"Then we have a reason to investigate, not a conclusion."
"Agreed."
"Good. I don't want this case weakened by assumptions."
Marcus nodded.
"Neither do I."
The prosecutor authorized additional investigative steps, including a review of relevant communications and financial records, subject to the necessary legal procedures.
The inquiry expanded.
Investigators interviewed department personnel who had access to the restricted database.
They reviewed the timing of several searches.
They examined whether any of the records had been downloaded or forwarded.
They also sought to identify the person who had contacted the witness before he withdrew his statement.
For several days, the results were inconclusive.
Then an analyst found an unusual pattern in the system logs.
Someone had accessed the same witness record from two different accounts within minutes of each other.
One account belonged to Daniel.
The other belonged to a supervisor in his department.
The supervisor's name was Captain Andrew Mills.
Mills had served for more than twenty years. He had a reputation for discipline, and he had recently been praised for improving the department's administrative procedures.
He had also approved several overtime allocations connected to Westbridge contracts.
The discovery did not establish wrongdoing.
But it meant the inquiry could no longer focus on Daniel alone.
Marcus requested a review of every relevant access record associated with Mills.
The results showed that the captain had accessed several confidential files involving witnesses and contractors.
Some of those accesses had occurred shortly before witnesses changed their accounts or withdrew from interviews.
The pattern was troubling.
It was not proof of a conspiracy.
It was a trail that demanded answers.
Meanwhile, Daniel's internal affairs interview was scheduled for the following Thursday.
He arrived wearing his uniform.
His hands were folded tightly in front of him.
Lieutenant Carter began by reviewing the traffic stop.
He asked Daniel to explain why he had initiated the stop.
Daniel said he had observed a possible traffic violation.
Carter asked which violation.
Daniel named one.
Carter asked whether the vehicle camera showed it.
Daniel said the angle might not have captured everything.
Carter asked whether he had documented the violation at the time.
Daniel said he believed he had.
Carter opened the report.
The violation was not listed.
Daniel shifted in his chair.
Carter moved to the physical confrontation.
He asked why Daniel had described Marcus as aggressive before the first recorded contact.
Daniel said the recording did not capture the entire encounter.
Carter asked what was missing.
Daniel could not provide a clear answer.
Finally, Carter played a section of the footage.
Marcus's voice filled the room.
"Officer, I want this to remain peaceful."
Then came Daniel's response.
"Then stop giving me a reason to put you on the ground."
The recording continued.
Daniel watched himself grab Marcus's jacket.
He watched the struggle.
He watched Marcus step away.
He watched himself charge again.
When the footage ended, Carter waited.
Daniel stared at the table.
"Is there anything you'd like to clarify?" Carter asked.
Daniel swallowed.
"I was under stress."
"I understand that traffic stops can be stressful. I'm asking whether your report accurately describes what happened."
Daniel looked up.
"I believed he was challenging my authority."
"That isn't the same question."
Daniel's shoulders tightened.
"No."
"No, what?"
"No, the report may not accurately describe every movement."
Carter wrote something down.
"Thank you. We'll need to follow up on that."
Daniel left the interview feeling worse than before.
He had not confessed to a crime.
He had not admitted that his actions were unlawful.
But he had acknowledged a problem he could no longer dismiss as a misunderstanding.
The evidence did not support the clean version of events he had written.
And the investigation was expanding into areas he had never expected.
That evening, Daniel received a message from an unfamiliar number.
You need to stop cooperating.
He stared at it.
A second message arrived.
They don't care about you.
Daniel immediately thought of Richard.
He called the number.
It went straight to voicemail.
He saved the messages and took screenshots.
Then he hesitated.
Should he report them?
If he did, investigators might ask why someone connected to the case was contacting him.
If he didn't, he might be allowing someone to influence his response.
He remembered Marcus's words.
You should be careful about what you put on that radio.
At the time, Daniel had heard a challenge.
Now he heard a warning.
He forwarded the messages to Lieutenant Carter.
He did not know whether it was the right decision.
But for the first time, he chose to preserve evidence instead of trying to control the story.
And that choice would eventually matter more than he realized.
By the end of the month, the investigation had uncovered evidence that Westbridge had paid several intermediaries for services that could not be adequately documented.
One company had received repeated transfers shortly before public contracts were awarded.