Daniel looked at her again, trying to understand what she was implying.
DANIEL REED: "Ma'am, I'm going to need you to provide some identification before I can direct you anywhere."
The woman nodded.
For the first time since entering the building, she reached into her handbag.
She did not immediately remove anything.
Instead, she carefully moved aside a small notebook, a set of keys, and a pair of reading glasses. Then she took out a dark leather identification wallet.
Daniel watched her hands.
WOMAN: "I was hoping we could avoid making this more complicated than necessary."
DANIEL REED: "Then let's start with your identification."
She placed the wallet on the counter.
But before Daniel could reach for it, she opened it herself.
Inside was an official badge.
The gold-colored shield caught the light from the ceiling.
Beneath it was an identification card bearing her photograph, her full name, and an official designation that Daniel did not immediately understand.
He leaned forward.
His eyes moved from the photograph to the badge.
Then he read the name.
His expression changed almost instantly.
The confidence disappeared from his face.
His fingers, which had been resting on the keyboard, slowly moved away.
He looked at the badge again, hoping that he had misunderstood what he was seeing.
But the information was unmistakable.
The woman standing in front of him was not an ordinary visitor.
She was Special Agent Evelyn Carter, an investigator assigned to the federal oversight division responsible for examining serious misconduct involving law enforcement agencies.
And she had not come to the station to ask for information.
She had come because she already knew what had happened.
DANIEL REED: "I'm sorry... I didn't realize..."
EVELYN CARTER: "That's perfectly fine, Officer."
Daniel stood up so quickly that his chair moved backward.
DANIEL REED: "Agent Carter?"
EVELYN CARTER: "Yes."
DANIEL REED: "I wasn't informed that you were coming."
EVELYN CARTER: "I understand."
DANIEL REED: "I mean, if I had known, I would have..."
EVELYN CARTER: "You would have what?"
Daniel stopped speaking.
He looked toward the other officers, hoping someone might offer an explanation or step in to help him.
One officer sitting near the filing cabinets had already noticed the change in his behavior.
Another had stopped speaking on the telephone.
Evelyn quietly closed her identification wallet.
EVELYN CARTER: "Please tell Lieutenant Harris that Evelyn Carter is here."
Daniel immediately reached for the telephone.
DANIEL REED: "Yes, ma'am. Of course."
He dialed the internal extension.
While waiting for someone to answer, he continued glancing at her.
There was something unsettling about the situation.
He had expected an angry visitor, perhaps someone demanding information about a relative or complaining about an arrest. Instead, a federal investigator had walked into his department and calmly asked about a missing report.
And Daniel suddenly understood that his first conversation with her might have been more important than he realized.
A few seconds later, the telephone was answered.
DANIEL REED: "Lieutenant? This is Daniel at the front desk. There's someone here asking for you."
He paused.
DANIEL REED: "Yes, sir. Special Agent Evelyn Carter."
There was a silence on the other end.
Daniel listened carefully.
Then his eyes widened.
DANIEL REED: "Understood, sir."
He slowly placed the telephone back in its cradle.
EVELYN CARTER: "Is he available?"
DANIEL REED: "He's coming right out."
EVELYN CARTER: "Thank you."
She stepped away from the counter and waited.
Daniel remained standing.
He wanted to say something else, perhaps apologize for his earlier attitude, but the words seemed impossible to arrange.
Across the room, an older officer named Robert Miller had been watching the interaction.
Miller had worked in the department for almost thirty years. He had seen new officers arrive with enthusiasm, experienced officers leave after difficult cases, and entire investigative teams change following internal reviews.
He had also learned something that younger officers sometimes forgot.
The most important people in a room were not always the ones speaking the loudest.
MILLER: "Everything all right, Daniel?"
Daniel turned toward him.
DANIEL REED: "Yes, sir. I think so."
MILLER: "You think so?"
Daniel lowered his voice.
DANIEL REED: "She's from federal oversight."
Miller's expression became serious.
He looked toward Evelyn.
For a moment, he seemed to recognize her.
Then he stood up.
MILLER: "Agent Carter?"
EVELYN CARTER: "Officer Miller."
MILLER: "It's been a long time."
EVELYN CARTER: "It certainly has."
MILLER: "I wasn't expecting to see you here."
EVELYN CARTER: "I imagine you weren't."
Their brief exchange caught Daniel's attention.
He looked from Miller to Evelyn.
They clearly knew each other.
And judging by the way Miller addressed her, their connection went much further back than a simple professional introduction.
MILLER: "How have you been?"
EVELYN CARTER: "Busy."
MILLER: "I suppose that's one way to describe it."
Evelyn gave a faint smile.
EVELYN CARTER: "I hope you're still keeping this place running properly."
MILLER: "We do our best."
EVELYN CARTER: "Good. Then perhaps today will be easier than I expect."
Miller did not respond.
Instead, he glanced toward the hallway leading to the lieutenant's office.
Something in her last sentence seemed to concern him.
Before he could ask another question, the office door opened.
Lieutenant Michael Harris stepped into the main room.
He was a tall man in his early fifties, with short gray hair and a serious expression. He wore his uniform neatly, and his movements carried the confidence of someone accustomed to being obeyed.