Robert Ellis reviewed the footage twice.
He then requested the original file and metadata from the security system, ensuring that the working copy had not been altered.
The evidence was becoming clearer.
The explanation for the assignment, however, remained uncertain.
At three o'clock, Sergeant Reeves entered the administrative conference room.
He was in his late forties, with closely cropped hair and a uniform that appeared as neat as Cross's had that morning.
He looked irritated by the meeting but tried to conceal it.
Robert Ellis greeted him and explained the purpose of the review.
Robert Ellis: "Sergeant Reeves, we're examining the incident involving Officer Cross and Judge Hayes. We need your account of the instructions given before the encounter."
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "I already heard about what happened. It's unfortunate."
Robert Ellis: "Did you instruct Cross to locate a woman on the fourth floor?"
Reeves took a moment before answering.
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "I passed along a request that came through the security channel."
Robert Ellis: "Who made the request?"
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "I believe it came from courthouse administration."
Robert Ellis: "Do you have a name?"
Reeves frowned.
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "I'd need to check the messages."
Robert Ellis: "Did you tell Cross that the woman might be connected to a criminal matter?"
Reeves shifted in his chair.
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "I told him there was a person he needed to identify. I don't recall using those exact words."
Robert Ellis: "Did you provide a photograph or a confirmed description?"
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "I don't think there was a photograph."
Robert Ellis: "Then how was Cross supposed to identify the person?"
Reeves leaned back.
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "He was supposed to check with the clerk if he found someone matching the description."
Robert Ellis: "Did you tell him to detain anyone?"
Reeves paused.
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "No. Not unless there was a lawful basis to do so."
Robert Ellis: "Did you instruct him to use physical force?"
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "Absolutely not."
Ellis recorded the answers.
They were important, but they did not resolve the problem.
If Reeves had instructed Cross merely to identify someone and verify the information with the clerk, then Cross's decision to grab Victoria and strike her was not explained by the assignment alone.
Robert Ellis: "Did you personally see the request that prompted you to contact Cross?"
Reeves: "I saw a notification."
Robert Ellis: "Where did it come from?"
Reeves hesitated.
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "I thought it was from administration."
Robert Ellis: "You thought?"
Reeves's expression tightened.
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "I didn't examine the sender carefully at the time."
Ellis made another note.
Robert Ellis: "Do you still have the notification?"
Reeves: "It may be in my messages."
Robert Ellis: "Please preserve it. Do not delete or forward it until the review team has documented the original."
Reeves nodded, although he appeared increasingly uncomfortable.
Robert Ellis: "One more question. Did you know that Lauren Mitchell had already checked in before Cross entered the corridor?"
Reeves looked up.
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "No."
Robert Ellis: "Did you know that Cross later identified her as a witness to the confrontation?"
Sergeant Paul Reeves: "I only heard about that after the incident."
Robert Ellis closed his notebook.
The interview did not prove that Reeves had acted improperly.
It did, however, reveal that the instructions had not been fully verified before they were passed along.
A request had entered the security process.
Reeves had relayed it.
Cross had acted on it.
But nobody had yet established who originally created the request or whether the information it contained was accurate.
After Reeves left, Ellis contacted the technical team again.
He asked them to search for the original notification and identify its sender.
The team located a message in Reeves's work account.
It had been received shortly before the confrontation.
The message contained a short instruction to locate a woman associated with a pending courthouse matter.
It did not contain a photograph.
It did not include a full name.
It did not explicitly authorize detention.
The sender's display name was incomplete, and the account identifier did not immediately correspond to a known staff member.
The technical team preserved the message and began verifying its origin.
Meanwhile, Victoria received an update from Evelyn.
The chief judge had approved a temporary reassignment of certain administrative responsibilities connected to the review.
The measure was intended to prevent anyone directly involved from controlling the collection of evidence.
Victoria read the notice and set it aside.
She was relieved that the process was moving forward, but she remained concerned about the possibility that the investigation might become focused entirely on Cross.
His actions were central to the incident.