But the most important evidence had not yet been recovered.
Jack needed the original message that had directed Daniel to find him.
He needed to identify the person who had sent it.
And he needed to understand why someone inside Westbridge had become so determined to stop an investigation that had not yet been made public.
As the federal agents secured the scene, Laura received another message on her device.
She read it, then looked up at Jack.
LAURA BENNETT: "We've found something in the department's records."
JACK MORGAN: "What is it?"
Laura glanced toward Shaw before answering.
LAURA BENNETT: "A list of planned arrests. Your name isn't the only one on it."
Jack felt the weight of the discovery settle over him.
The list contained several names belonging to people who had previously complained about police misconduct. Some were witnesses. Others were former suspects whose cases had been dismissed.
One name belonged to the confidential source Jack had been scheduled to meet that evening.
The source had not merely postponed their meeting.
They had disappeared.
Jack looked at the fading sunlight, then toward the police station where the records were being held.
The investigation was no longer about proving that Daniel Reed had planted evidence.
It was about discovering why an entire chain of people had been prepared to use the same tactic against anyone who came too close to the truth.
And somewhere inside that chain, someone had already learned that Jack Morgan was investigating them.
The list changed everything.
For several seconds, Jack Morgan stood beside the police cruiser, staring at the names displayed on Laura Bennett's device. The orange light of the setting sun had begun to fade, leaving the street washed in a deeper shade of gold. Federal agents moved between the vehicles, photographing evidence and recording witness statements, while local officers waited under the watchful eyes of investigators.
Ranger sat beside Jack's leg, his leash looped securely around Jack's hand.
JACK MORGAN: "How many people are on that list?"
LAURA BENNETT: "Twenty-three. Some are former suspects, some are witnesses, and several are people who filed complaints against the department."
JACK MORGAN: "And the source I was supposed to meet?"
LAURA BENNETT: "His name is Daniel Foster. He worked in the department's evidence division until six months ago. He reported irregularities in several drug cases, then disappeared after agreeing to cooperate."
Jack looked at the list again.
Daniel Foster had been one of the most important witnesses in the investigation. He had access to records showing when evidence entered police custody, who handled it, and which officers signed the transfer documents. His disappearance had been the reason Jack was sent to Westbridge in the first place.
JACK MORGAN: "When was he last seen?"
LAURA BENNETT: "Yesterday evening. His apartment was found empty this morning. His phone was switched off, and his car was left near the river."
Jack's expression hardened.
JACK MORGAN: "Then we need to find him before whoever took him realizes how much he knows."
Laura nodded and passed the device to another agent.
LAURA BENNETT: "I've already requested a search team. We're also reviewing traffic cameras around his apartment."
Jack turned toward the police station.
JACK MORGAN: "What about the list? Who created it?"
LAURA BENNETT: "The document came from a restricted department server. The access logs were partially deleted, but our technical team recovered a fragment showing that someone used an administrator account shortly before Foster disappeared."
JACK MORGAN: "Can you identify the account?"
LAURA BENNETT: "We're working on it."
Jack studied the names one more time.
The list did not simply identify people who might become inconvenient to the department. Several entries included notes beside their names, brief descriptions of their complaints, employment situations, and personal circumstances. One former suspect was marked as financially vulnerable. Another was described as likely to withdraw his complaint if threatened with additional charges.
The language was cold and calculated.
These were not ordinary investigative notes.
They were assessments of how easily human beings could be pressured into silence.
Jack had spent years investigating organized crime, public corruption, and abuses of authority. He had seen individuals use their positions to intimidate others, but the list suggested something more systematic. Someone had been studying the people who challenged the department and identifying ways to discredit them before their complaints could gain attention.
His own name had appeared because someone believed he might be another problem that needed to be contained.