A federal team secured the storage facility, the administrative headquarters, and the relevant police records.
Financial investigators began tracing the transactions identified in the recovered documents.
Several officers were interviewed.
Some denied knowing anything.
Others admitted that they had signed paperwork without reviewing it.
One officer confessed that he had been instructed to remove a sealed evidence container from the storage room and deliver it to an administrative office.
He had believed the transfer was authorized.
Another officer admitted that he had changed a report after receiving instructions from a supervisor.
He had been told that the correction was necessary to protect the department from a legal dispute.
The investigation was becoming larger than anyone had expected.
But Evelyn knew that the most important piece of evidence was still missing.
The original recording had identified the people involved.
It had not yet explained where the money had gone or who had benefited from the operation.
That information was contained in the financial documents.
The records revealed several transfers to companies that appeared to provide security services, equipment maintenance, and administrative consulting.
However, many of those companies had no real employees.
Some had no registered offices.
Others were connected to individuals who had worked with Mitchell and Lawson.
The money had been moved through several accounts before disappearing into private investments.
The total amount was substantial.
But the financial investigators discovered something even more troubling.
Part of the money had been used to purchase property in the name of a company connected to David Mitchell's family.
And another portion had been transferred to an account associated with Thomas Blake.
Evelyn looked at the documents.
She had expected betrayal.
She had not expected it to be so carefully organized.
Then her telephone rang.
It was an unknown number.
She answered.
EVELYN CARTER: "Carter."
A familiar voice responded.
SAMUEL PORTER: "Agent Carter?"
Evelyn stood up immediately.
EVELYN CARTER: "Porter?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "Yes."
EVELYN CARTER: "Where are you?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "Somewhere safe, for the moment."
EVELYN CARTER: "We've found your files."
SAMUEL PORTER: "Then you know what happened."
EVELYN CARTER: "We know about Lawson and Mitchell. We know about Blake and Collins."
There was a pause.
SAMUEL PORTER: "Then you've discovered more than I expected."
EVELYN CARTER: "Why didn't you come forward?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "Because I was afraid they would destroy the evidence before anyone could verify it."
EVELYN CARTER: "You could have contacted federal authorities."
SAMUEL PORTER: "I did."
EVELYN CARTER: "When?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "Two years ago."
Evelyn froze.
EVELYN CARTER: "Who did you contact?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "Someone in your office."
EVELYN CARTER: "Who?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "I don't know his full name. But he worked with Blake."
Evelyn understood.
Even the first attempt to report the misconduct might have been intercepted.
SAMUEL PORTER: "I have something else."
EVELYN CARTER: "What?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "The original evidence from the Bell arrest."
EVELYN CARTER: "Where is it?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "With me."
EVELYN CARTER: "Can you bring it to us?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "I need a guarantee that I won't be handed back to the same people who tried to silence me."
EVELYN CARTER: "I can arrange a protected interview and secure custody of the evidence."
SAMUEL PORTER: "Then I'll meet you."
He gave her a location.
It was a small roadside café outside the city.
Evelyn informed her team and arranged security.
When she arrived, Samuel Porter was sitting in a corner booth.
He looked older than the photographs.
His beard had grown, his hair was almost completely gray, and his face showed the exhaustion of someone who had spent too long looking over his shoulder.
He stood when Evelyn approached.
SAMUEL PORTER: "Agent Carter."
EVELYN CARTER: "Mr. Porter."
They shook hands.
SAMUEL PORTER: "I wasn't sure anyone would believe me."
EVELYN CARTER: "I believe the evidence."
Porter gave a faint smile.
SAMUEL PORTER: "That's probably the right answer."
He placed a small bag on the table.
Inside were several documents and a digital recording device.
EVELYN CARTER: "Is this the original evidence?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "Yes."
He removed a photograph.
It showed Marcus Bell standing beside a vehicle in the parking area.
A second photograph showed David Mitchell speaking with an unidentified man.
A third showed Richard Lawson receiving a package.
SAMUEL PORTER: "Bell wasn't involved in the theft. He was working nearby when he saw the exchange. He took photographs because he thought something unusual was happening."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did he know who they were?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "Not at first. But he recognized Mitchell later."
EVELYN CARTER: "And what happened?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "He tried to report it. He was told to stay away. Then someone planted information connecting him to stolen property."
Evelyn looked down at the documents.
SAMUEL PORTER: "The arrest was arranged to make him appear unreliable. If he had spoken publicly, people would have questioned why a man with a criminal accusation was making allegations against senior officials."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did Blake know?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "Yes."
EVELYN CARTER: "What about Sarah Collins?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "She helped arrange the internal review. Mitchell controlled the administrative process, Lawson provided authority, and Blake made sure the information reaching your office was incomplete."
Evelyn listened carefully.
SAMUEL PORTER: "But there was someone else."
EVELYN CARTER: "Who?"
Porter looked at her.
SAMUEL PORTER: "Someone above Mitchell."
Evelyn's expression changed.
EVELYN CARTER: "Who?"
SAMUEL PORTER: "A senior official who approved the financial arrangements."