“Because you are not the only person who has access to the system.”
Harris felt his skin grow cold.
“Are you threatening me?”
“I'm telling you to think carefully.”
“About what?”
“Your family. Your career. Your future.”
Harris stood so abruptly that his chair struck the wall.
“Who are you?”
The caller ended the call.
Harris stared at the phone.
For the first time, he understood that the person behind the messages might not be trying to protect the department.
They might be protecting themselves.
He opened the email he had sent to Foster and forwarded a copy to his personal account.
Then he took screenshots of the messages and saved them to a separate drive.
He did not delete them.
He did not hide them.
He sat down, opened a new message to Captain Foster, and wrote:
I have received communications from an unknown person attempting to discourage my cooperation. I believe the messages may be relevant to the investigation. I will provide the original device and a complete statement.
He sent that, too.
Then he waited.
Chapter 23: The Photograph
The forensic team received Wallace's flash drive under a documented chain of custody on Friday afternoon.
They created a verified forensic copy, recorded the device's identifying information, and preserved the original without opening files directly from it.
The photograph was clearer than Wallace had expected.
It showed a dark SUV parked outside the workshop on the night of the incident. Two figures stood near the entrance. One appeared to be holding a long object wrapped in fabric.
The image was grainy, taken from a neighboring property, and did not clearly show either person's face.
But the vehicle's rear plate was partially visible.
The first three characters matched the number Wallace had written in his complaint.
The registration search showed that the vehicle had been assigned to a city-owned fleet pool at the time.
The pool was used by several departments.
One of the authorized users was Deputy Chief Alan Pierce.
Shaw studied the photograph.
“Can we identify the people?”
“Not from this image alone,” the analyst replied.
“Can we establish the vehicle's location?”
“Not without additional records.”
“Check the fleet log. Fuel-card records, maintenance logs, parking access, anything that might establish who had it that night.”
“Understood.”
“Can we determine whether the photograph was edited?”
“The file metadata is limited, but we can compare it with the original storage device and examine the image for signs of alteration.”
“Do that.”
Shaw called Danielle.
“We have a photograph that appears to show a city vehicle near the workshop described in Wallace's complaint. The vehicle was part of a shared fleet, and Deputy Chief Pierce was one of several authorized users.”
“Does the photograph show Pierce?”
“No. It does not clearly identify the people in the image.”
“Then we cannot say it shows him.”
“Correct.”
“Can the vehicle be traced?”
“We're checking the fleet logs.”
“Good. What about the missing envelope?”
“The evidence log confirms that an entry was created and later changed. We are still identifying who changed it and whether the envelope was physically received.”
Danielle looked at the photograph on the screen.
“Is it possible the envelope contained this image?”
“Wallace says the envelope contained photographs related to the workshop incident. We don't have proof that this was one of them.”
“Then keep the distinction clear.”
Shaw nodded.
“I will.”
After the call, she returned to the fleet records.
The SUV had been checked out at 5:42 p.m. on the night of the workshop incident.
The return time was listed as 7:10 a.m. the following morning.
The user field was blank.
The fuel-card record showed a purchase at a station less than two miles from the workshop at 9:14 p.m.
The purchase had been charged to the city's fleet account.
The receipt was not attached.
Shaw asked for the original fuel-card transaction record.
The records officer brought it to her desk.
The transaction had been flagged for review two months after the incident.
The flag had been removed by a user with administrative override access.
The user account belonged to the same administrative group that had modified the mayor's calendar permissions.
Shaw stared at the record.
This was no longer a simple matter of a missing envelope.
The same administrative access group appeared in multiple places:
-
A complaint closure process.
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A property record that had been changed.
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The access history surrounding the mayor's meeting.
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A fleet transaction that had been flagged and later cleared.
None of those facts alone established a conspiracy.
Together, they created a clear investigative path.
Shaw called her forensic lead.
“Expand the review to the administrative override account. I want every action it performed during the last twelve months, including changes to access permissions, evidence records, complaint categories, and fleet records.”
“That could be a large volume of data.”
“Then prioritize actions connected to the eleven complaints and the workshop incident. We can expand further if the results justify it.”
The analyst nodded.
Shaw looked once more at the photograph.
A dark vehicle.
Two indistinct figures.
A workshop entrance.
A registration number that connected the scene to a city fleet.
It was not enough to accuse anyone.
But it was enough to make the missing envelope matter more than ever.
Chapter 24: The Deputy Chief's Office
Deputy Chief Alan Pierce had been a public face of the department for nearly a decade.
He had spoken at neighborhood meetings, attended charity events, and represented the chief at ceremonies. He was known for his polished suits, carefully measured language, and ability to make difficult questions sound as though they had already been answered.
When Eleanor Shaw requested an interview, he agreed without hesitation.
He arrived at the legal offices at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, carrying a leather briefcase.
“Ms. Shaw,” he said, extending his hand. “I understand you're reviewing a number of administrative issues.”
“I am.”
“I want to make sure you have everything you need.”
“Then we'll begin with the administrative override account.”
Pierce sat down.
“Of course.”
Shaw placed a printed access log on the table.
“This account was used to modify access permissions for the mayor's calendar entry, clear a flag on a fleet transaction, and access records related to several complaint closures.”
Pierce examined the page.
“Administrative accounts are used by multiple personnel.”
“Who has access?”
“Several authorized staff members.”
“Can you provide their names?”
“Yes.”
“Did you personally use the account on any of the dates listed?”
“I don't recall.”
“Can you check your calendar and system records?”
“Certainly.”
Shaw turned to the next document.
“Were you aware that a vehicle from the city fleet was photographed outside a workshop connected to a complaint filed by Andre Wallace?”
Pierce looked up.
“No.”
“Were you aware that the vehicle's fuel-card transaction was flagged and later cleared?”
“No.”
“Did you authorize the clearing of that flag?”
“I don't remember doing so.”
“Would you have had a reason to do it?”
“If the transaction had been reviewed and found legitimate, yes.”
“Was it reviewed?”
“I'd have to see the file.”
Shaw slid the record toward him.
“The file does not contain a review note.”
Pierce adjusted his cuff.
“Then it may have been an administrative oversight.”
“Was it your oversight?”
“I can't say without reviewing the records.”
Shaw allowed a pause.
“Did you speak with Lieutenant Harris about the Wallace complaint?”
“I speak with many lieutenants.”
“Did you tell him to close it?”
“No.”
“Did you tell him the complaint was low priority?”
“I don't recall.”
“Did you tell him to avoid further interviews?”
“No.”
“Did you know that Investigator Grant had recommended obtaining the original evidence log and contacting the listed witnesses before closure?”
Pierce's expression barely changed.
“I would need to see the correspondence.”
Shaw placed Grant's original email on the table.
Pierce read it.
“I don't recall seeing this.”
“Your office was copied.”
“Many messages pass through my office.”
“Did you review it?”
“I don't remember.”
Shaw watched him carefully.
Pierce was not openly hostile. He did not raise his voice. He did not accuse her of political motives.
He simply refused to commit to any fact that might connect him to the decisions under review.
That was his right.
It was also a reason to examine the records more closely.
“Deputy Chief, did you know Mayor Brooks was scheduled to meet Lieutenant Harris at the North District annex?”
Pierce folded his hands.
“I knew the mayor had requested records. I don't recall knowing the exact time of a meeting.”
“Did you authorize anyone to alter her calendar permissions?”
“No.”
“Did you authorize the alert that preceded her detention?”
“No.”
“Did you know Officer Cole was going to encounter her?”
“No.”
“Did you know that the alert was sent under Lieutenant Harris's credentials?”
“I learned that after the arrest.”
“From whom?”
“The chief, I believe.”
“Did you contact Lieutenant Harris after learning that?”
“I may have.”
“About what?”
“To ask whether his account had been compromised.”
“Did you tell him to limit his cooperation with the investigation?”
“Absolutely not.”
Shaw made a note.
“Did you send any messages to him warning him about consequences if he spoke to investigators?”
Pierce's face remained composed.
“No.”
“Did you send any messages to anyone else about the investigation?”
“No.”
Shaw closed the folder.
“Thank you. We may need a follow-up interview after the forensic review.”