Thomas Blake was one of Evelyn's closest colleagues, a senior investigator who had worked with her for nearly six years.
He was experienced, intelligent, and widely respected.
He had also been the person who delivered the mysterious recording to Evelyn's office.
HARRIS: "You're saying Blake might be involved?"
EVELYN CARTER: "I'm saying I don't know who I can trust until the evidence tells me."
HARRIS: "He's been working with you for years."
EVELYN CARTER: "That doesn't make him innocent."
Harris looked toward the window.
HARRIS: "If Blake is involved, then someone has been giving them information from the beginning."
EVELYN CARTER: "Exactly."
She picked up her folder.
EVELYN CARTER: "I want the original visitor records, the evidence transfer documents, and every communication connected to the Bell case preserved. Nobody accesses them without authorization."
HARRIS: "Understood."
EVELYN CARTER: "And I want the name of every person who has entered this building since this morning."
HARRIS: "I'll arrange that."
EVELYN CARTER: "One more thing. Don't tell Mitchell what we have discovered."
HARRIS: "You think he'll try to destroy the evidence?"
EVELYN CARTER: "I think he'll try to discover how much we know."
Harris nodded.
For the first time, the lieutenant seemed ready to cooperate without hesitation.
Meanwhile, outside the station, Daniel Reed was sitting in the driver's seat of his car.
He had been instructed to leave the building temporarily while the investigators secured the relevant records.
But he could not stop thinking about the man in the black jacket.
Something about that encounter had bothered him.
He remembered the stranger's face.
He remembered the way the man had smiled.
And most importantly, he remembered the question about his mother.
Daniel reached for his telephone and called her.
The call rang several times before she answered.
MARGARET REED: "Daniel? Is everything all right?"
DANIEL REED: "Hi, Mom. Are you at home?"
MARGARET REED: "Yes. Why?"
DANIEL REED: "Is anyone there?"
MARGARET REED: "No, just me. What's going on?"
Daniel hesitated.
DANIEL REED: "I just wanted to check on you."
MARGARET REED: "You sound worried."
DANIEL REED: "I'm fine. I just need you to do me a favor."
MARGARET REED: "What is it?"
DANIEL REED: "Keep the doors locked. Don't open them for anyone you don't know."
MARGARET REED: "Daniel, you're frightening me."
DANIEL REED: "I'm sorry, Mom. I'll explain everything later."
MARGARET REED: "Are you in trouble?"
DANIEL REED: "No. But I need you to be careful."
After ending the call, Daniel remained in his car.
He looked at the empty passenger seat.
Then he noticed a small piece of paper tucked beneath the windshield wiper.
He had not seen it when he first approached the vehicle.
He stepped outside and removed it.
There was no name.
No address.
Just a handwritten sentence.
YOUR MOTHER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR YOUR CURIOSITY.
Daniel felt his stomach tighten.
He immediately called Evelyn.
DANIEL REED: "Agent Carter, it's Daniel."
EVELYN CARTER: "What's wrong?"
DANIEL REED: "Someone left a message on my car."
EVELYN CARTER: "What does it say?"
Daniel read the words aloud.
Evelyn's expression changed.
EVELYN CARTER: "Where are you?"
DANIEL REED: "In the parking lot outside the station."
EVELYN CARTER: "Don't go anywhere alone. I'm sending someone to you."
DANIEL REED: "They mentioned my mother."
EVELYN CARTER: "I understand. Has anyone approached her?"
DANIEL REED: "I don't know."
EVELYN CARTER: "Listen carefully. Your mother needs to remain somewhere safe. Don't confront anyone, and don't attempt to investigate this yourself."
DANIEL REED: "Understood."
EVELYN CARTER: "Daniel?"
DANIEL REED: "Yes?"
EVELYN CARTER: "You did the right thing by telling me."
She ended the call.
Evelyn looked at Harris.
EVELYN CARTER: "They're trying to frighten the people around us."
HARRIS: "And they're succeeding."
EVELYN CARTER: "Fear is useful to people who have something to hide."
HARRIS: "What do we do?"
EVELYN CARTER: "We stop reacting to their threats and start following the evidence."
She called her security team again.
This time, someone answered.
EVELYN CARTER: "I need immediate assistance for two individuals. One is an officer named Daniel Reed. The other is his mother, Margaret Reed. I also need a secure communication channel established."
The person on the other end confirmed the instructions.
Evelyn ended the call.
Then she turned toward the lieutenant.
EVELYN CARTER: "You mentioned a storage facility earlier. I want to go there."
HARRIS: "Now?"
EVELYN CARTER: "Yes."
HARRIS: "We don't know what's inside."
EVELYN CARTER: "That's why we're going."
The storage facility was located approximately forty minutes outside the city.
It was an old industrial property surrounded by a tall metal fence. Several small warehouses stood behind the entrance, and a security office occupied one corner of the compound.
The place appeared almost abandoned.
A few delivery vehicles were parked near the main gate.
The employees looked surprised when Evelyn and Harris arrived with their identification and official authorization.
Evelyn showed the manager the address written in the former detective's personal notes.
MANAGER: "That unit has been rented for quite some time."
EVELYN CARTER: "Under whose name?"
The manager checked his computer.
MANAGER: "The original registration was made under the name of Samuel Porter."
HARRIS: "I know that name."
EVELYN CARTER: "Who was he?"
HARRIS: "The detective who disappeared."
Evelyn looked at the manager.
EVELYN CARTER: "Can you confirm whether anyone has accessed the unit recently?"
MANAGER: "We have electronic access records."
EVELYN CARTER: "Please retrieve them."