Renee didn't immediately react.
She looked at the glass wall separating her office from the bullpen.
Daniel was standing near the lockers, talking to another officer.
He laughed at something.
Then he turned and glanced toward her office.
Their eyes briefly met.
Renee looked back at the phone.
"Mr. Simmons, I need you to do something carefully."
"Yes, Captain?"
"Do not open that recording again. Do not download it to a personal device. Do not send it to anyone. Preserve the server logs and notify the independent investigator."
"Understood."
"Can you confirm whether the recording itself has been modified?"
"I'll need forensic verification."
"Then don't attempt to do it yourself. Let the authorized investigator handle it."
Paul hesitated.
"Captain, there's something else."
"What?"
"The access request wasn't submitted through the normal evidence portal."
"Explain."
"It was made using an administrative account."
"Whose account?"
Paul lowered his voice.
"Deputy Chief Whitmore's."
Renee closed her eyes briefly.
"Thank you, Mr. Simmons. Stay available."
She ended the call.
A few minutes later, Lieutenant Reed entered.
"Captain, the independent investigator has arrived."
"Good. Bring them directly to the evidence room."
Marcus noticed her expression.
"Something happened?"
"The original recording exists."
His face changed.
"You're serious?"
"Yes. And Carter accessed it this morning."
Marcus stared at her.
"Why would he do that?"
"That's what we're going to establish."
The independent investigator, Detective Laura Bennett, arrived shortly afterward.
She was a senior investigator from the department's central investigations bureau, with authority to examine evidence-handling violations across precincts.
Renee introduced her to Paul Simmons.
They entered the secured evidence room together.
The room was cold, quiet, and filled with rows of locked cabinets and computer terminals.
Paul logged into the archive system under the investigator's supervision.
He displayed the relevant access history.
Detective Bennett examined the timestamps.
"Three accesses in total," she said.
"Yes," Paul replied.
"One by Whitmore's administrative account. One by the original evidence technician. And one by Carter."
"Correct."
"Was Carter authorized to view the recording?"
Paul shook his head.
"Not through the normal process. His access should have required approval from the investigating supervisor."
Bennett wrote something down.
"Preserve that information."
She then requested a forensic copy of the archived file.
The procedure took nearly an hour.
When the video finally appeared on the monitor, everyone in the room became silent.
The footage showed Daniel standing beside Thomas Bell's vehicle.
The interaction began calmly.
Bell remained seated.
Daniel spoke through the open driver's window.
"Step out of the vehicle."
Bell asked why.
Daniel repeated the instruction.
Bell asked whether he was being detained.
Daniel became visibly irritated.
"Get out of the car."
Bell opened the door slowly.
He placed one foot on the pavement.
Then the camera captured something that wasn't mentioned in the original incident report.
Daniel grabbed Bell by the collar and pulled him away from the vehicle.
Bell stumbled.
"What's wrong with you?" he shouted.
Daniel pushed him against the side of the car.
The camera shook violently.
Then a voice came from off-screen.
"Daniel! That's enough!"
The recording continued for several seconds.
It captured Daniel stepping away from Bell.
It also captured Bell asking for medical assistance.
Detective Bennett paused the footage.
"Is this the complete recording?"
Paul nodded.
"Yes. The file integrity check is consistent with the archived original."
Renee looked at the screen.
"Who is the second officer?"
Paul enlarged the image.
A patrol vehicle was visible behind Bell's car.
The officer approaching from it was clearly identifiable.
Officer Kevin Miller.
Renee looked at Marcus.
"Was Miller interviewed during the original complaint?"
Marcus checked his notes.
"No."
"Why?"
"He wasn't listed as a witness."
Renee looked back at the footage.
The voice was unmistakable.
Kevin had witnessed the confrontation.
And the original investigation had never even asked him what happened.
Detective Bennett saved the forensic record.
"We have enough to expand the investigation."
Renee nodded.
"Proceed."
But as they left the evidence room, Marcus received a message.
He read it.
Then his face tightened.
"Captain."
"What is it?"
"Officer Carter just requested an emergency meeting with Deputy Chief Whitmore."
Renee looked toward the hallway.
"Where?"
"Whitmore's office."
She checked the time.
4:17 p.m.
"Then we'd better make sure nobody interferes with the evidence."
She turned toward Detective Bennett.
"Please secure the relevant access logs immediately."
Bennett nodded.
Renee walked back toward the bullpen.
Daniel saw her approaching.
His smile disappeared.
For the first time that day, he looked genuinely worried.