At 4:10 p.m., Daniel Carter received a phone call from an unfamiliar number.
He answered cautiously.
"Agent Carter."
A man's voice came through.
"Daniel, it's Thomas Henderson."
Daniel immediately stood.
"Mr. Henderson?"
"Yes. I saw the news."
"Are you all right?"
There was a pause.
"I don't know."
Daniel moved toward a quieter part of the operations center.
"What's happened?"
"Someone came to my house this afternoon."
Daniel's expression changed.
"Who?"
"I don't know. Two men. They asked whether I had spoken to federal investigators."
"Did you?"
"Not yet. But I was planning to."
Daniel looked toward Reed.
"Did they threaten you?"
"Not directly. They told me that reopening the case would be bad for my family."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"Where are you now?"
"At my brother's house."
"Stay there. Don't return home alone."
Thomas lowered his voice.
"They mentioned my son."
Daniel immediately contacted Reed.
Within minutes, a protective team was being organized.
Thomas Henderson's case had been one of the most troubling incidents in Daniel's investigation.
His son, Michael, had been arrested during a traffic stop two years earlier.
According to the original report, Michael had resisted arrest and assaulted an officer.
However, Thomas insisted that the officers had used unnecessary force.
He had requested body-camera footage repeatedly.
Each request was denied.
Then, after filing a formal complaint, his family began receiving unexpected visits from people claiming to represent the department.
The family eventually stopped pursuing the case.
Daniel had discovered the incident during his fourth month undercover.
He had secretly preserved several documents before they disappeared from the department's system.
Now the family was once again in danger.
At 5:00 p.m., Thomas arrived at a secure federal location accompanied by two agents.
Daniel greeted him.
"Thank you for coming."
Thomas looked exhausted.
"Is my family safe?"
"We're taking precautions."
"I don't want anyone else getting hurt."
Daniel nodded.
"Neither do we."
They entered an interview room.
Emily placed a recorder on the table.
"Mr. Henderson, we'd like you to explain what happened during the original traffic stop."
Thomas took a deep breath.
"My son was driving home from work. Two officers stopped him because they said his rear light wasn't working."
Daniel listened carefully.
"Did they explain anything else?"
"They asked him to get out of the car. He asked why. One officer became angry."
Thomas paused.
"Then they pulled him out."
Emily wrote something down.
"Did your son resist?"
"No."
"Are you certain?"
"I was on the phone with him."
Daniel looked up.
"You heard the incident?"
"Not all of it. But I heard him saying he wasn't resisting."
Thomas reached into his bag.
"I kept something."
He placed a small memory card on the table.
Daniel examined it.
"What's this?"
"A copy of a recording from a nearby security camera."
Emily looked surprised.
"Where did you get it?"
"A neighbor gave it to me before the original footage was deleted."
The recording was played.
The image was grainy, but the incident was visible.
Michael's vehicle stopped.
Two officers approached.
One ordered him out.
Michael raised his hands.
The officers then pulled him from the vehicle and forced him onto the pavement.
There was no clear indication of an assault by Michael.
Daniel watched the footage twice.
"Do you recognize the officers?"
Thomas nodded.
"One of them was Bradley Knox."
Emily stopped writing.
"And the other?"
Thomas hesitated.
"I believe he was working for the commissioner's office at the time."
Daniel looked at Reed, who had entered quietly.
"Do you know his name?"
Thomas shook his head.
"Not exactly. But I remember his face."
Reed leaned forward.
"Would you be willing to identify him if we show you a photograph?"
"Yes."
The team prepared several photographs.
Thomas studied them carefully.
After a moment, he pointed toward one.
"That's him."
The photograph showed Deputy Commissioner Whitmore's former administrative aide, Officer Steven Palmer.
Daniel looked at the image.
Palmer had not appeared prominently in the initial investigation.
He had been transferred to another division shortly after the Henderson incident.
Emily checked the personnel database.
"He's currently assigned to regional operations."
Reed immediately contacted the relevant team.
"We need to locate Palmer and establish his involvement."
Thomas looked frightened.
"Is he dangerous?"
Daniel answered carefully.
"We don't know yet. But we won't ignore what you've told us."
Thomas looked down.
"My son still has nightmares about that night."
Daniel remained silent for a moment.
Then he said, "I'm sorry."
Thomas looked at him.
"Will anything actually change this time?"
Daniel met his eyes.
"That's why we're here."
Outside the interview room, Reed received another message.
Steven Palmer had failed to report for his scheduled shift.
His office was empty.
His personal vehicle was missing.
And nobody had been able to contact him.
The witness had finally spoken.
But the man who might connect Whitmore directly to the incident had disappeared.