Reynolds slowly lowered his radio.
He looked toward Reeves.
"Find out exactly where this person is."
Reeves immediately contacted the station security office.
Within seconds, a response came back.
The individual was waiting near the northern ticket counter.
He was an elderly man.
His name was Harold Bennett.
And according to the initial report, he had experienced an incident involving a missing pension envelope approximately four months earlier.
Reynolds turned toward Vance.
"Do you remember Harold Bennett?"
Vance shook his head.
"No."
Reeves looked at the report.
"He's seventy-one years old. Former city maintenance supervisor. He reported that an officer stopped him near the ticket machines, questioned the cash he was carrying, and temporarily took possession of his pension envelope."
Vance frowned.
"I don't remember that."
"Your badge number appears in the original report."
"THAT DOESN'T MEAN I STOLE ANYTHING."
Reynolds remained calm.
"Nobody is asking you to confess to something. We're asking you to explain your involvement."
Vance looked away.
Reeves continued reading.
"The original complaint was marked unresolved because the pension recipient could not provide a complete record of the money involved."
"Exactly," Vance interrupted. "There was no evidence."
Reeves looked up.
"At the time, there wasn't enough evidence to establish what happened. That is different from establishing that nothing happened."
Vance said nothing.
Reynolds turned toward the security officer.
"Bring Mr. Bennett to a private interview area. Make sure he is comfortable and offer medical assistance if necessary."
The officer acknowledged the instruction.
Then Reynolds looked toward Vance.
"Your interview will take place separately."
Vance shook his head.
"This is turning into a circus."
Reeves closed his laptop.
"Then the best thing you can do is cooperate with the process."
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then the station security manager returned with another piece of information.
"Captain, we have located additional footage from the northern platform."
Reynolds turned.
"What footage?"
"It shows Mr. Bennett's earlier interaction with Officer Vance."
Reeves immediately opened his laptop.
"How far back does it go?"
"Four months."
Reynolds nodded.
"Preserve the entire recording."
The security manager connected a storage device to the monitoring computer.
The footage appeared on the screen.
It showed the northern platform on an ordinary weekday afternoon.
Passengers were walking between the ticket machines and the staircase.
A few people were waiting near the platform.
Then Vance appeared.
He was wearing the same dark navy uniform.
He approached an elderly man carrying a brown envelope.
The man was Harold Bennett.
The recording showed Vance stopping him.
They exchanged a few words.
Then Vance pointed toward the envelope.
Bennett appeared confused.
He held the envelope against his chest.
Vance reached toward it.
The elderly man resisted slightly.
Then the officer took the envelope.
Reynolds leaned closer.
The recording continued.
Vance opened the envelope.
He examined its contents.
Then he placed it inside his tactical vest.
Bennett raised both hands.
He appeared to be asking for the money back.
Vance said something.
The audio was unavailable.
But the images were clear.
After approximately two minutes, Vance walked away.
Bennett remained standing near the ticket machine.
He looked confused.
Then he slowly walked toward the staircase.
Reeves paused the footage.
Nobody spoke.
Reynolds looked at Vance.
"Do you remember this?"
Vance stared at the screen.
"I was conducting an investigation."
"What investigation?"
"I don't remember the details."
Reeves looked at the incident database.
"There is no corresponding property seizure record."
Vance shrugged.
"Maybe it wasn't entered correctly."
Reynolds turned toward him.
"Did you return the money?"
Vance hesitated.
"I believe so."
"To whom?"
"I don't remember."
Reeves looked at the footage again.
"Captain, there's something else."
He enlarged the image.
The recording showed Vance leaving the frame.
But the next camera captured him entering a restricted corridor.
He remained there for approximately four minutes.
Then he returned to the main station area.
His tactical vest appeared slightly different.
Reeves pointed toward the screen.
"Look at the front pouch."
Reynolds examined the image.
A rectangular object was visible.
It appeared to be the same brown envelope.
Reynolds looked at Vance.
"Why was the envelope still in your possession after you left the passenger area?"
Vance shook his head.
"I don't know."
Reeves continued.
"Then we need to identify where you went and what happened to the property."
Vance became visibly agitated.
"YOU'RE MAKING ASSUMPTIONS."
Reynolds answered calmly.
"We're examining recordings and records. That's what an investigation is supposed to do."
The security manager switched to another camera.