“I was asked to retrieve a form.”
“By whom?”
“I think it was Mercer.”
“You think?”
“Yes.”
“Did you retrieve a form?”
“I don't remember.”
Victoria let the silence continue.
Ethan looked at the table.
“I know this looks bad.”
“I'm not here to discuss how it looks. I'm here to establish what happened.”
“I didn't steal anything.”
“I haven't said that you did.”
“But everyone is looking at me because my login appears in the record.”
“Your login is one piece of evidence. We are examining it alongside the other records.”
He took a breath.
“Can I ask you something?”
“You may.”
“Why did you come into the department wearing the badge openly? Why not contact the director first?”
Victoria considered the question.
“I had an appointment with the director and the department's legal liaison. My credentials were visible because I was identifying myself.”
“You could have avoided the whole confrontation.”
“No,” she said. “I could not have controlled your reaction.”
Ethan lowered his eyes.
“I shouldn't have thrown the badge.”
“No, you shouldn't have.”
“I was frustrated. I thought you were coming in here to embarrass us.”
“Why?”
“Because federal investigators usually show up when someone has already decided we're guilty.”
Victoria leaned forward.
“Did I tell you that you were guilty?”
“No.”
“Did I ask you to confess to anything?”
“No.”
“Then what did I actually ask you to do?”
He swallowed.
“Pick up your badge.”
“And why did you refuse?”
Ethan had no answer.
Victoria continued.
“You were free to ask who I was, what authority I was acting under, or whether the director had been notified. You could have raised a concern through your supervisor. Instead, you chose to turn a professional interaction into a personal confrontation.”
“I understand that now.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
She closed her notebook.
“Your conduct will be reviewed separately from the evidence investigation. Do not confuse the two. You are entitled to the appropriate process. The evidence must still be examined, and any explanation you provide must be verified.”
Ethan nodded.
Before leaving, he stopped at the door.
“Agent Hayes?”
“Yes?”
“If I tell you who asked me to retrieve that form, will you protect me?”
Victoria answered carefully.
“I can explain the protections available to you and refer any credible concern about retaliation to the appropriate authorities. I cannot promise a particular outcome or immunity from consequences. You should speak with your attorney before making any further statement.”
He looked disappointed, but he nodded.
“I understand.”
When he left, Victoria remained at the table.
Ethan's account had changed.
That did not mean his new version was true.
It meant the investigators had another statement to test against the records.
And one detail troubled her.
Detective Mercer had apparently asked Ethan whether he had seen anyone near the locker.
Why would a detective investigating an evidence discrepancy ask a junior officer that question privately?
Was Mercer trying to identify someone who had entered the room?
Was he trying to conceal his own involvement?
Or had he been attempting to understand what happened before reporting it?
Victoria wrote his name beside Ethan's.
Then she added a question mark.
Chapter 6: The Director Receives a Warning
That evening, Director Lawson received an envelope at his private office.
It contained no return address.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
Stop cooperating with Agent Hayes. You do not know what she is really investigating.
Below the sentence was a photocopy of an internal memo dated three months earlier.
The memo discussed a proposed audit of evidence-handling procedures. A handwritten note in the margin read:
Delay until after contract approval.
Lawson recognized the handwriting.
He had seen it before on internal budget documents.
The note appeared to belong to Deputy Director Samuel Price.
Lawson immediately called the department's legal liaison.
“Preserve this envelope and its contents,” he said. “Do not circulate copies. I want it documented and transferred through the proper process.”
“Do you believe it's a threat?”
“I don't know what it is. I know it may be relevant.”
He ended the call and sat in silence.
For years, he had relied on Price to handle the department's administrative operations. Price understood procurement, budgets, records management, and the complicated relationships between city departments.
Lawson had considered him cautious, sometimes excessively so.
He had never thought of him as dishonest.
But the memo suggested that the evidence audit had been delayed for reasons that went beyond technical preparation.
Lawson called Price.
“Samuel, I need to see you in my office.”
“Is something wrong?”
“We need to discuss the audit.”
A pause followed.
“Which audit?”
“The evidence-handling review that was postponed three months ago.”
Price's voice remained steady.
“That was a scheduling issue. The department needed additional documentation.”
“I have a memo suggesting the delay was connected to the contract approval.”
“Who gave you that?”
“That's not the question.”
“Richard, if someone is sending you anonymous papers, you need to be careful. Federal investigations can create pressure, and people may try to manipulate you.”
Lawson looked at the note.
“Then you should have no problem explaining the memo.”
“I'll come by tomorrow.”
“Come tonight.”
Another pause.
“I have a prior commitment.”
“Then reschedule it.”
Price's voice hardened.
“You're treating me like a suspect.”
“I'm asking you to explain a document that appears to contain your handwriting.”