Sergeant Reynolds stared at her.
Sergeant Reynolds: "Robert Carter?"
Evelyn nodded.
Evelyn: "He was my father."
Officer Harris looked between them.
Officer Harris: "Your father?"
Evelyn: "Yes."
Richard's face had become completely expressionless.
He knew that name.
He had not heard it spoken aloud in years.
Robert Carter had once been the chief financial accountant for Bennett Development Group.
He had been the man who discovered the suspicious transfers.
He had been the man who questioned Richard about the missing funds.
And he had been the man who lost his career after being accused of falsifying financial records.
The accusations had followed him everywhere.
He had been dismissed.
His professional reputation had been destroyed.
His family had suffered.
And not long afterward, Robert had died.
Richard had believed that the matter was finished.
He had believed that the man who knew the truth could no longer speak.
But now Robert's daughter was standing in front of him.
Holding the very documents he had tried to destroy.
Sergeant Reynolds carefully placed the papers on the table.
Sergeant Reynolds: "Ms. Carter, are you telling me that your father was the original whistleblower in this case?"
Evelyn: "Yes."
Sergeant Reynolds: "And you believe he was falsely accused?"
Evelyn: "I don't just believe it. I have evidence."
Richard suddenly laughed.
It was a strange, uncomfortable sound.
Richard: "This is unbelievable. She is using her father's death to create a story that has nothing to do with reality."
Evelyn turned toward him.
Evelyn: "Don't you dare speak about my father."
Richard: "Your father was an employee who made serious mistakes."
Evelyn: "He was an honest man."
Richard: "He was incompetent."
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears, but she refused to look away.
Evelyn: "He spent his final years trying to prove that he hadn't stolen anything. You destroyed his reputation, and you knew exactly why you were doing it."
Richard: "I will not listen to this."
Evelyn: "You made him believe that nobody would ever trust him again."
Richard turned toward the officers.
Richard: "I want this conversation to end. I have nothing more to say."
Sergeant Reynolds: "Mr. Bennett, we may need to ask you additional questions about the historical allegations. For now, I would like you to remain available while we document the incident."
Richard: "I am not under arrest."
Sergeant Reynolds: "Nobody has said that you are."
Richard: "Then I am leaving."
Officer Harris stepped slightly to one side, allowing him room while maintaining his position.
Officer Harris: "You may leave when we have completed the necessary initial procedures. We still need your contact details and a formal statement."
Richard looked furious.
Richard: "My lawyer will contact you."
Sergeant Reynolds: "That is your choice."
Richard took out his phone again.
But before he could make another call, Evelyn spoke.
Evelyn: "There is one more thing."
Everyone turned toward her.
She reached into the folder and removed a small envelope.
It was old, yellowed around the edges, and sealed with a strip of transparent tape.
Evelyn held it carefully.
Evelyn: "My father left this before he died."
Richard stared at the envelope.
Evelyn: "I didn't understand why he kept it hidden for so many years. I only found it recently, inside an old box of his personal belongings."
Sergeant Reynolds: "What does it contain?"
Evelyn: "A letter."
Richard's expression changed.
Evelyn looked down at the envelope.
Evelyn: "He wrote it shortly before the investigation was closed."
She slowly removed the letter.
The handwriting was unmistakably old.
Some of the ink had faded, but the words were still readable.
Evelyn unfolded the paper.
Her voice became quieter.
Evelyn: "My father wrote that he had discovered something important. Something that could prove the money had not disappeared because of business losses."
Sergeant Reynolds: "Did he identify anyone?"
Evelyn nodded.
Evelyn: "He mentioned three people."
Richard's hands tightened around his phone.
Evelyn continued.
Evelyn: "One was Richard Bennett."
Nobody moved.
Evelyn: "The second was David Collins."
Richard looked up sharply.
Evelyn: "And the third..."
She stopped.
Sergeant Reynolds: "Who was the third person?"
Evelyn looked at the final line of the letter.
Her expression changed.
She had read the name before, but seeing it again in front of Richard made her realize just how dangerous the situation might become.
Evelyn: "The third person was someone who worked inside the department responsible for investigating the original case."
Officer Harris exchanged a glance with Sergeant Reynolds.
Officer Harris: "An investigator?"
Evelyn nodded.
Evelyn: "Yes."
Richard suddenly stepped forward.
Richard: "That's enough. You have no right to disclose those documents here."
Officer Harris: "Mr. Bennett, step back."
Richard: "You don't understand what she is doing!"
Sergeant Reynolds: "Then explain it."
Richard said nothing.
For the first time, his confidence had completely disappeared.
The officers looked at one another.
This was no longer simply a dispute between two individuals.
If Evelyn's documents were genuine, they might point toward a much larger problem involving the original investigation.
Sergeant Reynolds carefully took the letter.
Sergeant Reynolds: "Ms. Carter, I need you to understand that these allegations will have to be independently verified. We cannot assume that everything written here is accurate."