The room fell quiet again.
A few minutes later, the conference room door opened. Captain Brooks returned with a woman in her early forties wearing a dark office blouse and carrying a small notebook.
Captain Brooks: "Chief, this is Laura Mitchell. She was working at reception when you arrived."
Darius stood.
Darius: "Ms. Mitchell, thank you for coming in. Please have a seat."
Laura sat down cautiously.
Laura: "Thank you, Chief."
Darius: "I understand you received notification about my appointment."
Laura: "Yes, sir. I received it yesterday afternoon. Your name was on the schedule, and I had the appointment details ready."
Darius: "Did you recognize me when I entered the building?"
Laura shook her head.
Laura: "No, sir. I hadn't met you before. But I knew someone was expected at eight o'clock."
Darius: "What happened when Officer Ward approached me?"
Laura took a breath.
Laura: "He asked who you were and why you were there. I tried to tell him that you had an appointment with the executive command. He told me to stay out of it."
Darius: "Did you attempt to show him the appointment notification?"
Laura: "Yes. I turned my monitor toward him, but he didn't look at it."
Darius: "What happened after that?"
Laura glanced at Captain Brooks before looking back at Darius.
Laura: "He started speaking to you in a very aggressive way. You remained calm. You told him you were expected, but he kept interrupting you."
Darius listened without moving.
Laura: "Then he grabbed your tie. I was frightened. I wanted to call security, but everything happened so quickly."
Darius: "Did you see him strike me?"
Laura nodded.
Laura: "Yes, sir. I saw it."
Darius: "Thank you for being honest. Is there anything else you believe we should know?"
Laura hesitated.
Laura: "There is something, Chief."
Darius: "Go ahead."
Laura lowered her voice slightly.
Laura: "This isn't the first time I've seen Officer Ward treat visitors that way."
Robert looked at her.
Robert: "What do you mean?"
Laura turned toward him, then back to Darius.
Laura: "I've seen him speak to people as if they have no right to be here. Sometimes they're confused about where to go, or they don't have all their paperwork. He gets impatient very quickly."
Darius: "Have you reported those incidents?"
Laura looked down at her notebook.
Laura: "Once. I sent an email to my supervisor after a visitor complained about him."
Darius: "What happened?"
Laura: "My supervisor told me it would be handled."
Darius: "Did anyone follow up with you?"
Laura shook her head.
Laura: "No, sir."
Darius looked at Michael.
Darius: "I want that email located. Include the date, the recipient, and any response."
Michael: "I'll find it."
Darius turned back to Laura.
Darius: "Ms. Mitchell, I appreciate you coming forward. You should not feel responsible for what happened this morning. You followed the procedure available to you, and you tried to provide the correct information."
Laura seemed relieved, although her expression remained tense.
Laura: "I just don't want anyone else to be treated like that."
Darius: "Neither do I."
After Laura left, Robert remained standing beside the conference table.
Robert: "Her statement raises additional questions."
Darius: "It does."
Michael looked through his notes.
Michael: "If she submitted a written complaint and there was no follow-up, we need to establish where it went."
Darius: "Exactly. Find the email, the supervisor's response, and any related records. If the complaint was ignored, I want to know why."
Robert: "I'll speak with the Professional Standards Division."
Darius looked at him.
Darius: "No. Deputy Director Miller will come here this afternoon. Until then, I want the relevant records preserved and access restricted to the investigation team."
Robert nodded slowly.
Darius stood and walked toward the screen.
Darius: "We came into this meeting expecting to discuss the department's priorities for the next year. Instead, we're already looking at questions about accountability, supervision, and the way complaints are handled."
He turned back toward the two men.
Darius: "I don't want anyone rushing to protect the department's image. I want the truth, even if the truth makes this institution uncomfortable."
Outside the room, Ethan Ward was being informed that he would be temporarily removed from front entrance duties while the initial review continued. He listened without interrupting, but his face tightened when he heard that the decision had come directly from executive command.
Ethan: "So I'm being taken off duty because of one incident?"
Lieutenant Price: "You're being reassigned while the incident is reviewed."
Ethan: "I've been doing this job for six years."
Price: "And you know the procedures."
Ethan looked away.
Ethan: "This is ridiculous."
Price: "You can explain your actions through the proper process. Until then, follow the instruction."