At 12:40 p.m., Renee was reviewing staffing schedules when someone knocked on her office door.
"Come in."
A young woman entered.
She wore a navy uniform and carried a thin notebook.
"Captain Mitchell?"
"Yes."
"Officer Emily Brooks. We met briefly this morning."
Renee smiled.
"Of course. Have a seat."
Emily sat down but kept her notebook in her hands.
"Is something wrong?"
Emily looked toward the glass wall.
Then she lowered her voice.
"I heard you were reviewing the Thomas Bell complaint."
Renee closed the document in front of her.
"Why?"
"Because I was there."
Renee studied her.
"You were present during the traffic stop?"
"No, ma'am. I was working in records when the complaint came in."
"What did you see?"
Emily took a breath.
"Officer Carter came into the records room a few days after the incident. He asked whether the body camera footage had been uploaded."
"Was that unusual?"
"Not by itself. Officers sometimes check their recordings."
"What happened next?"
Emily opened her notebook.
"He asked me to print a copy of the incident summary. Then he asked whether the original recording could be replaced if the upload was incomplete."
Renee's expression remained calm.
"Did you explain the retention policy?"
"Yes. I told him original recordings couldn't simply be replaced."
"And?"
"He became irritated."
Emily paused.
"He said the chief had already approved the correction."
Renee leaned forward.
"Did he specify what correction?"
"He said the report needed to reflect that Mr. Bell had resisted arrest before physical contact occurred."
Renee looked down at her notes.
"Was that sequence reflected in the original report?"
"No. The original report said the confrontation started after Mr. Bell was already outside the vehicle."
Silence settled between them.
Renee asked another question.
"Did you tell anyone about this at the time?"
"I told Lieutenant Reed."
"What did he say?"
"He told me to document everything and avoid making assumptions."
"Did you?"
Emily opened the notebook to a dated page.
"I wrote down the time, the conversation, and the names of everyone present."
Renee examined the notes.
The handwriting was neat.
There was a date, a time, and a short description of the conversation.
"Did you make a formal statement?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Emily looked embarrassed.
"Because I was afraid."
Renee didn't interrupt.
Emily continued.
"Officer Carter has been here longer than I have. He knows people in administration. He jokes with supervisors, gets invited to private gatherings, and acts like nobody can question him."
"Did he threaten you?"
"Not directly."
"Then what made you afraid?"
Emily looked down at her hands.
"Last year, another records clerk questioned a missing evidence entry. Two weeks later, she was transferred to another unit. Everyone said it was a coincidence, but nobody wanted to ask."
Renee nodded slowly.
"I understand."
Emily looked up.
"Are you going to protect me?"
The question was quiet, but it carried enormous weight.
Renee put her pen down.
"Officer Brooks, I cannot promise you that this process will be comfortable. I can promise that retaliation will not be tolerated. Your statement will be handled through the proper investigative channels, and you will not be asked to investigate this matter yourself."
Emily's shoulders relaxed slightly.
"Thank you."
"One more thing."
"Yes, Captain?"
"Don't discuss this conversation with anyone who isn't authorized to know about it."
Emily nodded.
When she left, Renee immediately contacted Lieutenant Reed.
He arrived ten minutes later.
"Captain?"
"Please close the door."
Marcus did.
Renee handed him a copy of Emily's notes.
"She has information about the Bell complaint."
Marcus read the page.
His face darkened.
"That confirms what I suspected."
"Do you know who handled the evidence archive?"
"Records supervisor Linda Harris."
"Is she still here?"
"Yes. She's assigned to the administrative division."
"Bring her in. I want her to explain the access log, but make sure we preserve the original records first."
Marcus nodded.
"Understood."
He started toward the door.
"Lieutenant?"
He turned.
"Yes?"
"Has anyone else experienced pressure from Carter or his supervisors?"
Marcus hesitated.
"Several people have mentioned it."
"Names?"
"I'll prepare a confidential list."
"Good."
When Marcus left, Renee looked through the glass partition.
Daniel was standing near the patrol briefing board, laughing with two colleagues.
He appeared completely relaxed.
He had no idea that the people he had dismissed as insignificant were beginning to speak.
And that was precisely what made the next development dangerous.
At 1:30 p.m., the records supervisor entered Renee's office carrying a sealed envelope.
"Captain, I believe you should see this."
Renee accepted it.
"What is it?"
"An archived evidence request."
"From whom?"
Linda hesitated.
"Chief Harlan."
Renee opened the envelope.
Inside was a printed authorization form.
The date matched the day the Bell footage disappeared.
But the signature at the bottom wasn't Harlan's.
It belonged to someone else.
Someone who still worked inside Westbridge.
And someone Renee had not yet questioned.