Captain Harold Collins arrived at 09:00 the following morning.
He appeared nervous.
His uniform was properly arranged, but his hands moved repeatedly against the edge of his folder.
Colonel Bennett greeted him.
"Captain, please sit."
Collins took the chair opposite him.
Colonel Mercer sat beside Victoria.
The meeting began with a clear explanation of the review process.
Collins was informed that his statements would be documented and that he would have an opportunity to clarify anything he believed had been misunderstood.
Bennett opened the folder.
"Captain, you requested this meeting. What would you like to tell us?"
Collins took a breath.
"I think some of the reports were handled incorrectly."
Mercer looked up.
"Which reports?"
"The ones involving Captain Walker and Staff Sergeant Reed."
Victoria opened her notebook.
"Why do you believe they were handled incorrectly?"
Collins looked down.
"Because the complaints weren't properly investigated."
Bennett leaned forward.
"Who made that decision?"
Collins hesitated.
"Major Smarx was involved."
"Was he the only person?"
"No, sir."
"Who else?"
Collins swallowed.
"An administrative supervisor reviewed some of the closure recommendations."
"Name?"
"Mr. Alan Brooks."
Mercer wrote it down.
"Was Brooks authorized to approve those closures?"
"Not independently."
"Then why was he involved?"
Collins looked increasingly uncomfortable.
"I was told that the office needed to clear outstanding complaints quickly."
"By whom?" Bennett asked.
Collins paused.
"Major Smarx."
Victoria watched him carefully.
"Captain, are you saying Major Smarx instructed you to close reports without completing the required review?"
"Not exactly."
"Then please explain."
Collins rubbed his forehead.
"He said that the reports were creating unnecessary administrative problems. He wanted the office to resolve them before the next command assessment."
Bennett's expression hardened.
"Did he tell you to falsify anything?"
Collins shook his head.
"He didn't use those words."
"Did he tell you to alter records?"
"He told me to make sure the paperwork reflected that the cases had been handled."
Mercer leaned forward.
"What did you understand that instruction to mean?"
Collins looked at her.
"At the time, I understood that he wanted the files closed."
"And did you know the interviews had not been completed?"
Collins nodded slowly.
"Yes."
The room became silent.
Victoria wrote down the answer.
Bennett waited several seconds.
"Captain, why didn't you raise this concern earlier?"
Collins looked down at his hands.
"Because I was afraid."
"Of what?"
"My career."
He paused.
"I had been told that people who created problems for the office could be transferred or receive poor evaluations. I didn't want that happening to me."
Mercer studied him.
"Did Major Smarx make those statements directly?"
"Sometimes. Other times, he said they were simply the way things worked."
Victoria asked another question.
"Did you personally change any of the records?"
Collins hesitated.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Which records?"
He opened his folder and removed several printed pages.
"These."
Victoria reviewed them.
The documents showed several administrative changes made under Collins's account.
Some involved closure notes.
Others involved missing supporting information.
"Did you have authorization to make these changes?"
"I had access, but I didn't have authority to close the cases without the required review."
"Why did you do it?"
Collins looked at Bennett.
"Because I was instructed to."
Bennett's voice remained calm.
"An instruction does not automatically remove your responsibility to follow established procedures."
"I understand, sir."
"Do you have evidence supporting your account?"
Collins nodded.
He placed a small storage device on the table.
"I kept copies of the original communications."
Mercer looked at it.
"What is on this device?"
"Emails and internal messages concerning the closure requests."
Bennett did not touch it immediately.
He contacted the appropriate records officer and requested that the device be secured and examined through the authorized process.
Victoria looked at Collins.
"Why did you decide to come forward now?"
Collins seemed ashamed.
"Because when I heard what happened to Lieutenant Colonel Hayes, I realized that nothing had changed."
Victoria remained silent.
Collins continued.
"I saw the way Major Smarx treated you. I recognized it. He had spoken to other people that way before."
He lowered his head.
"I should have said something months ago."
Victoria looked at him.
"Then the important thing now is that you provide accurate information and cooperate with the review."
Collins nodded.
Bennett closed the folder.
"Captain, you will be contacted regarding the next stage of this process. Do not discuss your statement with anyone outside the authorized channels."
"Yes, sir."
Collins stood.
Before leaving, he turned toward Victoria.
"Lieutenant Colonel Hayes?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry."
Victoria looked at him.
"Then make sure the next person who reports a problem doesn't have to wait this long to be heard."
Collins nodded and left.
For several moments, nobody spoke.
Then Mercer looked toward Bennett.
"We need to brief General Whitaker."
Bennett agreed.
Victoria closed her notebook.
The investigation had finally moved beyond suspicious paperwork.
A direct participant had acknowledged that reports were closed without the required review.
But the most important question remained unanswered.
Who had known about the practice, and how far up the chain of command had that knowledge traveled?