Victoria handed him her phone. Mitchell read each one without speaking. His expression hardened as he reached the final message.
GENERAL ROBERT MITCHELL: "Have you received anything like this before?"
VICTORIA HAYES: "No. Not directly. But I have received pressure from people connected to the procurement review. Some wanted the evaluation completed quickly. Others suggested that delaying the contract would create unnecessary problems."
GENERAL ROBERT MITCHELL: "Did anyone threaten you?"
VICTORIA HAYES: "Not in those words. They preferred to call it advice."
Mitchell looked toward the security commander, who was standing beside a computer terminal.
GENERAL ROBERT MITCHELL: "I want these messages preserved. Full screenshots, timestamps, sender information, and whatever technical information can be obtained. Nobody deletes anything. Nobody forwards the evidence outside the investigation."
SECURITY COMMANDER: "Understood, sir."
VICTORIA HAYES: "And I want the attempted footage export included in the incident report. It happened after the confrontation, but it may be connected."
GENERAL ROBERT MITCHELL: "It will be included."
The security commander turned back toward his workstation. A few seconds later, another officer entered carrying a printed incident summary.
SECURITY OFFICER: "Sir, we have completed the preliminary witness list. There are twenty-three people who were close enough to see the confrontation clearly. Several more were seated farther back."
VICTORIA HAYES: "Have their statements been collected?"
SECURITY OFFICER: "Some have. Others are still being contacted."
VICTORIA HAYES: "Make sure the witnesses are interviewed separately. I don't want anyone influencing another person's account."
SECURITY COMMANDER: "We were already planning to do that."
VICTORIA HAYES: "Then make sure the original recordings are secured before anyone has an opportunity to edit or replace them."
Mitchell studied her for a moment. He understood why she was insisting on every detail. Victoria had spent years in military command, where a poorly documented incident could become a serious operational problem. She knew that facts were not protected by confidence or reputation. They were protected by records, witnesses, and procedures that could withstand scrutiny.
A knock came from the door.
Lieutenant Daniel Foster entered, still wearing his formal uniform. His face showed the strain of the afternoon. He had been seated several rows from the stage when Alexander rushed forward, and he had witnessed the entire confrontation.
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "Ma'am, may I speak with you?"
VICTORIA HAYES: "Of course, Lieutenant."
Daniel glanced at General Mitchell before continuing.
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "I wanted to make sure you were all right."
VICTORIA HAYES: "I'm fine. Are you?"
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "Yes, ma'am. I just... I couldn't believe what I was seeing."
VICTORIA HAYES: "Neither could anyone else."
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "He walked onto the stage like he owned the place. He didn't even care that General Mitchell was standing right there."
VICTORIA HAYES: "What matters is what you saw, not what you think of him. Did you see him touch me first?"
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "Yes, ma'am. Clearly. He grabbed your shoulder and pulled at your uniform. You tried to get him to stop. Then you turned, broke his grip, and took him down."
VICTORIA HAYES: "Did you hear what he said?"
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "Most of it. He was talking about the contract. He said you had no right to block the approval and that you were trying to destroy his company."
Mitchell's eyes narrowed.
GENERAL ROBERT MITCHELL: "Did he mention anything else?"
Daniel hesitated.
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "He said something about the review being over. Something like, 'You already got what you wanted.' I couldn't hear the rest because people started shouting."
Victoria exchanged a look with Mitchell.
VICTORIA HAYES: "I want that included in your statement, exactly as you remember it. Don't fill in anything you didn't hear."
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "Yes, ma'am."
Daniel remained near the door, visibly uncomfortable.
VICTORIA HAYES: "Is there something else?"
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "There is, ma'am. I don't know if it's important, but I recognized one of the men who was sitting near Mr. Grant."
VICTORIA HAYES: "Who?"
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "A man named Peter Lawson. He used to work with the communications evaluation team. He left the program several months ago."
Victoria's expression changed.
VICTORIA HAYES: "Peter Lawson was at the ceremony?"
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "Yes, ma'am. He was sitting two seats behind Mr. Grant. I saw him leave just before security closed the hall."
GENERAL ROBERT MITCHELL: "Why would a former evaluation officer be attending an awards ceremony as a guest of Alexander Grant?"
Daniel shook his head.
LIEUTENANT DANIEL FOSTER: "I don't know, sir. But I remember him because he was involved in the initial equipment testing."
Victoria slowly leaned back in her chair.
Peter Lawson.
The name brought back a report she had reviewed several months earlier. Lawson had been one of the technical officers assigned to evaluate the communication systems supplied by Grant Defense Solutions. During the early testing phase, his team had recorded repeated signal interruptions, unstable encryption performance, and failures during simulated emergency conditions.
Those results had raised serious concerns.
Then, unexpectedly, Lawson had resigned.