Harris placed the glass down.
HARRIS: "That's a serious accusation."
EVELYN CARTER: "Yes. It is."
HARRIS: "Do you have proof?"
Evelyn opened her handbag.
She removed a thin folder containing several printed documents.
Then she placed it on the desk.
EVELYN CARTER: "That's why I came."
Harris stared at the folder.
He did not reach for it immediately.
EVELYN CARTER: "Before we continue, I want to make something clear. I'm not here because of a disagreement between two officers. I'm not here because someone filed a complaint they later regretted. And I'm certainly not here to create problems for people who have done their jobs properly."
She paused.
EVELYN CARTER: "I'm here because a man spent seventeen days in custody for something he may never have done, and the evidence that could have established the truth disappeared while he was in your department's care."
Harris finally opened the folder.
The first page contained the original arrest report.
The second contained a timeline of the events surrounding the arrest.
The third contained a list of electronic access records.
Harris turned the pages slowly.
His face became increasingly tense.
HARRIS: "Where did you get these records?"
EVELYN CARTER: "From sources that have already been verified."
HARRIS: "Some of this information is restricted."
EVELYN CARTER: "I'm aware."
HARRIS: "Then you understand the implications of possessing it."
EVELYN CARTER: "I understand the implications of hiding it."
The room fell silent.
Harris looked down at the final page.
There was a name highlighted in yellow.
He read it once.
Then again.
His hand stopped moving.
EVELYN CARTER: "Do you recognize that name?"
HARRIS: "Yes."
EVELYN CARTER: "Would you like to explain why that person accessed the evidence system shortly before the original report disappeared?"
Harris did not answer.
Outside the office, Daniel was still sitting behind the reception desk.
He could not hear the conversation, but he could see the shadows of the two people moving through the frosted glass.
Every few minutes, someone passed the office and glanced toward the door.
The entire department seemed to be waiting for something.
Then the telephone rang.
Daniel answered.
DANIEL REED: "Police department. How may I direct your call?"
A man's voice came through the receiver.
MAN: "I need to speak with Lieutenant Harris."
DANIEL REED: "May I ask who's calling?"
MAN: "Tell him it's David."
DANIEL REED: "David who?"
There was a brief pause.
MAN: "He'll know."
Daniel looked toward the lieutenant's office.
DANIEL REED: "I'm sorry, sir. He's currently unavailable. Can I take a message?"
MAN: "No. Listen carefully. Tell him that the woman has arrived."
Daniel froze.
DANIEL REED: "What woman?"
The caller lowered his voice.
MAN: "The woman with the badge."
Before Daniel could ask another question, the call ended.
He slowly lowered the telephone.
For several seconds, he remained motionless.
The strange thing was not that someone knew Evelyn had arrived.
The strange thing was that the caller seemed to have been waiting for her.
Daniel glanced toward Robert Miller.
MILLER: "Who was that?"
DANIEL REED: "Someone asking for Lieutenant Harris."
MILLER: "What did he want?"
Daniel hesitated.
DANIEL REED: "He said to tell the lieutenant that the woman had arrived."
Miller stopped writing.
MILLER: "What woman?"
DANIEL REED: "Agent Carter."
Miller's expression changed.
He slowly put down his pen.
MILLER: "Did he give you a name?"
DANIEL REED: "He said his name was David."
Miller looked toward the hallway.
MILLER: "David what?"
DANIEL REED: "He wouldn't say."
Miller stood up.
For the first time that afternoon, the older officer appeared genuinely unsettled.
MILLER: "Daniel, don't make any more calls about this. Don't mention that conversation to anyone else until I speak with the lieutenant."
DANIEL REED: "Sir, what's happening?"
Miller did not answer immediately.
He looked toward the office door, then back at the young officer.
MILLER: "I think you've just walked into something much bigger than you realize."
Inside the office, Evelyn was still watching Lieutenant Harris.
He had placed the documents back on the desk, but his attention was no longer on the paperwork.
HARRIS: "There are things you don't understand about this department."
EVELYN CARTER: "Then perhaps you should explain them."
HARRIS: "This situation is complicated."
EVELYN CARTER: "The facts are not complicated."
HARRIS: "You don't know the people involved."
EVELYN CARTER: "I know enough."
HARRIS: "Some of them have families. Careers. People depending on them."
EVELYN CARTER: "So does Marcus Bell."
Harris looked away.
Evelyn continued.
EVELYN CARTER: "His daughter is eight years old. She spent seventeen nights asking her mother when her father was coming home. His employer replaced him after he missed too many shifts. His neighbors began treating his family differently because they believed the accusations."
She paused.
EVELYN CARTER: "And the entire time, the people who knew something was wrong continued going to work as though nothing had happened."
HARRIS: "You think I wanted this to happen?"
EVELYN CARTER: "I haven't asked what you wanted."
HARRIS: "Then what do you want from me?"
EVELYN CARTER: "The truth."
Harris sat down.
For a moment, he looked considerably older than he had when he entered the room.
Evelyn watched him carefully.
She had learned over many years that people rarely revealed everything during the first conversation. Some became defensive. Others tried to negotiate. A few admitted mistakes immediately.