His colleagues noticed that he was unusually quiet.
Peter Evans approached with a file in his hand.
Peter Evans: "Daniel, are you all right?"
Officer Brooks: "I'm fine."
Peter Evans: "You don't look fine."
Officer Brooks: "I said I'm fine."
Peter placed the file on the desk.
Peter Evans: "Captain asked me to prepare the visitor incident report."
Brooks looked up.
Officer Brooks: "What visitor incident report?"
Peter Evans: "The one involving Agent Carter."
Brooks gave a short, irritated laugh.
Officer Brooks: "So now it's an incident?"
Peter Evans: "There was a disagreement, and the captain wants it documented."
Officer Brooks: "There was no disagreement. I was doing my job."
Peter Evans: "Then write that in your statement."
Brooks leaned closer.
Officer Brooks: "You seem very interested in this."
Peter Evans: "I'm doing what the captain asked."
Officer Brooks: "You should be careful about getting involved in things you don't understand."
Peter looked at him for a moment.
Peter Evans: "I understand what I saw."
Brooks' expression hardened.
Officer Brooks: "You saw a woman refusing to cooperate with a security check."
Peter Evans: "I saw her show her identification. I heard Sarah confirm the appointment. I also saw you put your hand on her arm."
Brooks lowered his voice.
Officer Brooks: "You don't need to repeat every little detail."
Peter Evans: "Those details are exactly what the report is supposed to contain."
Brooks turned back toward his computer.
Officer Brooks: "Do whatever you want."
Peter picked up the file and walked away.
He had no desire to argue with Brooks. But he was no longer willing to pretend that the incident had been something it was not.
At the other end of the room, Sarah Williams was reviewing the visitor appointment system. She noticed that the entry for Emily Carter had been opened several times since the morning.
That was unusual.
The system normally recorded a single confirmation when an employee checked an appointment. But the log showed multiple access attempts from different workstations.
Sarah leaned closer to the monitor.
One entry came from the reception computer.
Another came from an administrative workstation.
The third came from a terminal assigned to the evidence management unit.
She checked the time stamps.
The last access had occurred only minutes earlier.
Sarah frowned.
She had not given anyone permission to use her workstation, and she was certain that she had not opened the appointment record again.
She looked around the room.
Several employees were working at their desks. Nobody appeared to be paying attention to her.
Sarah decided to save a copy of the access log.
She did not know whether it was important, but something about the pattern made her uncomfortable.
A few minutes later, a message appeared on her screen.
It was from an internal department account.
The message contained only one sentence.
"Please do not discuss this morning's visitor incident with anyone outside the commander's office."
Sarah read it twice.
She did not know who had sent it. The account was listed under the department's general administration profile, which meant several senior employees could potentially have used it.
She closed the message and looked toward the corridor.
She was beginning to suspect that the incident at reception was connected to something much larger.
Inside the commander's office, Emily was reviewing another document.
It was a printed copy of a transfer receipt dated September 14. The receipt showed that two digital storage devices had been received by the department and placed under temporary custody.
However, the signature acknowledging the transfer did not match the signature on the employee's personnel file.
Emily placed the document beside the photograph.
Emily Carter: "This is the second transfer record with a questionable signature."
Captain Mitchell: "Who signed it?"
Emily Carter: "According to the document, Detective Michael Grant."
Mitchell frowned.
Captain Mitchell: "Grant works in the financial crimes unit."
Emily Carter: "Correct. We interviewed him last week. He said he never received these devices."
Captain Mitchell: "Did he deny signing the receipt?"
Emily Carter: "He said the signature was not his. He also provided copies of his duty schedule showing that he was attending a training session at another location on that date."
Mitchell picked up the document.
Captain Mitchell: "Then someone may have used his name to complete the transfer."
Emily Carter: "That is one possibility. Another is that the original receipt was replaced after the evidence entered the department."
Mitchell looked toward the photograph again.
Captain Mitchell: "And the person in the storage room?"
Emily Carter: "We have not confirmed his identity yet. The recording is clear enough to establish that he entered the room, but the camera angle does not show his face directly."
Captain Mitchell: "How many people had access to that room?"
Emily Carter: "According to the policy document you provided last month, twelve employees were authorized."
Captain Mitchell: "That list may be outdated."
Emily Carter: "Then we need the current list, including temporary access permissions."
Mitchell reached for his phone.