He also admitted receiving cash.
However, he insisted that he had not personally taken any pension money.
Laura listened carefully.
"Did you know how Vance obtained the money?"
Cole nodded slowly.
"He told me he was checking suspicious payments."
"Did he tell you that he was keeping the money?"
Cole hesitated.
"Not directly."
"What did he tell you?"
Cole looked down.
"He said some of the cash would be held temporarily."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"Did he ever show you any of the money?"
Cole nodded.
"Once."
"Where?"
"In a staff corridor at the central station."
Laura's expression changed.
The corridor.
The same location where security footage showed Vance disappearing after taking Harold Bennett's envelope.
She asked another question.
"Was there a storage area inside that corridor?"
Cole nodded.
"There's a maintenance room."
Laura looked toward Reeves.
He immediately made a note.
"Did you ever enter that room with Officer Vance?"
Cole nodded again.
"Yes."
"When?"
"Several months ago."
"What was inside?"
Cole swallowed.
"An equipment cabinet. And a small metal box."
Laura waited.
"Did you see pension envelopes inside?"
Cole looked at the table.
"Yes."
The room fell silent.
Laura finally spoke.
"How many?"
"I don't know. Maybe five or six."
"Did you know who they belonged to?"
"Some of them."
"Did you see Walter Harrison's envelope?"
Cole shook his head.
"Not at that time."
"Did you see Harold Bennett's?"
Cole hesitated.
Then he nodded.
Laura looked toward Reeves.
The investigation had just uncovered a potential location where missing pension payments had been stored.
But before they could take the next step, Cole made another statement.
And this time, it changed everything.
"There's something else you need to know."
Laura looked at him.
"What?"
Cole took a deep breath.
"The money wasn't always kept in the maintenance room."
"Where else?"
Cole looked toward the closed interview room door.
Then he lowered his voice.
"Sometimes it was taken out of the station."
"By whom?"
"Vance."
"Where did he take it?"
Cole hesitated.
Then he said:
"I don't know all the locations. But there was another officer involved."
Laura stared at him.
"Who?"
Cole looked down.
"I only know his first name."
"Tell me."
Cole swallowed.
"Marcus."
Reeves immediately began searching the personnel records.
Laura continued.
"Do you know his full name?"
Cole shook his head.
"No."
"Do you know which station he worked at?"
"Central district."
"Did he handle pension envelopes?"
Cole nodded.
"Yes."
Laura leaned back.
The investigation was no longer focused on a single officer and a single pension payment.
It was becoming a potential network involving unauthorized access to beneficiary information, multiple officers, and the disappearance of retirement funds belonging to vulnerable residents.
She looked at Reeves.
"Find every officer named Marcus assigned to the central district during the relevant period."
Reeves nodded.
"Understood."
Cole lowered his head.
For the first time, he appeared to understand the seriousness of what he had admitted.
Laura closed her folder.
"Mr. Cole, your cooperation will be documented. But you need to understand that every statement you make must be truthful and supported by evidence wherever possible."
Cole nodded.
"I understand."
Laura stood.
The interview was paused.
Outside the room, Reeves was already searching the personnel database.
Several names appeared.
Then he stopped at one.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
"Laura..."
She turned.
"What?"
Reeves pointed toward the monitor.
"There's only one Marcus who matches the duty records and the dates Cole provided."
Laura approached.
She read the name.
Then she looked toward the interview room.
The officer was still serving in the department.
And according to the latest duty roster, he was scheduled to report for work in less than two hours.
Laura immediately contacted Captain Reynolds.
"Captain, we have a second officer to identify and locate."
Reynolds listened.
"Who?"
"Officer Marcus Reed."
There was a brief silence.
Then Reynolds answered.
"Where is he now?"
"His duty assignment begins at the central district station shortly before noon."
"Don't alert him yet. Coordinate with internal investigations and preserve the relevant records."
"Understood."
Reynolds looked toward the evidence board.
Three pension beneficiaries.
One arrested officer.
One administrative employee cooperating with investigators.
And now another officer whose name had appeared in the statements.
He knew the next stage would require careful coordination.
Because if the allegations were true, the department might be facing something much larger than an isolated case of misconduct.
THE ROOM BEHIND THE STATION
At 11:35 a.m., the investigation team obtained authorization to examine the maintenance room identified by Martin Cole.