Ethan collected his belongings and left the office.
As he walked past the reception desk, he noticed Laura speaking with another employee. Their conversation stopped when he approached. He looked at them for a moment before continuing toward the locker room.
But the incident had already begun to reveal something larger than a confrontation between two men.
The security recordings were preserved. A witness had described what she saw. An earlier complaint had surfaced. And the incoming chief was beginning to discover that the department's internal procedures might not be as reliable as its leadership had claimed.
At 11:45 a.m., Michael Bennett received a message from the records unit.
Several older complaints involving Officer Ethan Ward had been located.
There were more documents than expected.
Some were marked as resolved. Others contained handwritten notes, incomplete witness information, and references to conversations that had never been formally documented.
Michael opened the first file, then the second.
His expression gradually changed.
Michael: "Robert, you need to see this."
Robert approached the desk.
Robert: "What is it?"
Michael turned the screen toward him.
Michael: "These aren't just two complaints. There are several."
Robert began reading.
One report described an officer who had allegedly shouted at a visitor in the public entrance. Another concerned a man who claimed he had been threatened after asking for help with a missing-person report. A third involved a woman who said she had been treated differently from other visitors and prevented from entering a waiting area.
The reports were separated by months, but several contained similar descriptions of the same officer.
Robert looked at Michael.
Robert: "Why weren't these included in the personnel summary?"
Michael scrolled down.
Michael: "Some were classified as informal inquiries. Others were closed after preliminary review."
Robert: "Who authorized the closures?"
Michael checked the names.
Michael: "In several cases, the approvals came from the same supervisory office."
Robert stared at the screen.
Robert: "Get the complete files."
Michael: "I'm already requesting them."
At that moment, Darius returned to the conference room after a brief call with the city administration. He noticed the documents spread across the table.
Darius: "What have you found?"
Michael stood.
Michael: "We located additional complaints involving Officer Ward. They appear to have been handled through several different internal processes."
Darius picked up the first report.
He read it carefully, then moved to the next.
Darius: "How many?"
Michael: "At least five records so far, although we haven't confirmed whether all of them concern the same incidents or whether some were duplicated."
Darius continued reading.
Darius: "And who reviewed them?"
Michael pointed to the approval sections.
Darius examined the names and dates.
Darius: "I want every person involved in reviewing these complaints identified. I also want to know whether the complainants were contacted after their cases were closed."
Robert: "We'll establish that."
Darius placed the documents back on the table.
Darius: "This investigation is no longer limited to what happened this morning. We need to determine whether there was a pattern of misconduct and whether the department's own processes allowed it to continue."
Michael nodded.
Darius looked toward the clock.
The meeting that had been scheduled for eight in the morning was now approaching noon, and the questions were multiplying faster than the department could answer them.
Then Michael's phone vibrated.
He glanced at the message, read it twice, and looked up.
Michael: "Chief, the records unit has found something else."
Darius turned toward him.
Darius: "What?"
Michael hesitated before answering.
Michael: "One of the older complaints appears to have been closed less than twenty-four hours after it was submitted. The file also contains a note indicating that the complainant later requested to speak with a senior commander."
Robert frowned.
Robert: "Was that request granted?"
Michael looked down at the screen again.
Michael: "There is no record of a meeting."
Darius remained still.
Darius: "Who closed the complaint?"
Michael turned the laptop so Darius could see the name.
For the first time that morning, Robert's expression changed in a way that Darius could not ignore.
The name belonged to someone who still held a senior position inside Harbor Point Police Department.
Darius stared at the name displayed on Michael Bennett's laptop.
It belonged to Deputy Chief Victor Langley, the senior commander responsible for overseeing administrative operations and internal discipline at Harbor Point Police Department.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Robert Hayes slowly pulled out a chair.
Robert: "Victor Langley?"
Michael nodded.
Michael: "He was the approving commander on the original complaint. According to the record, he authorized its closure."
Darius looked at the document again.
Darius: "And where is he now?"
Robert: "He's in his office on the third floor."
Darius: "Does he know we're reviewing these files?"
Michael: "Not yet."