Marcus read the line again.
The official report had stated that the missing property was found during an inspection at his father's workplace. But the transfer receipt appeared to place the same property in a different location on an earlier date.
MARCUS: "Was this receipt included in the original investigation?"
EVELYN: "I haven't confirmed that."
MARCUS: "Then we need to establish when it entered the record."
Evelyn opened another document.
EVELYN: "There's something else. The employee number attached to the transfer belongs to a former evidence clerk named Daniel Mercer."
Marcus wrote down the name.
MARCUS: "Can we locate him?"
EVELYN: "His employment records show that he left the department several years ago. His current address will need to be obtained through authorized channels."
MARCUS: "Do that. Don't contact him until we've reviewed the file."
Evelyn nodded.
For the next hour, they examined the available records without drawing conclusions. They compared dates, noted missing attachments, and identified the documents that would need independent verification.
By midmorning, a preliminary pattern had emerged.
Several records associated with the missing shipment had been amended after the original investigation.
Some amendments appeared to be ordinary corrections.
Others changed the chain of custody without explaining why.
The file did not establish who had made the changes or whether they had been authorized properly.
But it showed that the original case had relied on a record set that was not as complete as the department had claimed.
Marcus closed the folder.
MARCUS: "We need to reopen the evidence review."
EVELYN: "I agree. But there is a procedural issue."
MARCUS: "What issue?"
EVELYN: "Because your father was the subject of the original investigation, you need to disclose the relationship formally. An independent reviewer may need to handle some of the findings."
Marcus nodded.
MARCUS: "I'll submit the disclosure today."
EVELYN: "You understand that you may have to step away from the case."
MARCUS: "If the rules require it, I will."
He said it without hesitation.
His father deserved a fair review, not an investigation that could be dismissed because Marcus had a personal interest in the outcome.
He wanted the truth established through evidence that could withstand scrutiny.
If that meant handing the file to another investigator, he would do so.
Evelyn studied him for a moment.
EVELYN: "Your father would probably appreciate that."
Marcus looked down at the folder.
MARCUS: "My father would want the truth. Even if it wasn't the answer he expected."
Before Evelyn could respond, her laptop chimed.
A new message had arrived from the records administrator.
She opened it and read the contents carefully.
EVELYN: "They've located the original paper inventory."
MARCUS: "Where?"
EVELYN: "In a storage archive outside the main department building."
MARCUS: "Has anyone examined it?"
EVELYN: "Not yet. The archive manager says the box is sealed, but the seal number doesn't match the number listed in the digital record."
Marcus looked up.
MARCUS: "How different?"
EVELYN: "The digital record refers to seal number 4187. The box in storage is marked 4817."
Neither spoke for several seconds.
A transposed number could be an ordinary clerical error.
But when the same case contained unexplained amendments, a disputed chain of custody, and an anonymous warning, the discrepancy deserved careful attention.
MARCUS: "Photograph the box before anyone opens it. Document the seal, the label, and the storage location. Have an independent evidence custodian present."
EVELYN: "I'll arrange it."
MARCUS: "And preserve the access logs."
Evelyn made a note.
The next few hours passed in a series of phone calls, formal requests, and procedural checks.
Marcus submitted his disclosure regarding his father.
Evelyn coordinated with the archive manager.
The oversight office assigned an independent evidence custodian to supervise the inspection.
No one was permitted to alter the records or remove material from storage without documentation.
At two in the afternoon, Marcus received a call from Sergeant Daniel Brooks.
BROOKS: "Investigator Cole, I wanted to give you an update on yesterday's incident."
MARCUS: "Go ahead."
BROOKS: "The available recordings are being secured. The witness has provided information about her video, and the initial report is under review."
MARCUS: "Has Officer Miller submitted his statement?"
BROOKS: "He has submitted a preliminary account. It differs from your description in several important respects."
MARCUS: "That's expected. The recordings should help establish the sequence."
BROOKS: "There is one issue I thought you should know about."
MARCUS: "What is it?"