And he had not expected to see it.
Emily said nothing.
She simply watched him.
Captain Mitchell noticed the exchange.
Captain Mitchell: "Daniel, is there a reason you're looking at that document?"
Brooks immediately straightened.
Officer Brooks: "No, sir."
Captain Mitchell: "Do you recognize the location?"
Officer Brooks: "It's the evidence storage area."
Captain Mitchell: "And the person in the photograph?"
Brooks hesitated.
Officer Brooks: "I can't tell from here."
Emily slowly turned the photograph so it faced him more directly.
Emily: "You may take a closer look if you need to."
Brooks did not move.
Officer Brooks: "I don't need to."
Emily returned the photograph to its original position.
Emily: "All right."
The silence that followed was uncomfortable.
Mitchell looked from Brooks to Emily.
He could sense that something had just happened, although he did not yet understand what it meant.
Captain Mitchell: "Daniel, return to your duties. I will contact you if I need further information."
Brooks nodded stiffly.
Officer Brooks: "Yes, sir."
He turned and left.
The door closed behind him.
Mitchell remained standing.
Emily waited a few seconds before speaking.
Emily: "Captain, I don't want to draw conclusions from a single reaction. But I would recommend that you preserve the hallway footage from this morning as well."
Mitchell looked at her.
Captain Mitchell: "You think his reaction was significant?"
Emily: "I think it should be documented. That's all."
Mitchell returned to his chair.
He picked up the telephone again, but this time his hand remained on the receiver without dialing.
The morning had begun with an argument about identification.
Now, a photograph of the evidence room had caused an officer to react in a way that neither of them could easily explain.
Emily looked at the folder on the desk.
There were still several names she had not mentioned. There were records that had not yet been located, witnesses who had not yet been interviewed, and a chain of events that was far more complicated than the original report suggested.
She knew that the truth would not appear simply because someone asked the right questions.
It would have to be uncovered carefully, piece by piece.
And somewhere inside the Westbridge Police Department, someone might already know that the investigation had arrived.
Captain Mitchell finally picked up the telephone and contacted the department's internal records supervisor. He instructed her to preserve every document, access log, electronic message, and security recording connected to the evidence storage area.
He was careful with his wording. He did not mention any suspected individual, and he did not explain the full scope of the federal investigation. Until the evidence was secured, he wanted as few people as possible to know what was happening.
Captain Mitchell: "I need an immediate preservation order covering the evidence management system. No records are to be deleted, amended, transferred, or overwritten without written authorization. I also need the access logs for the last sixty days."
Records Supervisor: "Understood, Captain. Is there a particular case number?"
Captain Mitchell: "Several related case numbers. I'll send them to you through the secure system. Treat this as urgent."
He ended the call and looked at Emily.
Captain Mitchell: "That should prevent anyone from making changes while we investigate."
Emily Carter: "It is a good first step. But I would also recommend limiting access to the original evidence files. We need to know who has viewed them, who has moved them, and whether anyone has attempted to alter the records."
Captain Mitchell: "I'll arrange that."
Emily opened her notebook.
Emily Carter: "There is something else. The photograph I showed you was taken at 11:47 p.m. on October 22. The access system recorded an entry at 11:43 p.m., but the employee identification number associated with that entry does not match the person in the footage."
Mitchell looked up immediately.
Captain Mitchell: "Are you certain?"
Emily Carter: "We have verified the time stamps against the original recording. The difference is not a technical error."
Captain Mitchell: "Whose identification number was used?"
Emily turned to a page in her notebook.
Emily Carter: "The number belongs to an employee who was on approved medical leave that evening."
Mitchell slowly leaned back.
Captain Mitchell: "That means someone used another employee's access credentials."
Emily Carter: "Possibly. We need the original access records to establish exactly what happened."
Captain Mitchell: "This is more serious than I expected."
Emily Carter: "It may be. But we should avoid reaching conclusions before the records are secured."
Mitchell nodded. He was beginning to understand why the federal agency had sent someone in person rather than simply requesting documents through ordinary channels.
The missing evidence was not just a paperwork problem. The irregularities suggested that someone might have been deliberately interfering with an active investigation.
And if that was true, the person responsible might still have access to the department's systems.
While Emily and Mitchell continued reviewing the documents, Officer Brooks returned to his desk.
He sat down, opened a report on his computer, and stared at the screen without typing anything.