Robert Gaines stepped closer.
ROBERT GAINES: That's impossible. Evidence cannot simply disappear without an authorization record.
ELENA MARSHALL: That's precisely the problem, Lieutenant.
She placed another sheet on the counter.
ELENA MARSHALL: Every one of these transfers was approved using the same administrative access credentials.
Robert examined the document.
ROBERT GAINES: Whose credentials?
Elena looked at the chief.
ELENA MARSHALL: The credentials belong to the office of the police chief.
A wave of silence passed through the room.
Marcus looked from the document to Donovan.
MARCUS HALE: Chief, is that true?
CHIEF RICHARD DONOVAN: I said there may be an explanation.
ELENA MARSHALL: We have already examined the access logs. The approvals were entered at different times, from different terminals, but all used the same authorization profile.
ROBERT GAINES: Could somebody have accessed the chief's account without permission?
ELENA MARSHALL: That's one of the possibilities we're investigating.
The chief closed his eyes briefly.
He knew what the documents suggested.
But he also knew that admitting anything at that moment could expose him to questions he was not prepared to answer.
CHIEF RICHARD DONOVAN: Agent Marshall, I believe we should continue this discussion in my office.
ELENA MARSHALL: Why?
CHIEF RICHARD DONOVAN: Because this is a sensitive departmental matter.
ELENA MARSHALL: It became a federal matter when evidence connected to an ongoing federal investigation was removed without authorization.
CHIEF RICHARD DONOVAN: I understand that.
ELENA MARSHALL: Then you should also understand that moving this conversation somewhere without recording the proceedings would be inappropriate.
The chief glanced toward the security camera.
He said nothing.
Elena turned toward Robert.
ELENA MARSHALL: Lieutenant Gaines, please contact the evidence administration supervisor. I want him here within fifteen minutes.
ROBERT GAINES: Understood.
ELENA MARSHALL: And nobody should access the evidence system until our technical team arrives.
ROBERT GAINES: I'll make sure of it.
Marcus shifted his weight.
He was beginning to understand that the situation was much more serious than he had initially believed.
But his pride still prevented him from admitting that he had made a mistake.
MARCUS HALE: Chief, can I speak with you for a second?
CHIEF RICHARD DONOVAN: Not now.
MARCUS HALE: I think there's something you should know about this woman.
Elena turned her head slightly.
ELENA MARSHALL: Go ahead, Officer.
Marcus hesitated.
MARCUS HALE: Before all this happened, she entered the building without going through the normal visitor procedure. I asked her for identification, and she became confrontational.
Elena looked at him.
ELENA MARSHALL: I presented my credentials voluntarily.
MARCUS HALE: You refused to cooperate with a security check.
ELENA MARSHALL: I allowed you to inspect my identification. You took it without permission and discarded it in the wastebasket.
MARCUS HALE: I was following procedure.
ELENA MARSHALL: Which procedure?
Marcus opened his mouth.
No answer came.
ELENA MARSHALL: Please provide the specific departmental regulation that authorizes an officer to seize and discard the official credentials of a federal investigator who has presented valid authorization.
MARCUS HALE: I don't have the number memorized.
ELENA MARSHALL: Then provide the regulation itself.
Marcus looked toward the chief.
The chief did not help him.
MARCUS HALE: I was just trying to maintain security.
ELENA MARSHALL: Security does not require humiliation.
Her voice remained steady.
ELENA MARSHALL: And authority does not give you permission to disregard the law.
Thomas Reed watched the exchange from several feet away.
He had been hoping someone would finally say those words.
For years, he had witnessed Marcus treating junior officers, administrative employees, and members of the public as though they were beneath him.
Complaints had been filed.
Some had disappeared.
Others had been dismissed after internal reviews that seemed to produce the same result every time.
Marcus was always cleared.
And the people who complained were usually transferred, reprimanded, or quietly discouraged from speaking again.
Thomas had once considered filing a formal report himself.
But he had a family, a mortgage, and two children.
He had convinced himself that remaining silent was the safest option.
Now, as he watched Elena stand calmly in front of the department's leadership, he began to wonder whether silence had been part of the problem.
A few minutes later, the evidence administration supervisor arrived.
His name was Peter Lawson.
He was a thin man in his early fifties, wearing glasses and carrying a stack of folders.
He looked confused when he entered the room.
PETER LAWSON: Chief? I was told you needed me.
CHIEF RICHARD DONOVAN: Yes. We need to discuss the evidence transfers.
Peter glanced at Elena.
PETER LAWSON: Who is this?
ELENA MARSHALL: Special Investigator Elena Marshall. National Public Integrity Division.
Peter immediately became uncomfortable.
PETER LAWSON: Oh.
ELENA MARSHALL: Mr. Lawson, I understand you supervise evidence administration.
PETER LAWSON: That's correct.
ELENA MARSHALL: How long have you held that position?
PETER LAWSON: Approximately eight years.
ELENA MARSHALL: During that time, have you ever authorized the removal of forty-seven evidence files without an accompanying transfer request?
PETER LAWSON: Absolutely not.
Elena watched his expression.
ELENA MARSHALL: Are you certain?