At 10:30 a.m., Daniel Carter was sitting in the break room with two other patrol officers.
He had a paper cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other.
"She's unbelievable," he said.
Officer Kevin Miller looked up.
"Who?"
"The new captain."
Kevin raised an eyebrow.
"Mitchell?"
"Yeah. Walks in here like she owns the place."
Kevin took a sip of coffee.
"Well, technically..."
Daniel shot him a look.
"Don't start."
Officer James Peterson laughed.
"What happened?"
Daniel leaned back.
"She tried to give me orders before she'd even introduced herself properly. Wanted six months of reports by noon."
"That's a lot."
"Exactly. And apparently, she thinks she's going to clean up the entire department."
Kevin looked uncomfortable.
"Maybe that's not necessarily bad."
Daniel turned toward him.
"Whose side are you on?"
"I'm not taking sides."
"Then don't."
James tried to change the subject.
"So, are we still covering the afternoon shift?"
Daniel nodded.
"Of course. Some of us actually have work to do."
He took another drink.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
She has started looking into the old complaints. Be careful.
Daniel stared at the screen.
His expression changed.
He typed back.
Who is this?
No response came.
He tried calling the number.
The call went directly to voicemail.
"Great," he muttered.
Kevin noticed.
"Everything okay?"
"Yeah."
But Daniel wasn't thinking about the new captain anymore.
He was thinking about Thomas Bell.
Six months earlier, Daniel had stopped Bell for a suspected traffic violation. The encounter had escalated after Bell refused to leave his vehicle without first asking why he was being detained.
Daniel claimed the man had become aggressive.
Bell claimed Daniel had grabbed him, pushed him against the vehicle, and struck him.
There were no serious injuries, but the incident generated a formal complaint.
Daniel had been confident nothing would happen.
Chief Harlan had assured him the matter would be handled internally.
And it had been.
Or so Daniel thought.
At 11:05 a.m., an announcement came over the precinct speakers.
"Officer Daniel Carter, please report to the captain's office."
James looked at him.
"You're popular today."
Daniel stood.
"She's probably going to complain about the paperwork."
He adjusted his uniform and walked out.
When he reached the office, Captain Mitchell was reviewing documents.
"Close the door, Officer."
Daniel obeyed.
"What's this about?"
Renee gestured toward the chair.
"Sit down."
"I'd rather stand."
"That's fine."
She placed a printed report on the desk.
"Do you remember an incident involving Thomas Bell on March fourteenth?"
Daniel's face remained neutral.
"Which incident?"
"Traffic stop on Jefferson Avenue."
"Oh. That."
"What do you remember?"
"Suspect became uncooperative. We had a verbal confrontation. He was detained and later released."
"Was force used?"
"Only what was necessary."
"Was a body camera recording made?"
"Yes."
"Where is it?"
Daniel shrugged.
"I don't know. Those recordings are handled by the evidence department."
Renee turned her laptop toward him.
"The system indicates that the footage was marked unavailable three days after the complaint was submitted."
"Then it probably got corrupted."
"Perhaps."
She opened another document.
"However, the access log indicates that the original recording was viewed before its status changed."
Daniel looked at the screen.
For a fraction of a second, his expression betrayed him.
Renee noticed.
"Do you recognize this authorization?"
Daniel leaned closer.
It was Chief Harlan's digital approval.
"No."
"You're certain?"
"Yes."
She folded her hands.
"Officer Carter, I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm asking questions about a documented incident."
"Then why does this feel like an interrogation?"
"Because you're being asked to explain an official report."
Daniel stood straighter.
"I followed department policy."
"Good. Then providing an accurate account should be straightforward."
He looked toward the door.
"Am I being disciplined?"
"Not at this stage."
"Then am I free to go?"
Renee paused.
"I haven't finished."
Daniel exhaled sharply.
"With respect, Captain, I've got patrol duties."
"And I have command responsibilities."
She picked up another document.
"One final question. Did anyone ask you to change your original incident narrative?"
"No."
"Did anyone instruct you to omit information?"
"No."
"Did you review your body camera footage before submitting your report?"
Daniel hesitated.
"I don't remember."
Renee wrote something down.
"Thank you. That's all for now."
Daniel headed for the door.
Before he left, she spoke again.
"Officer Carter?"
He turned.
"Yes?"
"Do not contact Mr. Bell or anyone involved in this complaint while the review is pending."
His jaw tightened.
"I wasn't planning to."
"Good."
He walked out without another word.
Inside the office, Renee looked at the report again.
She had noticed something else.
Daniel's original statement contained a description of an event that happened after the camera footage was supposedly recorded.
That meant one of two things.
Either he had remembered details that weren't visible on camera...
Or the recording had been edited.
And that possibility changed everything.