He knew it.
But he was not ready to admit it.
At that moment, Thomas returned with a small tablet.
Thomas: "I've located the recordings."
Sergeant Reynolds: "Can you show us the footage from the time of the incident?"
Thomas: "Yes. The cameras cover most of the hallway."
Richard stepped forward.
Richard: "I want to be present while the footage is reviewed."
Sergeant Reynolds: "You can remain here, provided you do not interfere."
Thomas opened the recording.
The first image showed the hallway several minutes before the argument.
People were walking in and out of the building.
An employee was carrying a stack of folders.
A cleaner was pushing a trolley near the reception desk.
Then Evelyn appeared.
She was standing near the entrance, holding her folder.
A few minutes later, Richard walked into view.
The footage showed them speaking.
At first, their conversation appeared calm.
Then Richard began moving his hands more aggressively.
Evelyn stepped backward.
The officers leaned closer to the screen.
Thomas adjusted the recording.
The image became clearer.
Then the moment of physical contact appeared.
Richard reached toward Evelyn.
She tried to pull away.
His arm moved sharply.
Her body lost balance.
And she fell backward onto the marble floor.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Officer Harris looked at Richard.
Officer Harris: "Mr. Bennett, is there anything you would like to say about what we just watched?"
Richard's face had become pale.
Richard: "The footage doesn't show everything."
Sergeant Reynolds: "It shows you reaching toward her."
Richard: "I was trying to stop her from taking my property."
Evelyn looked up in disbelief.
Evelyn: "Your property? Those documents belong to me!"
Richard: "You were carrying confidential company records."
Evelyn: "Copies of records that were sent to me by someone with the right to possess them."
Richard: "You have no authority to make that determination."
Sergeant Reynolds: "Mr. Bennett, we will deal with the documents separately. Right now, we are concerned with the physical contact we have just witnessed."
Richard swallowed.
He had been expecting the officers to rely on conflicting statements.
He had not expected the security footage to be so clear.
Officer Harris: "We need a copy of this recording."
Thomas: "I'll arrange it."
Richard: "You cannot simply hand over company footage."
Sergeant Reynolds: "The recording will be preserved and handled through the appropriate procedures."
Richard: "I will speak to my lawyers."
Sergeant Reynolds: "You are entitled to do that."
For the first time, Richard seemed to have run out of arguments.
But Evelyn was not satisfied.
She knew the footage proved what had happened to her, but it did not explain why Richard had reacted so strongly when he saw the documents.
The real reason she had come to the building was still waiting inside that folder.
She turned toward Sergeant Reynolds.
Evelyn: "There is something else you need to know."
Sergeant Reynolds: "Go ahead."
Evelyn: "This is connected to a case that was investigated several years ago. The original investigation was closed because the authorities were told that there was insufficient evidence."
Sergeant Reynolds: "Do you know which department handled it?"
Evelyn: "Yes. The financial crimes division."
Sergeant Reynolds looked more carefully at the documents.
Evelyn: "The case involved a company called Bennett Development Group."
Richard immediately interrupted.
Richard: "This is completely unrelated to today's incident."
Evelyn continued.
Evelyn: "Several families invested their savings in a development project. They were promised that the properties would be completed within eighteen months."
Officer Harris: "And they weren't?"
Evelyn: "No. The project was abandoned. The money disappeared. The families were told that the company had suffered unexpected financial difficulties."
Sergeant Reynolds: "How many families were affected?"
Evelyn: "Twenty-seven."
The number seemed to settle heavily over the room.
Evelyn: "Some of them had sold their homes to invest. Others had borrowed money from relatives. One elderly couple used nearly all their retirement savings."
Richard shook his head.
Richard: "These are allegations from an old business dispute. Nothing more."
Evelyn: "Then why did the company transfer millions of dollars to accounts controlled by people connected to you?"
Richard: "You cannot prove that."
Evelyn: "I can."
She opened the folder again.
This time, she removed a document that had been folded separately from the others.
It contained a list of bank transfers, dates, account references, and the names of several companies.
Sergeant Reynolds examined it.
His expression became increasingly serious.
Sergeant Reynolds: "Where did you obtain this?"
Evelyn: "From the original accountant."
Richard suddenly looked toward her.
Richard: "What accountant?"
Evelyn: "The one who kept copies of the transactions after he realized what was happening."
Richard: "That's impossible."
Evelyn: "No, Mr. Bennett. It isn't."
Richard took a step backward.
For years, he had believed that the accountant had destroyed the remaining records.
He had even paid someone to make sure that no copies could ever be recovered.
But apparently, one copy had survived.
And Evelyn had found it.
Sergeant Reynolds: "What was the accountant's name?"
Evelyn hesitated.
She looked at Richard.
Then she looked back at the officer.
Evelyn: "His name was Robert Carter."
The moment she said the name, the atmosphere changed.