Walter had never given up on him.
One afternoon, after Michael had been caught stealing another student's backpack, Walter asked him to stay after class.
"Do you know why I keep giving you another chance?" Walter asked.
Michael shrugged.
"Because you feel sorry for me?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"Because I know you're capable of becoming someone better than the person people expect you to be."
Michael had looked away.
Nobody had ever said that to him before.
Walter helped him obtain a scholarship to a technical college.
Michael eventually graduated and became a computer systems specialist.
But life had taken him in a different direction.
He had returned to his hometown to care for his mother after she suffered a serious illness.
That was how he ended up working at the grocery store.
And that was where he had witnessed the incident involving Officer Mitchell.
Michael explained that the seventeen-year-old boy, whose name was Anthony Miller, had been working part-time at the store.
Anthony had discovered that certain deliveries were being recorded as received even though the goods never arrived.
The missing inventory included expensive electronics, household supplies, and other merchandise.
At first, Anthony thought it was a bookkeeping error.
Then he noticed something unusual.
Several of the delivery records contained signatures belonging to people who had never worked at the store.
One signature appeared repeatedly.
It belonged to a police officer.
Richard Mitchell.
Michael had initially dismissed the discovery.
He did not want to become involved in something that could put his job at risk.
But Anthony was determined to report the irregularities.
Three days later, Officer Mitchell arrived at the store.
He spoke privately with the manager.
Then he approached Anthony.
The boy was arrested shortly afterward.
Walter had witnessed the arrest and attempted to intervene.
And that was when Mitchell had turned his attention toward him.
Michael finished explaining.
"Mr. Freeman, I think Mitchell knew you had seen the documents."
Walter remained silent.
Then he asked:
"Do you still have copies?"
Michael answered immediately.
"Yes."
Chapter 16: Daniel Discovers a Larger Problem
Daniel Brooks was reviewing case files in his office when Walter called.
The attorney listened without interrupting.
When Walter finished, Daniel leaned back in his chair.
"Are you certain about this?"
"I only know what Michael told me."
"Did he say whether he has evidence?"
"He says he does."
Daniel looked toward the documents on his desk.
The original case had already exposed several questionable practices within the police department.
But this new information suggested something much larger.
He asked Walter to arrange a meeting with Michael.
However, he also warned him not to confront anyone.
"Mr. Freeman, I need you to understand something. If this is true, we're dealing with more than one officer behaving badly."
Walter nodded, although Daniel could not see him.
"I understand."
"And please don't try to investigate this yourself."
Walter chuckled.
"Daniel, I am seventy-two years old. I think my days of chasing criminals are behind me."
Daniel smiled.
"Good. I'd like to keep them that way."
After the call, Daniel contacted an investigator he trusted.
Her name was Sarah Mitchell.
She had spent fifteen years working on public corruption cases before becoming an independent investigator.
Despite sharing the same surname as the officer, she had no connection to him.
Daniel explained the situation.
Sarah listened carefully.
Then she asked one question.
"Does your elderly witness understand how dangerous this could become?"
Daniel looked at Walter's photograph on his desk.
"I think he understands more than most people."
Sarah nodded.
"Then let's find out what happened."
Chapter 17: The Meeting at Miller's Diner
The meeting took place at a small roadside restaurant called Miller's Diner.
It was an old-fashioned American diner with red leather booths, a long counter, and a coffee machine that seemed to run continuously.
Michael arrived fifteen minutes early.
He chose a table near the window.
He kept looking outside.
When Walter entered, Michael immediately stood.
"Mr. Freeman."
Walter smiled.
"Michael. It's been a long time."
They shook hands.
Michael looked older than Walter remembered. His face was thinner, and there were dark circles beneath his eyes.
Daniel arrived shortly afterward, accompanied by Sarah.
After introductions, Sarah placed a small recording device on the table.
"Before we begin, I want to explain something. We need to document everything carefully. We cannot rely on rumors or assumptions. If there is evidence of wrongdoing, we need to establish exactly what happened."
Michael nodded.
He opened his backpack and removed a small USB drive.
"I copied these records before I left the store."
Daniel looked at it.
"What exactly is on it?"
"Delivery logs, inventory reports, emails between the store manager and an outside company, and a few scanned documents."
Sarah leaned forward.
"Why did you keep these?"
Michael looked down.
"Because I knew something wasn't right. And because I was afraid that if I deleted them, nobody would ever believe what happened."
Sarah connected the drive to her laptop.
Several folders appeared.
She began reviewing the documents.
At first, everything seemed ordinary.
Then she opened a spreadsheet.
It contained dozens of delivery records.
Several entries had been altered.
The original delivery dates did not match the dates entered into the final system.
Some shipments had been recorded as delivered even though the store had never received them.
Sarah opened another file.
It contained a list of names.
One belonged to the store manager.
Another belonged to a regional distribution supervisor.
And a third belonged to a person who had previously appeared in several police department expense reports.
Sarah stopped scrolling.
"Daniel."
He looked at her.
"Yes?"
"Take a look at this."
She pointed to the screen.
There was Mitchell's name.
But it was not the only name.
A senior police administrator had also appeared in the records.
Daniel slowly leaned forward.
The case was becoming much bigger than he had expected.