She opened her folder.
"Are you familiar with the Walker case?"
Lawson's smile became smaller.
"Which one?"
"The arrest involving Ethan Walker approximately eight months ago."
"Oh, yes. I remember that case."
"Do you remember authorizing a correction to the evidence transfer history?"
Lawson looked at Whitmore.
"Why are you asking?"
"Because an email from your department appears to have requested that a record be updated before the file was finalized."
Lawson took a seat.
"Administrative corrections happen all the time."
"Of course. Were you responsible for requesting this particular correction?"
"I'd have to see the email."
Simone slid a copy across the desk.
Lawson read it.
His expression remained controlled.
"I don't recall sending this."
"Do you recognize the account?"
"Yes. It was my office account."
"Was it used by anyone else?"
"Several administrative employees had access."
"Who?"
"Lieutenant Harris. Deputy Records Administrator Mercer. Occasionally my assistant."
"Did you personally approve changes to evidence records?"
"Only when appropriate."
"What made this change appropriate?"
Lawson looked at the document again.
"I don't remember the specifics."
"Did you examine the original evidence log?"
"I would have followed standard procedure."
"That wasn't my question."
Lawson looked up.
Whitmore remained silent.
Simone repeated herself.
"Did you personally examine the original evidence log?"
Lawson paused.
"I don't recall."
"Did you instruct Lieutenant Harris to approve the correction?"
"I may have asked him to review it."
"Did you tell him the original entry created unnecessary questions?"
Lawson's expression tightened.
"I don't remember using those words."
Simone closed the folder.
"Captain, I want you to understand that this is a formal inquiry. We are examining original system records, not merely relying on recollections."
Lawson nodded.
"I understand."
"Then I suggest you avoid guessing."
A faint silence settled over the office.
Lawson looked toward Whitmore.
"Chief, may I ask what this is about?"
Whitmore answered carefully.
"The department is cooperating with the Department of Justice."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"It is the answer I can provide."
Lawson leaned back.
He seemed irritated.
"Are we talking about the Keller incident?"
Simone watched him.
"What do you know about the Keller incident?"
Lawson glanced at Whitmore.
"Only that there was some disagreement this morning."
"Did you speak with Officer Keller?"
"No."
"Did anyone contact you about the incident?"
"Not that I remember."
Simone wrote something down.
"Very well."
She closed her notebook.
"I would like you to remain available for a formal interview tomorrow morning. Until then, please do not access or modify any records connected to the matters under review."
Lawson's jaw tightened.
"Are you restricting my duties?"
"I'm requesting that the department preserve evidence and prevent potential conflicts of interest. Chief Whitmore will determine the appropriate administrative measures."
Whitmore nodded.
"I'll review your access permissions."
Lawson looked genuinely offended.
"Chief, surely we can handle this internally."
Whitmore's voice was firm.
"We are not handling this internally. The Department of Justice is conducting the investigation, and we will cooperate."
Lawson slowly picked up his briefcase.
"Understood."
He walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he turned.
"Investigator Brooks?"
"Yes?"
"I hope you understand that a lot of good people work in this department. One incident should not define an entire organization."
Simone met his eyes.
"Then good people should have nothing to fear from an accurate investigation."
Lawson said nothing.
He left the room.
Whitmore exhaled.
"That went well."
Simone looked at the closed door.
"Not necessarily."
At 5:30 p.m., the precinct began to empty.
Officers finished their shifts. Administrative employees gathered their belongings. The noise of telephones and conversations gradually faded.
Simone remained in the conference room reviewing documents.
Her team had sent a preliminary report.
It contained several troubling findings.
There were unexplained modifications to evidence logs.
There were complaints closed without clear supporting documentation.
There were records indicating that certain officers had accessed confidential databases outside their assigned duties.
And there was a pattern of communication between Captain Lawson, Lieutenant Harris, and Deputy Records Administrator Mercer.
The connections were not yet enough to establish criminal conduct.
But they were enough to justify a deeper investigation.
Simone was reading the final page when someone knocked.
"Come in."
Chief Whitmore entered.
He looked tired.
"Do you have a minute?"
"Certainly."
He closed the door.
"I found the withdrawal form connected to Rachel Bennett's complaint."
Simone looked up.
"And?"
"It was processed by the records division. The form contains her name and a signature."
"Did you verify the signature?"
"I contacted the employee who handled the file. She said the form was delivered to her by Paul Mercer."
"Did she speak with Rachel?"
"No."
"Did she witness Rachel signing it?"
"No."
Simone put down her pen.
"Then we have a problem."
Whitmore nodded.
"I also reviewed the original complaint. The signature on the withdrawal form doesn't appear to match the signature on the initial statement."
"Has the original form been preserved?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Whitmore sat down.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"I spoke with Deputy Chief Pierce. He says Keller has been asking whether the department can prevent the federal investigation from accessing his personnel records."
Simone raised an eyebrow.
"Why would he ask that?"
"He says he believes the records contain private information."
"Personnel privacy is a legitimate concern. It doesn't prevent lawful access to relevant investigative material."
"I told him that."
Whitmore hesitated.
"Do you think Keller is involved in the larger misconduct?"
Simone considered the question.
"I think his conduct requires examination. I think the records justify further questions. But I won't tell you that he is guilty of something we haven't established."
Whitmore nodded.
"That's fair."
She closed the report.
"Chief, I need to ask you something else."
"Go ahead."
"Have you ever had a personal or professional relationship with Paul Mercer outside the department?"
Whitmore looked surprised.
"No. Why?"
"His name appears in several records connected to the cases under review."
"He's worked in the records division for twelve years."
"Did you ever authorize him to close complaints?"
"No."
"Did you ever authorize him to make changes to evidence logs?"
"Only through the established administrative process."
"Did you review those changes?"
"Not individually."
Simone nodded.
"That's understandable. But it may be important to establish how much authority he had."
Whitmore looked at the report.
"I never imagined this could be happening under my command."
Simone spoke carefully.
"Sometimes misconduct continues because people deliberately conceal it. Sometimes it continues because everyone assumes somebody else is checking."
Whitmore looked at her.