For the first time that day, he wondered whether the confrontation outside headquarters had been designed to achieve something more specific than simply keeping him away from the entrance.
Perhaps someone had wanted to provoke him into reacting violently.
Perhaps someone had expected him to retaliate against Blake and then use the incident to question his judgment as the new commander.
Or perhaps the purpose had been to delay his arrival long enough for certain records to be moved.
He did not yet know which explanation was correct.
But he knew that the next stage of the investigation would determine whether the incident outside had been an isolated act of misconduct or part of a much larger plan.
As Adrian gathered the documents from his desk, another message arrived.
It came from an unknown number.
YOU SHOULD NOT TRUST THE PERSON WHO WELCOMES YOU TOMORROW.
He stared at the screen.
A second message followed.
ASK HIM WHY THE ORIGINAL FILES WERE MOVED.
Adrian looked toward the empty hallway outside his office.
Tomorrow, he was scheduled to meet with the senior leadership team.
Graham Voss would be there.
And Adrian was beginning to suspect that the person who had spent years advising him, supporting him, and helping shape his career might know far more about the missing evidence than he had admitted.
He placed the phone in his pocket.
The investigation had only just begun.
The following morning, Adrian arrived at headquarters before seven.
He had barely entered his office when Helen Carter called to inform him that the independent review team had obtained emergency access to the restricted archive.
Inside, investigators discovered the original complaint records, including several documents that had never been entered into the official case management system.
More importantly, they found the COMMANDER ARRIVAL PLAN.
The document contained Adrian's appointment details, his expected arrival time, and a photograph of him wearing the same black bomber jacket.
Thomas Reed reviewed the file history and discovered that Graham Voss had accessed it three days before Adrian's arrival.
HELEN CARTER: "Commander, we have enough evidence to establish that your arrival was discussed in advance. However, we still need to determine why."
ADRIAN COLE: "Then let's ask the people who prepared the document."
Later that morning, the independent investigators formally interviewed Graham Voss.
At first, Voss insisted that the document was part of routine security planning. He claimed that Blake Turner had been assigned to manage the exterior entrance and that the photograph had been provided simply to help staff recognize the incoming commander.
THOMAS REED: "Did you instruct Officer Turner to confront Commander Cole?"
GRAHAM VOSS: "Absolutely not."
THOMAS REED: "Did you tell him to prevent the commander from entering the building?"
GRAHAM VOSS: "No. That would be ridiculous."
THOMAS REED: "Then why was the commander's arrival plan marked with a special instruction directing him to the exterior checkpoint?"
Voss hesitated.
GRAHAM VOSS: "I don't remember every administrative detail."
The investigators then presented the footage showing Voss receiving Iris Whitcomb's envelope and Peter Lawson's folder.
His explanation became less convincing.
He admitted that the documents had reached his office but claimed they had been reviewed and transferred for administrative assessment.
When asked where the original evidence had gone, he could not provide a clear answer.
The independent team continued examining the records.
They discovered that several complaints had been closed without complete investigations. In some cases, witness statements were missing. In others, photographs referenced in the original complaint had never been attached to the final file.
The review also confirmed that Lieutenant Samuel Price had received repeated instructions to handle complaints informally.
Price provided a written statement explaining how Voss had discouraged further investigations whenever a complaint risked attracting unwanted attention.
Meanwhile, Officer Blake Turner was interviewed about the incident outside headquarters.
Initially, he denied deliberately throwing water at Adrian.
But the security footage and civilian recordings contradicted his account.
When confronted with the evidence, Blake finally admitted that he had recognized Adrian's photograph before the confrontation.
He claimed he had misunderstood the instructions and believed the incoming commander needed to be tested.
THOMAS REED: "Who told you to test him?"
BLAKE TURNER: "I wasn't given a direct order to attack him."
THOMAS REED: "That wasn't my question."
Blake lowered his eyes.
BLAKE TURNER: "Deputy Chief Voss said the new commander needed to understand how things worked here."
The statement raised further questions.
Voss denied instructing Blake to humiliate or physically confront Adrian. The investigation could not establish that he had explicitly ordered the assault.
However, the evidence demonstrated that Blake had been given Adrian's photograph and special instructions concerning his arrival.
The department's independent review eventually concluded that Blake had deliberately abused his authority, assaulted Adrian, and attempted to misrepresent the confrontation afterward.
His employment was terminated following a formal disciplinary hearing.
Voss faced a separate administrative investigation.
Investigators found that he had repeatedly approved incomplete complaint closures, failed to ensure proper evidence preservation, and allowed serious allegations to be handled without adequate documentation.