Daniel looked surprised.
DANIEL REEVES: "Mitchell? I thought he retired last year."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "He did."
EVELYN CARTER: "Then why is his signature on a report submitted last week?"
The general did not answer.
He picked up the phone again.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "I need someone to verify Colonel Mitchell's status and determine whether he personally reviewed this assessment."
Evelyn continued examining the signature.
It was neat, confident, and apparently authentic.
But the date beside it raised another question.
The report claimed that Mitchell had approved the revised assessment six days after his official retirement.
Daniel shook his head.
DANIEL REEVES: "That cannot be right."
EVELYN CARTER: "Not without some form of authorized post-retirement appointment."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "And I have no record of one."
Evelyn placed the document on the table.
The investigation had now reached beyond Richard Lawson and Samuel Price.
Someone had used a retired officer's name to validate a technical report.
Someone had removed the original assessment.
Someone had attempted to export the security footage from the ceremony.
And someone was sending Evelyn messages warning her not to continue.
She looked at the photograph one more time.
The anonymous sender had access to a document that should have been secured inside the regional procurement system.
That meant the person could be inside the institution.
Or they could be working closely with someone who was.
EVELYN CARTER: "We need to locate Colonel Mitchell."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "I'll contact his last known command."
EVELYN CARTER: "And we need to preserve every version of the revised assessment, including drafts."
DANIEL REEVES: "I'll coordinate with the technical team."
The general looked toward the door.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Until we know who is involved, this stays within the investigative group."
Evelyn nodded.
EVELYN CARTER: "Agreed."
Just as Daniel reached the doorway, a security officer hurried into the room.
SECURITY OFFICER: "General, we've received a call from the regional office."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "What happened?"
SECURITY OFFICER: "The technical supervisor says someone has accessed the backup archive."
Evelyn stood immediately.
EVELYN CARTER: "When?"
SECURITY OFFICER: "Approximately five minutes ago."
DANIEL REEVES: "Was anything deleted?"
SECURITY OFFICER: "They don't know yet. The supervisor says the archive is still accessible, but several folders have been moved."
The general's expression tightened.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Who accessed it?"
SECURITY OFFICER: "The login was registered to the regional office director."
Evelyn looked at Daniel.
EVELYN CARTER: "We need to secure that archive now."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Captain, contact the investigative unit. Tell them we have a possible evidence interference incident."
DANIEL REEVES: "Yes, sir."
Evelyn picked up her jacket and the folder containing the assessment records.
The confrontation at the ceremony had exposed Richard Lawson's anger, but the missing report and the suspicious access logs suggested that someone had been working behind the scenes to protect the contract.
And now, while they were still trying to identify the people involved, someone was actively moving the evidence.
Evelyn headed for the door.
EVELYN CARTER: "Let's go to the regional office."
The general followed.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Colonel, one more thing."
She stopped.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "If this is what we think it is, the person behind it may already know we're coming."
Evelyn looked at him.
EVELYN CARTER: "Then we shouldn't give them any more time."
They left the conference room together.
Behind them, the ceremonial hall stood almost empty.
The podium remained at the front.
The scattered papers had been collected.
The chairs had been returned to their places.
But the recording of Richard Lawson grabbing Evelyn Carter had already been secured, and the incident was now officially documented.
What had begun as a public act of intimidation was turning into an investigation involving missing records, questionable approvals, and officials who appeared determined to keep certain information out of sight.
And somewhere inside the regional office, the original technical assessment was still waiting to be found.
The regional procurement office was located in a secure administrative building approximately twenty minutes from the ceremonial hall.
By the time General Harrington and Evelyn Carter arrived, the investigative unit had already been notified. Two security vehicles were parked outside the entrance, and several officers were waiting near the reception desk.
The building looked ordinary from the outside. Its glass doors reflected the pale afternoon sunlight, and employees continued moving through the lobby as if nothing unusual had happened.
But inside, the atmosphere was completely different.
A technical supervisor named James Porter was waiting beside the security desk. He held a tablet in one hand and a folder in the other.
JAMES PORTER: "General, thank you for coming. We've isolated the archive system, but I cannot guarantee that every file remains untouched."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Tell me exactly what happened."
JAMES PORTER: "At approximately 2:41 p.m., someone accessed the backup archive using the regional director's credentials. Several folders were opened, and two files were moved to a temporary directory."
EVELYN CARTER: "Were they deleted?"
JAMES PORTER: "Not permanently. We managed to stop the process before the system completed the transfer."
EVELYN CARTER: "Which files?"
James opened the folder.
JAMES PORTER: "The original technical assessment and the supplier correspondence file."
Evelyn exchanged a glance with the general.
Those were precisely the records they needed.
EVELYN CARTER: "Can you recover the original versions?"
JAMES PORTER: "I believe so. The archive keeps a secondary record of changes, but I need authorization to access the protected recovery partition."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "You have my authorization. Document every action."
JAMES PORTER: "Understood."
They followed James through a secure corridor toward the technical operations room.