GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Does it match your original review?"
EVELYN CARTER: "Yes. The results are consistent with the findings we received earlier."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Then the revised report directly contradicts the original."
EVELYN CARTER: "And the signature used to authorize it was copied."
Daniel looked at the document history.
DANIEL REEVES: "The person who prepared the revised report must have known the original results were negative."
EVELYN CARTER: "The original report was available to the committee. Anyone who reviewed the file would have seen the findings."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "We need to identify the person who changed it."
The technical supervisor opened the document creation history.
JAMES PORTER: "The revised assessment was first created on a workstation assigned to Gregory Shaw."
Evelyn looked at the screen.
EVELYN CARTER: "Can you confirm the user account?"
JAMES PORTER: "Yes. The document was created under his company credentials."
DANIEL REEVES: "And the final approval?"
JAMES PORTER: "The approval page was added later from a terminal registered to the regional procurement office."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Which terminal?"
JAMES PORTER: "The one assigned to Samuel Price."
The general exhaled slowly.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Then we have a clear sequence."
EVELYN CARTER: "We have a sequence of actions. We still need to establish who authorized each one."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "You're right."
Evelyn returned the report to the table.
EVELYN CARTER: "We should also identify every official who received the revised version."
Daniel opened the distribution list.
It contained several names.
Some belonged to the procurement committee.
Others belonged to regional administrators and technical supervisors.
One name appeared repeatedly.
Deputy Director Samuel Price.
Another belonged to Colonel Andrew Mitchell.
The third was a name Evelyn had not seen before.
Thomas Reed.
JAMES PORTER: "Thomas Reed is listed as an external compliance consultant."
EVELYN CARTER: "Who appointed him?"
James searched the appointment record.
JAMES PORTER: "Northbridge Advisory Group."
Daniel looked at Evelyn.
DANIEL REEVES: "The consulting company connected to Edward Lawson."
EVELYN CARTER: "Then we need to establish whether Reed had any independent authority to certify the equipment."
The general turned toward the investigative team leader.
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Find Thomas Reed. We need a formal interview."
INVESTIGATIVE TEAM LEADER: "I'll issue the request."
Evelyn looked at the list of recipients again.
She noticed that one of the names had a handwritten mark beside it.
It was the name of the lead laboratory engineer, Dr. Helen Morris.
EVELYN CARTER: "Was Dr. Morris involved in the revised assessment?"
James searched.
JAMES PORTER: "Her account received the final version, but there is no record that she approved it."
EVELYN CARTER: "Can we contact her?"
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "Yes. Arrange an interview through the investigative unit."
James found her contact details.
Before he could make the call, Evelyn's phone rang.
The number was unfamiliar.
She answered.
EVELYN CARTER: "Colonel Carter."
A woman's voice responded.
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "Colonel, my name is Helen Morris. I was the lead engineer responsible for the original equipment assessment."
Evelyn straightened.
EVELYN CARTER: "Dr. Morris. We were just reviewing your report."
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "I heard that the original file had been recovered."
EVELYN CARTER: "It has."
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "Then I need to tell you something before someone else changes the record."
Evelyn glanced toward the general.
EVELYN CARTER: "Go ahead."
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "I never approved the revised assessment."
EVELYN CARTER: "Are you saying your name was used without authorization?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "My name wasn't on the final page, but the report included a statement suggesting that I had supervised the additional testing."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did you supervise any additional testing?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "No."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did you receive a request to review the revised results?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "Yes. I received a draft from Thomas Reed. I immediately noticed that the testing data did not match the original results."
EVELYN CARTER: "What did you do?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "I rejected the draft and sent him a written explanation."
Evelyn looked at Daniel.
EVELYN CARTER: "Do you still have that correspondence?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "Yes. I saved everything."
EVELYN CARTER: "Please do not forward it through an ordinary email account. The investigative unit will contact you and arrange a secure submission."
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "I can do that."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did anyone pressure you to change your findings?"
Dr. Morris hesitated.
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "Mr. Reed called me twice. He said the committee needed a more favorable assessment and that the remaining concerns could be addressed after approval."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did he identify who had requested that change?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "He mentioned Mr. Price."
The general's expression hardened.
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "I refused. After that, I was removed from the review distribution list."
EVELYN CARTER: "When did that happen?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "About two weeks ago."
EVELYN CARTER: "Thank you, Doctor. Your information is important. Please remain available for the investigators."
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "Colonel, there is something else."
EVELYN CARTER: "What is it?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "I received a warning yesterday. Someone told me to stop asking about the revised report."
Evelyn became still.
EVELYN CARTER: "Who contacted you?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "An unknown number. The person said my work would be reviewed if I continued raising concerns."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did you save the message?"
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "Yes."
EVELYN CARTER: "Preserve it. Do not delete anything."
DR. HELEN MORRIS: "I will."
Evelyn ended the call.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Daniel broke the silence.
DANIEL REEVES: "The anonymous messages are not just coming to us."
EVELYN CARTER: "No. Someone has been trying to silence everyone who questioned the assessment."
GENERAL MICHAEL HARRINGTON: "This confirms that the pressure began before today's ceremony."
EVELYN CARTER: "And it gives us another independent witness."
The investigative team leader stepped forward.