Elliot Voss arrived at the administrative building shortly after sunrise.
He was forty-seven years old, slender, and carefully dressed in a dark gray suit that looked expensive without being flashy. His hair was thinning at the temples, and he wore rectangular glasses that he repeatedly adjusted whenever someone asked him a difficult question.
He carried a leather briefcase in one hand and a folded umbrella in the other.
When he entered the interview room, he appeared irritated rather than frightened.
"I was told this was urgent," he said, sitting down. "I have already provided the documentation requested by the command."
Inspector Cross sat opposite him.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. Voss. This interview concerns the maintenance records, the readiness reports, and several attempts to access protected investigation files."
Voss placed his briefcase beside his chair.
"I maintain the administrative systems. I don't make operational decisions."
"Nobody has accused you of making operational decisions."
"Then I assume this will be straightforward."
Cross opened her folder.
"How long have you maintained the command's reporting system?"
"Eleven years."
"And during that time, have you ever altered an original record?"
"Not improperly."
Cross looked up.
"That wasn't my question."
Voss adjusted his glasses.
"Records are sometimes corrected. Errors happen. Dates get entered incorrectly. Documents are consolidated. That's part of maintaining an administrative system."
"Do you alter the original source entries when you make those corrections?"
"Not normally."
"Who authorizes a correction?"
"That depends on the document."
"Who authorized the changes to the maintenance reports associated with Colonel Harlan's command?"
Voss paused.
"Those records were reviewed through the command's normal administrative process."
"That isn't a name."
"I don't remember every person involved in every report."
Cross placed two documents on the table.
The first was the original inspection record.
The second was the revised version.
She aligned them so that Voss could see both.
"These entries show different completion dates. The original indicates that an inspection was postponed. The revised report states that it was completed two days earlier."
Voss leaned forward.
"I would need to examine the system history."
"We have the system history."
He looked at her.
"Then why are you asking me?"
"Because you maintained the system."
Voss sat back.
"I didn't create every record that passed through it."
"No. But you had administrative access to the source files."
"That doesn't mean I changed them."
"I haven't said that it does."
Cross allowed the silence to continue.
She had learned that people who expected an accusation often became so focused on defending themselves that they answered questions nobody had asked.
Voss picked up his briefcase and moved it closer to his chair.
"Inspector, I understand that Colonel Harlan has been detained. But I would appreciate it if we could separate his disciplinary problems from my professional responsibilities."
"We are doing exactly that."
"Good."
"Then let's discuss the deletion attempt."
His hand stopped moving.
"What deletion attempt?"
"At 11:47 p.m., an account associated with Deputy Commander Price initiated a request involving protected archive files. A subsequent authentication request was associated with General Mercer's account. The logs also show activity involving the investigation folder."
Voss looked toward the door.
It was a small movement.
Cross noticed it.
"Are you familiar with those events?" she asked.
"No."
"Did anyone ask you to restrict access to the archive last night?"
"No."
"Did Colonel Harlan contact you?"
Voss hesitated.
"Not last night."
"When did he last contact you?"
"Several days ago."
"About what?"
"Administrative matters."
"Which matters?"
He sighed.
"Inspector, I cannot reasonably be expected to remember every conversation I've had with senior personnel."
"You don't need to remember every conversation. I'm asking about a specific series of events."
Voss looked down at the documents.
"Colonel Harlan was concerned about the investigation. He asked whether the reporting system could be placed under a temporary access restriction."
"Did he ask you to delete anything?"
"No."
"Did you tell him that you could restrict access?"
"I told him that the system had procedures for protecting sensitive records."
"Did you explain that the investigation files were subject to preservation requirements?"
"Yes."
"Did he ask you to ignore those requirements?"
Voss took a breath.
"He said the investigation could create unnecessary operational confusion if incomplete records were distributed."
"Those were his exact words?"
"I believe so."
Cross made a note.
"Did you agree with him?"
"I told him that any changes would have to be authorized."
"By whom?"
"The appropriate authority."
"Which person?"
Voss's irritation returned.
"I don't remember."
Cross closed the folder.
"Mr. Voss, we have preserved records indicating that your account accessed several source files after the preservation notice was issued. We also have a message from an administrative account instructing you to use consolidated figures rather than reopen the original records."
He stared at her.
"Those messages could have been sent by someone else using my account."
"That is possible."
"You should investigate that before drawing conclusions."
"We are."
Voss appeared momentarily confused.
Cross continued.
"That is why you're being interviewed rather than accused of a specific act based on incomplete evidence."
For the first time, his composure weakened.
He rubbed his forehead.
"I've worked with these people for years. You don't understand the pressure inside a military organization. Reports have deadlines. Senior officers want answers. If one number changes, ten other documents have to be reviewed."
"That explains why corrections can be difficult. It doesn't explain why a postponed inspection became a completed inspection."
Voss looked at the original report.
Then he said something that changed the direction of the interview.
"The colonel didn't want the numbers changed."
Cross waited.
"He wanted the final report to match the readiness summary. The numbers were already in the summary when I received it."
"Who prepared the summary?"
Voss swallowed.
"Colonel Harlan's office supplied the figures."
"Who instructed you to make the source records match them?"
Voss looked toward the door again.
"Deputy Commander Price."
Cross did not react.
"When?"
"Several months ago. He said the discrepancy had already been reviewed and that the approved totals were final."
"Did you ask for written authorization?"
"Yes."
"Did you receive it?"
"Eventually."
"From Price?"
"No."
Voss lowered his voice.
"From General Mercer's administrative office."
Cross felt a chill.
"Do you have the document?"
"I believe I do."
"Where?"
"In my personal records. I kept a copy because I was concerned about being blamed if the system was audited."
"Why didn't you disclose it earlier?"
Voss looked ashamed.
"Because I thought it would disappear into the same process as everything else."
Cross watched him carefully.
"Mr. Voss, did you initiate the deletion attempt last night?"
"No."
"Did you provide your credentials to anyone?"
He did not answer immediately.
Then he opened his briefcase and removed a small envelope.
"I didn't initiate it," he said. "But I may know how it happened."
He placed the envelope on the table.
Inside was a printed access authorization dated three months earlier.
It granted temporary administrative privileges to a contractor working under an emergency systems-maintenance arrangement.
The approval signature belonged to Deputy Commander Price.
The contractor's name was not Elliot Voss.
It was a name Cross had never encountered before.
Daniel Mercer.
Cross read the document twice.
"Who is Daniel Mercer?"
Voss stared at the table.
"General Mercer's son."
The room fell silent.
Cross looked at the authorization again.
The document did not establish that Daniel Mercer had altered the reports or attempted to delete the evidence. But it showed that the general's son had been granted privileged access to the very system now under investigation.
"Does he still have access?" Cross asked.
"He shouldn't."
"Shouldn't?"
Voss swallowed.
"His authorization was supposed to expire after the maintenance project. But the expiration was never processed."
Cross closed the envelope.
"Mr. Voss, you will provide us with every record you have concerning that authorization. We will verify its authenticity and establish what access was actually used."
Voss nodded.
"And one more thing," Cross added. "Until we complete that review, you are not to access the system or contact anyone about the substance of this interview. Any further instructions will be provided through the appropriate legal process."
Voss rose slowly.
At the door, he turned back.
"Inspector?"
"Yes?"
"I didn't think anyone would get hurt."
Cross held his gaze.
"That may be true. But you had opportunities to question what was happening, and you chose not to."
Voss lowered his eyes.
After he left, Cross walked to the window overlooking the courtyard.
Colonel Harlan had used intimidation to protect himself.
Someone had altered the records.
Someone else had approved the final summaries.
And now a privileged account connected to the general's son had appeared in the middle of the investigation.
She could not assume the general was guilty because of his family connection.
Nor could she ignore the possibility that someone had used that connection to gain access to protected systems.
Cross turned back toward the evidence room.
"Captain Ward," she called.
Ward appeared in the doorway.
"We need to establish Daniel Mercer's actual role in the system. Every access event, every authorization, every communication. No assumptions."
"Understood."
"And I want the general informed that his son's name has appeared in the evidence. He deserves to know, but he must not be allowed to influence the review."
Ward nodded.
Cross looked once more at the envelope.
The investigation had begun with a young private who refused to lie.
Now it had reached the family of a senior general.
And the truth was becoming more dangerous with every name they uncovered.