Most of the furniture had been removed, but a metal cabinet remained against the wall.
Daniel opened it.
Inside were several empty folders and a broken desk lamp.
Claire examined the floor.
Something caught her attention.
A section of carpet near the wall looked newer than the surrounding material.
"Daniel."
He approached.
She pointed toward it.
"That doesn't belong here."
Daniel carefully lifted the carpet.
Beneath it was a small metal hatch.
He tried the handle.
Locked.
One of the officers used a tool to open it.
The hatch revealed a narrow staircase leading into the basement.
They descended slowly.
At the bottom was a storage room filled with old boxes.
Claire noticed a familiar label.
MORGAN INVESTIGATION.
She approached it.
Inside were several documents, a small cassette recorder, and a notebook.
She opened the notebook.
The first pages contained her father's handwriting.
There were names, dates, bank account references, and descriptions of meetings.
Then she found something that made her stop.
Rebecca confirmed the transfers. Evelyn Blackwood is financing the operation. Marcus knows more than he admits.
Claire looked at Daniel.
"Evelyn Blackwood."
He frowned.
"Who is she?"
"A businesswoman. Her name appeared in some of my father's old documents."
Daniel searched the department database.
Within minutes, he found her profile.
Evelyn Blackwood was a wealthy property developer with investments in construction, private security, and several local businesses.
She had also donated millions to police charities.
"That's interesting," Daniel said.
"Why?"
"She has connections to several senior officials."
Claire turned another page.
There was a photograph attached to it.
Thomas stood beside Evelyn outside a restaurant.
On the back, he had written:
She knows where the money goes.
Daniel examined the photograph.
"Your father was investigating her."
"Yes."
Then Claire found a folded piece of paper.
It contained an address.
She recognized the street immediately.
It was the location of the house where she and Emily had grown up.
Beneath the address was a sentence.
If Emily disappears, this is where the truth begins.
Claire felt her chest tighten.
"Why would my father write this?"
Daniel looked at the document.
"Maybe your sister knew something about the investigation."
Claire shook her head.
"Emily was twenty-two. She wasn't involved in police work."
"Perhaps she was more involved than you think."
She remembered the last night she had spoken to Emily.
Her sister had called her shortly before midnight.
She sounded frightened.
She said someone had been following her.
Claire had told her to come home immediately.
But Emily had refused.
She said she needed to finish something first.
The next morning, she disappeared.
Claire had spent twelve years blaming herself for not insisting that Emily return home.
Daniel noticed her expression.
"Are you okay?"
"No."
She looked at the photograph.
"I should have listened to her."
"You couldn't have known what was going to happen."
Claire placed the photograph back into the folder.
"Neither could she."
Back at the precinct, the technical department recovered another section of the cassette recording.
Thomas Morgan's voice filled the room.
"If you're listening to this, then something has happened. I don't know who I can trust anymore."
A long pause followed.
"Evelyn has people inside the department. She knows about the investigation. Rebecca is helping me, but Marcus has become unpredictable."
Then came a sentence that made Claire freeze.
"Emily discovered something I never expected her to find."
The recording continued.
"She has the original payment ledger. If anyone gets hold of it, the entire operation could be exposed."
Claire looked at Daniel.
"Where is Emily?"
Nobody answered.
Then the cassette played a final message.
"Claire, if you ever hear this, remember one thing. Emily is not the only person who knows the truth."
The recording stopped.
Claire stared at the machine.
"Who else knows?"
Daniel looked at the captain.
Hayes had been standing near the door.
He slowly lowered his eyes.
And Claire understood that the next person they needed to question was the man who had been trying to stop her from the beginning.
Daniel Reed returned to his desk shortly after midnight.
He had spent the last several hours examining the old documents, but his thoughts kept returning to one particular name.
Michael Reed.
His older brother had been a police officer before disappearing five years earlier.
The official explanation was that Michael had resigned after being accused of stealing confidential evidence.
Daniel had never believed the story.
Michael had been a disciplined officer. He had taught Daniel how to handle a weapon, how to read a witness's expression, and how to recognize when a suspect was lying.
He had also been the person who encouraged Daniel to join the department.
Then, without warning, everything had fallen apart.
Daniel opened the personnel archive and searched his brother's name.
The system returned several ordinary records.
But one entry was restricted.
He entered his authorization code.
Access denied.
He tried again.
Access denied.
Frustrated, he contacted a technician.
"I need to see the restricted personnel record for Michael Reed."
The technician looked uncomfortable.
"That's an unusual request."
"He's my brother."
"That doesn't change the authorization requirements."
Daniel leaned closer.
"Just tell me whether the record exists."
The technician hesitated.
Then he nodded.
"There's something here."
He opened the restricted entry.
A hidden document appeared.
SPECIAL WITNESS PROTECTION β ACTIVE.
Daniel stared at the screen.
His brother had not disappeared because he was guilty.
He had been placed under a protection arrangement.
But why had nobody told him?
He printed the document.
Before he could examine it further, his phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
He answered.
"Reed."
A familiar voice responded.
"Don't tell them about the second file."
Daniel froze.
"Who is this?"
"You know who I am."
"Michael?"
The caller didn't answer.
Daniel stood up.
"Where are you?"
The call ended.
For several seconds, he simply stared at his phone.
Then another message arrived.
It contained a photograph.
Michael was standing outside a small house.
He looked older, with a beard and tired eyes, but Daniel recognized him immediately.
Beneath the photograph were eight words.
BRING THE ORIGINAL FILE TO EAST BRIDGE. COME ALONE.
Daniel immediately contacted Captain Hayes.
But before he could explain, Hayes received a separate call.
The captain listened in silence.
Then his face changed.
"Are you certain?"
Another pause.
"Understood."
He disconnected.
Daniel approached.
"What happened?"
Hayes looked at him.
"Your investigation has attracted attention."