The man in the baseball cap stopped when he saw Olivia's badge.
For a moment, he looked surprised.
Then he smiled.
"Afternoon, officers."
Olivia didn't return the smile.
"Can we help you?"
"I'm looking for someone."
"Who?"
"Peter Lawson."
Lawson stood several feet behind her.
His breathing had become shallow.
Olivia shifted slightly, blocking the man's view.
"What's your relationship with Mr. Lawson?"
The man shrugged.
"Old friend."
"What's your name?"
"Michael."
"Last name?"
"Does that matter?"
"It does now."
The man glanced toward the stairs.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding."
Sarah moved closer.
"Sir, keep your hands visible."
Michael laughed.
"Are you serious?"
Olivia remained composed.
"We're conducting an official investigation. Mr. Lawson is cooperating with us. If you have information, you can provide it through the appropriate channels."
"I just came to talk."
"Then you can speak to us."
He stared at her for several seconds.
Then he slowly stepped backward.
"Fine."
He walked toward the entrance.
Before leaving, he looked at Lawson.
"Tell your brother's family I said hello."
The words landed like a threat.
Then he disappeared outside.
Sarah immediately called for assistance.
Olivia turned toward Lawson.
"Do you know him?"
Lawson nodded.
"His name is Michael Crane."
"Who does he work for?"
"I don't know officially."
"Unofficially?"
Lawson's eyes filled with fear.
"Northstar Protective Services."
Olivia felt the pieces beginning to connect.
Northstar.
Harlan.
Mercer.
The missing recording.
The financial records.
The former witness who had disappeared.
She stepped away and called Marcus Reed.
He answered immediately.
"Olivia?"
"We have a problem."
She explained what had happened.
Reed listened without interrupting.
When she mentioned Michael Crane, his tone changed.
"Do not let Lawson leave with anyone."
"He's frightened."
"I'll send two investigators."
"Marcus, there's more. Lawson says the recording shows Captain Mercer at the scene."
Silence.
Then Reed spoke.
"Are you certain?"
"He says he saw Mercer getting out of another vehicle."
"Did he see him speak to Harlan?"
"He hasn't explained that yet."
"Don't question him further until we arrive."
Olivia looked toward the entrance.
The dark SUV was gone.
"Understood."
She ended the call.
Sarah was watching her.
"What now?"
"Now we secure the witness."
They moved Lawson into the apartment and waited for Reed's investigators.
During the next twenty minutes, Lawson explained that he had kept a copy of the recording on an old external hard drive.
His brother, James, had taken it before disappearing.
James had been a computer technician who believed the recording might be important in proving Price's innocence.
He had promised to deliver it to an attorney.
But he never did.
After James disappeared, Lawson searched his apartment and found a handwritten note.
It contained a location and a date.
The location was an abandoned storage facility outside Westbridge.
The date was three days after James vanished.
Olivia copied the information into her notebook.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Lawson looked exhausted.
"Because I thought my brother had been killed."
Sarah looked at him.
"Do you have evidence of that?"
"No. But I know he wouldn't disappear without telling me."
Reed's investigators arrived shortly afterward.
They took Lawson's formal statement and arranged protective accommodation while the department assessed the threat.
Before leaving, Lawson looked at Olivia.
"Detective?"
"Yes?"
"If you find that recording, don't let them take it."
Olivia nodded.
"I won't."
Back at the precinct, Olivia received a call from Lieutenant Reed.
"Where are you?"
"On my way back."
"Good. Come directly to my office."
"What's happened?"
"I found something in the second file."
"What?"
Reed paused.
"The financial transfers aren't the only connection to Northstar."
Olivia waited.
"There's a contract between the company and a private holding firm."
"Who owns it?"
"That's the problem."
Reed lowered his voice.
"The holding firm is registered to a woman named Patricia Harlan."
Olivia stopped walking.
"Richard's wife?"
"Yes."
"How much money?"
"Over four hundred thousand dollars across three years."
Olivia stared at the street ahead.
"Does Harlan know we've found it?"
"I don't think so."
"Then we need to move carefully."
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The second file includes an authorization document bearing Captain Mercer's signature."
Olivia's expression hardened.
"What does it authorize?"
Reed answered slowly.
"Payment for a special operation that never officially existed."
Olivia understood immediately.
The investigation was no longer about a single officer.
It was about a network of people who had used the department's authority to protect their own interests.
And the envelope Harlan had torn open was only the beginning.