At 7:15 the next morning, David Collins received a call from an unfamiliar number.
He was reviewing the overnight surveillance report when his phone vibrated.
"Collins."
A frightened male voice responded.
"Is this the federal investigator?"
"Who is this?"
"My name is James Walker. I filed a complaint against Officer Daniel Hale last year."
Collins immediately sat upright.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Walker?"
"I saw the news about Riverside Park. I saw the officer who tried to arrest that man."
Collins looked toward Marcus, who was reading a report across the room.
"How did you get this number?"
"I found it in an old letter from your office. Please, I need to speak to someone."
"Are you somewhere safe?"
There was a pause.
"I don't think so."
Collins lowered his voice.
"Tell me what's happening."
"I think someone has been following me. A black vehicle has been outside my apartment for two days. Yesterday, someone tried to get into my building."
"Have you contacted local police?"
"No. I don't trust them."
Collins exchanged a look with Marcus.
"Mr. Walker, I need you to stay where you are. Don't confront anyone, and don't leave your location until we arrange a secure meeting."
Another pause followed.
Then Walker spoke.
"Officer Hale wasn't working alone."
Collins stood.
"What do you mean?"
"I complained about him because he planted drugs in my car. I was arrested, and my life was destroyed. But someone from the department came to my house afterward."
"Who?"
"I didn't know his name at the time. He wore a suit and carried a leather briefcase. He told me I should stop making accusations if I wanted to keep my family safe."
"Did he identify himself?"
"He said he was representing the department."
"Can you describe him?"
"White man. Maybe in his fifties. Gray hair. Tall. Expensive watch."
Collins opened a notebook.
"Have you seen him since?"
"Yesterday."
"Where?"
"On television. He was standing behind the commissioner during a press conference."
Collins stopped writing.
"Are you talking about Richard Hale?"
"Yes. I remember his face. I will never forget it."
"Can you identify him officially?"
"I can. I have photographs of the meeting, too."
Collins looked toward Marcus.
"Mr. Walker, do you have any documents from your original complaint?"
"Yes. I kept copies of everything."
"Where?"
"In a storage unit near Westbridge Avenue."
"Do you know the unit number?"
"318."
Collins wrote it down.
"Don't go there alone. We'll arrange a secure meeting."
Suddenly, Walker whispered.
"Someone is outside."
Collins immediately stood.
"Mr. Walker?"
"I can hear them talking."
"Stay inside. Move away from the windows."
A loud noise came through the phone.
Then the connection disappeared.
"James?"
No response.
Collins immediately contacted Marcus.
"We have a witness. His name is James Walker. He says Commissioner Hale personally threatened him after he filed a complaint against Daniel Hale."
Marcus stood.
"Where is he?"
"Westbridge residential district."
"Send a team."
Within minutes, Parker was coordinating a response.
However, before the team could leave, Rebecca received an alert from the city's traffic monitoring system.
A vehicle registered to an individual connected to Richard Hale's brother-in-law had been recorded near Walker's residence.
The vehicle had entered the neighborhood at 6:52 a.m.
It had not been seen leaving.
Marcus examined the photograph.
"Can we identify the occupants?"
"Two males," Rebecca replied. "One appears to be Victor Shaw, a former private security contractor."
Collins recognized the name.
"Shaw used to provide security services for the department."
Marcus nodded.
"Then we're dealing with more than a few corrupt officers."
The team arrived at Walker's apartment twenty minutes later.
The front door was slightly open.
A chair had been knocked over in the living room. A coffee cup lay broken near the kitchen entrance. The curtains were partially pulled from their rails.
Parker examined the room.
"Looks like someone entered in a hurry."
Marcus walked toward a small desk.
A family photograph sat beside a stack of unopened mail.
He noticed a folded piece of paper beneath the photograph.
He picked it up carefully.
Three words were written in blue ink.
STORAGE UNIT 318.
Marcus showed the note to Collins.
"Find it."
Collins nodded.
But before they could leave, an officer outside called through the doorway.
"General! We found something!"
The team moved toward the rear of the property.
A small black envelope had been placed beneath the windshield wiper of their vehicle.
Marcus opened it.
Inside was a photograph of James Walker standing outside his storage facility.
On the back, someone had written:
STOP LOOKING.
Parker looked toward Marcus.
"They know we're here."
Marcus folded the photograph and placed it inside his jacket.
"Then they know we're getting close."
He looked toward Collins.
"Find Walker. I don't care how long it takes."
The investigation had finally produced a witness willing to identify the commissioner.
But now that witness had disappeared.
And someone had made it clear that they were willing to do whatever it took to keep him silent.