"Has anyone contacted him?"
"Not yet."
"Don't contact him until legal has reviewed the records."
Daniel nodded.
Victoria leaned back.
The situation was now larger than one contractor.
If the invoices were connected to the equipment removal, the company could be dealing with a coordinated attempt to divert funds and assets.
She looked around the table.
"I want a complete audit of every Westbridge transaction. Every invoice, every work order, every access record, every approval."
The compliance team began taking notes.
Victoria continued.
"No assumptions. No accusations without evidence. Preserve the originals, document every transfer, and make sure the hospital's emergency systems remain fully operational."
DANIEL: "Understood."
Victoria looked at the video again.
The loading bay footage showed Whitmore speaking with the workers.
She watched the moment he folded the altered work order.
Then she looked at Daniel.
"Send this to Thomas Reed."
Daniel nodded.
"I'll do it now."
At 9:15 a.m., Thomas Reed received the video and the audit records.
He reviewed the material with his technical team.
The evidence was consistent with the preliminary findings.
The original work order had been altered.
The equipment removal had been arranged using a county administrative reference that had not been properly authorized.
And the attempted removal involved critical medical infrastructure.
Thomas requested additional records from Westbridge Development.
He also requested an interview with Charles Whitmore.
This time, Whitmore did not answer the phone.
His attorney responded instead.
The attorney said his client would cooperate through formal legal channels.
Thomas accepted the response.
He knew that the investigation would require patience.
But he also knew that the evidence was becoming more difficult to explain away.
At 10:40 a.m., the state investigators received another important document.
It was a message sent from Whitmore to an employee at Westbridge Development.
The message had been recovered from a company server.
It referred to the equipment removal and the need to complete the operation before Sterling's management conducted its scheduled inspection.
The message also mentioned that the county paperwork had been "handled."
Thomas read it twice.
He forwarded it to the investigative director.
Then he requested a meeting with the county administrative officer whose account had been used.
The officer was named Peter Lawson.
Peter had worked for the county for eleven years.
He was responsible for processing several administrative permits and property-related documents.
When Thomas contacted him, Peter initially claimed he knew nothing about the disputed authorization.
But when he was shown the access records, his answer changed.
PETER LAWSON: "I didn't personally approve the removal."
THOMAS REED: "Did you approve the account access?"
PETER: "I don't remember."
THOMAS: "Your account was used to create the authorization."
PETER: "Several people had access to the system."
THOMAS: "Who?"
Peter looked uncomfortable.
"I would need to check."
Thomas placed the email printout on the table.
"Did Charles Whitmore contact you?"
Peter looked at the document.
Then he lowered his eyes.
"Yes."
THOMAS: "When?"
"Last week."
THOMAS: "What did he ask you to do?"
Peter remained silent.
Thomas waited.
Finally, Peter spoke.
"He said there was a contractual issue involving the hospital equipment. He wanted to know how to submit a recovery request."
THOMAS: "Did you tell him he could remove the equipment?"
"No."
"Did you issue an authorization?"
Peter shook his head.
"No."
Thomas turned the document around.
"Then explain this."
Peter stared at the signature.
It was his name.
But the signature did not look quite right.
"I didn't sign that."
Thomas watched him carefully.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
Peter leaned forward.
"That is not my signature."
The room became quiet.
Thomas made a note.
The case was now expanding beyond the sheriff's department.
The false authorization appeared to involve someone with access to county systems.
And Whitmore's communications suggested that he had known the document was not properly approved.
At noon, Sheriff Richard Coleman received an official notice from the county attorney.
He was being placed on temporary administrative leave while the department's role in the investigation was reviewed.
The notice did not declare him guilty of any wrongdoing.
It stated that the leave was necessary to protect the integrity of the inquiry and prevent possible conflicts of interest.
Richard read it twice.
Then he called Robert Ellis.
RICHARD COLEMAN: "You can't do this."
ROBERT ELLIS: "The county executive has approved the temporary leave."
RICHARD: "I'm the elected sheriff."
ROBERT: "That doesn't exempt the department from an investigation."
RICHARD: "I have served this county for twenty-two years."
ROBERT: "And that service will be considered. But we need to protect the investigation."
Richard lowered the letter.
"So what happens now?"
"You'll be asked to cooperate with the state investigators."
Richard looked out the window.
He could see his patrol vehicles in the parking lot.
For years, they had represented authority.
Now they seemed like reminders of everything that could be lost.
RICHARD: "I didn't know the paperwork was false."
ROBERT: "Then tell the investigators exactly what you knew."
The call ended.
Richard sat alone.
He thought about Victoria's words from the previous night.
You chose to arrest me because someone told you I was a problem.
He had dismissed her at the time.
Now the sentence kept returning.