Sergeant Reynolds: "Do you understand what this report is connected to?"
Evelyn: "Yes. That's why I'm here."
Richard immediately stepped forward.
Richard: "Sergeant, I would strongly advise you not to waste your time examining private company documents. These records are confidential, and this woman has no permission to distribute them."
Sergeant Reynolds did not look at him.
Sergeant Reynolds: "Sir, I haven't asked you anything yet."
Richard's mouth closed.
For the first time since the officers had arrived, he seemed uncertain.
Officer Harris noticed the change.
Officer Harris: "Sergeant, do you recognize something?"
Sergeant Reynolds: "Possibly. I need to examine the remaining pages."
Richard gave a short laugh.
Richard: "This is becoming absurd. I have a meeting scheduled with several investors. I cannot stand here while someone investigates paperwork that has absolutely nothing to do with today's incident."
Sergeant Reynolds finally raised his eyes.
Sergeant Reynolds: "Then you shouldn't have any difficulty allowing us to establish what happened."
Richard: "I have already explained what happened."
Officer Harris: "And we have heard your explanation. We still need to hear from the witnesses."
The woman who had helped Evelyn stood beside the officers.
Witness: "I saw him grab her. She was trying to move away when she fell."
Richard turned toward her.
Richard: "You didn't see the entire incident."
Witness: "I saw enough."
Richard: "You should be careful about getting involved in something you don't understand."
Witness: "I understand perfectly well what I saw."
Officer Harris took out his notebook.
Officer Harris: "Madam, could you tell me your name?"
Witness: "Laura Mitchell."
Officer Harris: "And you witnessed the physical contact between these two individuals?"
Laura: "Yes. I was standing near the reception desk. I heard them arguing, and then I saw Mr. Bennett grab her arm."
Richard shook his head.
Richard: "This is ridiculous."
Sergeant Reynolds: "Mr. Bennett, I am going to ask you to remain quiet while we take statements."
Richard looked as though he wanted to argue, but he eventually stepped back.
Evelyn watched the officers carefully.
She was relieved that someone had finally taken her seriously.
However, she knew that the difficult part had only just begun.
Richard was not a man who accepted defeat easily.
He had spent years making sure that problems disappeared before they became public.
And he was not going to allow one unexpected confrontation to destroy everything he had built.
Officer Harris turned toward Evelyn.
Officer Harris: "Can you tell us your full name?"
Evelyn: "Evelyn Carter."
Officer Harris: "Do you have identification?"
Evelyn reached into her handbag and carefully removed her wallet.
She handed him her identification card.
The officer examined it.
Officer Harris: "Thank you, Ms. Carter. Are you experiencing any pain?"
Evelyn: "My left arm hurts a little, and my back is uncomfortable. But I can stand."
Sergeant Reynolds: "I would recommend that you get checked by a medical professional. We can also arrange assistance if necessary."
Evelyn: "Thank you. But first, I need to make sure those documents are safe."
Sergeant Reynolds glanced toward the folder.
Sergeant Reynolds: "We can photograph the documents and record their condition. You should avoid moving anything else until we've finished documenting the scene."
Evelyn nodded.
Richard suddenly interrupted.
Richard: "You cannot seriously be treating this as a criminal investigation."
Sergeant Reynolds: "We are investigating an incident involving an allegation of physical assault. That's exactly what we're supposed to do."
Richard: "I never assaulted anyone."
Sergeant Reynolds: "That is your statement. We will consider it alongside the available evidence."
Richard looked toward the security guard.
Richard: "You work here. Tell them what happened."
The guard hesitated.
Security Guard: "I heard the argument, sir. But I didn't see the moment she fell."
Richard's eyes narrowed.
Richard: "You were standing right there."
Security Guard: "I was near the entrance when it happened."
Richard: "So you cannot confirm that I touched her."
Security Guard: "I cannot confirm what happened immediately before she fell."
The answer was not what Richard had wanted.
Sergeant Reynolds wrote something in his notebook.
Sergeant Reynolds: "Is there a security camera covering this hallway?"
The security guard nodded.
Security Guard: "Yes, Sergeant. There are cameras near the main entrance and the reception area."
Officer Harris: "Can we obtain the footage?"
Security Guard: "I would need permission from building management."
Richard immediately stepped forward.
Richard: "I am not authorizing anyone to access private security footage without the proper procedures."
Sergeant Reynolds looked at him.
Sergeant Reynolds: "Nobody has asked you to authorize anything, Mr. Bennett."
Richard's face turned red.
He was beginning to understand that the officers were not going to follow his instructions.
That was something he was not accustomed to.
Meanwhile, Evelyn had managed to stand with Laura's assistance.
She looked down at the documents scattered across the floor.
There were more than twenty pages.
Some were copies of financial transfers.
Others contained handwritten notes, dates, and names.
One page was particularly important.
It showed a series of payments made through several companies that appeared to have no connection to one another.
Yet all the transactions eventually led back to a single account.