"We'll need to compare it with official schedules and any available communications."
Marcus nodded.
"Do that."
Price leaned forward.
"Commander, if they know this ledger has been found, they'll try to destroy the rest of the records."
Marcus looked at him.
"Then we need to move before they realize how much we have."
The team leader approached.
"Commander, we've secured the primary evidence. We should transfer it to the external investigation facility."
"Agreed."
Marcus looked toward Price.
"Are you able to travel?"
Price nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Then you'll come with us. We'll arrange medical attention and a protected statement."
Price looked at the ledger one last time.
"Please don't let them make it disappear again."
Marcus placed a hand on the edge of the black case.
"They won't."
As the investigators prepared to leave, Marcus received another call.
It was Daniel Kim.
"Commander, there's a problem."
Marcus stepped away from the group.
"What happened?"
"Officer Michael Turner has left the headquarters."
"Did he leave voluntarily?"
"He signed out, saying he had a personal appointment."
"Did you secure his workstation?"
"Yes, sir. But the system logs show that someone attempted to access the archive records after the preservation hold was initiated."
Marcus's expression hardened.
"Which account?"
"An administrative account linked to Deputy Chief Voss's office."
Marcus looked toward the investigator.
"Was anything deleted?"
"We don't know yet. The technical team is checking."
Marcus turned back to the phone.
"Find Turner. Do not approach him without the external team."
"Understood."
"Also, make sure the security office preserves the vehicle logs and access records."
"Yes, Commander."
Marcus ended the call.
He looked toward Daniel Price.
"Do you know Michael Turner personally?"
Price nodded.
"He was involved in several evidence transfers."
"Was he working alone?"
Price hesitated.
"No."
"Who helped him?"
Price looked at the floor.
"An officer named Peter Lawson."
Marcus recognized the name from the list.
Lawson was a supervisor in the records unit.
Price continued.
"Lawson handled the electronic records. Turner moved the physical evidence. Voss approved the transfers."
Marcus looked at the investigators.
"Add Lawson to the list of personnel requiring review."
The team leader nodded.
"Understood."
The group began moving toward the vehicles.
Before Marcus entered his car, Price stopped him.
"Commander."
Marcus turned.
"Yes?"
"There is one person you need to speak to before tomorrow evening."
"Who?"
"Victor Hale."
Marcus's expression changed.
"The man convicted in the Eastbridge case?"
Price nodded.
"He knows something about the Northbridge operation. He was never supposed to be convicted. The evidence against him was arranged to protect the real people involved."
Marcus studied him.
"Where is he now?"
"He's still in the correctional system."
"Has he ever tried to appeal?"
"Several times. His appeals were rejected because the official file showed that the evidence had been reviewed and certified."
Marcus thought about the forged signature.
His own name had helped support the conviction.
"Does he know about the missing witness statement?"
"I don't know."
Marcus looked toward the investigators.
"We need to obtain the complete case file and arrange an independent review of Victor Hale's conviction."
The team leader nodded.
"That will require coordination with the appropriate legal authorities."
"Then begin the process immediately."
Price looked at Marcus.
"There's another reason I mentioned him."
"What is it?"
"Victor Hale was not the only person who knew about the warehouse operation. There was another witness."
Marcus waited.
"A young woman named Emily Carter."
Marcus frowned.
"Where is she?"
"She disappeared shortly after the trial."
"Do you know why?"
Price shook his head.
"But before she disappeared, she told Iris that she had seen Deputy Commissioner Bennett at the warehouse."
Marcus looked at him.
"Personally?"
"Yes."
The information was significant.
If Emily Carter had witnessed Bennett at the warehouse, her testimony could directly connect the regional deputy commissioner to the operation.
Marcus looked toward the city.
The investigation was expanding.
The forty-nine cases were no longer just a list of irregular reports.
They were connected to a network involving private security contracts, altered evidence, missing witnesses, and senior officials who appeared to have used their authority to protect the operation.
And now there was a witness who might be able to confirm the connection.
Marcus turned to the team leader.
"Add Emily Carter to the witness search."
"Yes, Commander."
The convoy left the old warehouse.
Marcus traveled in the second vehicle, following the investigators toward the secure facility.
He looked out of the window as the industrial district passed.
His thoughts returned to the Eastbridge case.
He remembered Victor Hale's face in court.
He remembered the confidence with which he had presented the evidence.
He remembered the final report bearing his signature.
He had believed he was doing the right thing.
But if his name had been used to certify an incomplete investigation, then his professional reputation had become part of someone else's deception.
He could not change what had happened seven years earlier.
But he could help establish the truth now.
When the convoy arrived at the secure facility, Daniel Price was taken inside for medical attention and a formal interview.
The evidence containers were transferred to a controlled storage area.
Every item was checked against the inventory.