Sarah nodded slowly.
Sarah Williams: "There is something else."
Emily put down her pen.
Emily Carter: "Go ahead."
Sarah Williams: "About two weeks ago, I saw Officer Brooks speaking with someone from the evidence unit near the back corridor. They were arguing about a file."
Emily Carter: "What did you hear?"
Sarah Williams: "Not much. I was walking past. But I heard Brooks say that a particular report needed to be corrected before the commander saw it."
Emily's expression remained neutral.
Emily Carter: "Did you hear which report?"
Sarah Williams: "No. I didn't want to stand there listening."
Emily Carter: "Did you see who he was speaking with?"
Sarah hesitated.
Sarah Williams: "I think it was Lieutenant Collins."
Emily wrote down the name.
Lieutenant Richard Collins was the deputy director of operations, a senior official who had been involved in several evidence management decisions.
Emily had already seen his name in the investigation documents.
She did not immediately react.
Emily Carter: "Are you certain?"
Sarah Williams: "I'm fairly certain, but I don't want to say something wrong."
Emily Carter: "That's fine. We will verify it. I only want you to report what you remember."
Sarah looked down at her hands.
Sarah Williams: "I don't want to get into trouble for this."
Emily's voice softened.
Emily Carter: "You are not responsible for someone else's decisions. Telling the truth about what you witnessed is not misconduct. You should not be pressured to change your statement or remain silent."
Sarah nodded, but the worry did not disappear.
She had worked at Westbridge for six years. She knew how much influence senior officials could have over assignments, promotions, and daily working conditions.
She also knew that speaking openly could make her life difficult.
Emily recognized the fear.
Emily Carter: "If anyone contacts you about this conversation, don't respond by discussing the details. Preserve the message and report it through the proper channel. We will make sure the process is documented."
Sarah thanked her quietly.
When Sarah left the office, Emily remained seated for a moment.
The name Richard Collins had now appeared in several separate pieces of information.
There was the questionable transfer record.
There was the unusual access to the appointment system.
There was Sarah's account of the conversation near the back corridor.
And there was the photograph of an unidentified man entering the evidence room.
None of those facts proved Collins had committed wrongdoing.
But together, they justified a closer examination.
Emily opened her laptop and sent a secure message to her supervisor.
She summarized the morning's developments and requested that the federal investigation team preserve the original recording and prepare to compare the department's access records with the evidence transfer documents.
Her supervisor replied shortly afterward.
The message was brief.
"Proceed carefully. Do not confront any suspected employee until the records are secured."
Emily closed the message.
She knew that caution was essential.
A careless accusation could alert the wrong person, damage the investigation, and give someone an opportunity to destroy evidence.
Meanwhile, in the evidence management unit, a man named Thomas Reed was standing beside a filing cabinet.
He was a records technician who had worked at Westbridge for eleven years. He was not a senior officer, and he had no authority to make investigative decisions.
But he knew the evidence system better than almost anyone else in the department.
He had been responsible for scanning receipts, updating case references, and recording the movement of physical materials.
For the past month, he had noticed several unusual requests.
Some came from senior officers.
Others came through shared accounts.
They all seemed to involve the same group of cases.
At first, Thomas assumed that the requests were part of an internal audit. But when he tried to compare the original transfer receipts with the updated database, several records appeared to have been changed.
He had mentioned the problem to his supervisor.
The response had been immediate.
He was told to stop investigating matters outside his responsibilities.
Since then, Thomas had kept quiet.
Now he was watching a new notification appear on his computer.
It was a preservation instruction from Captain Mitchell.
The message ordered all evidence records connected to several case numbers to be secured immediately.
Thomas read the list.
His face became pale.
He recognized every case number.
He also recognized the name of the person who had repeatedly requested changes to those records.
Thomas looked toward the door.
A moment later, Lieutenant Richard Collins entered the room.
Collins was a tall man in his early fifties. His uniform was immaculate, his voice controlled, and his manner usually pleasant. He had a reputation for being efficient and politically skilled.
He rarely raised his voice.
He rarely needed to.
Lieutenant Collins: "Thomas, have you seen the preservation notice?"
Thomas turned away from the screen.
Thomas Reed: "Yes, Lieutenant."
Lieutenant Collins: "You understand what it means?"
Thomas Reed: "It means the records need to be preserved."
Collins smiled faintly.