Daniel picked up the photograph.
It showed Lieutenant Hayes standing beside Sergeant Miller outside a warehouse.
The date was three days before Michael's death.
On the back, someone had written:
The original footage is stored in the security system. Camera 6.
Marcus immediately connected the USB drive to his laptop.
A folder appeared.
Inside were several video files.
Most were ordinary security recordings.
But one file was dated the night Michael Reed died.
Marcus opened it.
The screen showed the entrance to Warehouse 17.
A car pulled into the parking area.
Two men stepped out.
The first was Sergeant Miller.
The second was Lieutenant Hayes.
They entered the building.
Forty-three minutes later, Miller returned alone.
He looked around the parking lot.
Then he opened the trunk of his vehicle.
He removed something large, wrapped in a dark blanket.
Daniel moved closer to the screen.
"What is that?"
Nobody answered.
The footage continued.
Miller placed the object inside another vehicle.
Then he drove away.
The timestamp showed 11:48 p.m.
Marcus paused the recording.
"There are more files."
He opened Camera 6.
This angle showed the inside corridor of the warehouse.
The image was clearer.
Hayes was standing beside Michael Reed.
They were arguing.
Michael appeared frightened.
Then Miller entered.
The three men continued talking.
Suddenly, Hayes pointed toward Michael.
Miller grabbed him.
The camera captured the struggle.
Michael fell.
Daniel covered his mouth.
Olivia began crying.
The video continued.
Hayes stood over Michael for several seconds.
Then he looked directly toward the camera.
He knew it was there.
He walked toward the security system.
The footage went dark.
Marcus sat back.
"That's not all."
He opened another file.
It showed the same warehouse from an exterior camera.
At 12:17 a.m., a second vehicle arrived.
A woman stepped out.
She entered the building.
Five minutes later, she left carrying a small black case.
Daniel stared at the screen.
He recognized her.
He had seen her photograph in the police station.
She was the woman who had signed the original report declaring Michael Reed's death a robbery.
Rachel leaned forward.
"Who is she?"
Daniel answered slowly.
"Deputy Chief Eleanor Brooks."
Ryan's face turned pale.
Brooks was the highest-ranking officer in the department after the police commissioner.
If she was involved, the corruption extended far beyond Hayes.
Marcus replayed the footage.
Then he noticed something.
The video had been edited.
A section lasting almost four minutes was missing.
"Someone removed part of the recording."
Daniel looked at him.
"Can you recover it?"
Marcus nodded.
"Maybe. But there's another problem."
He opened the file information.
The recording had been copied from the original security server less than twelve hours earlier.
The user account responsible for the extraction appeared on the screen.
RICHARD HAYES β ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS.
Ryan stepped back.
"He knew the footage existed."
Rachel looked toward the investigators.
"We need to secure the original server immediately."
But before anyone could respond, Daniel's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A woman's voice spoke.
"Mr. Carter. I believe we need to have a conversation."
Daniel recognized the voice immediately.
Deputy Chief Eleanor Brooks.
"What do you want?"
"I want to prevent you from making a terrible mistake."
Daniel looked at the others.
"You killed Michael."
There was a pause.
Then Brooks laughed softly.
"Michael was not an innocent man."
"He was trying to expose corruption."
"He was trying to destroy people who had spent years protecting this city."
Daniel's voice became colder.
"Did you help Hayes kill him?"
Another pause.
Then Brooks said something that changed everything.
"Your father asked the same questions twelve years ago."
Daniel stopped breathing.
Brooks continued.
"And he made exactly the same mistake."
The call ended.
Daniel slowly lowered his phone.
Olivia grabbed his arm.
"What did she say?"
Daniel looked at her.
Then he repeated the words.
"She said our father made the same mistake."
Rachel immediately called the investigators.
But Daniel was no longer listening.
He was staring at the frozen image on the laptop.
His father.
Michael.
Hayes.
Brooks.
The same people.
The same investigation.
Twelve years apart.
And suddenly, the truth became much more frightening.
Michael Reed hadn't simply discovered an old corruption network.
He had uncovered the reason Daniel's father had died.
And now the people responsible knew that Daniel had the evidence.
They had arrested the wrong man once.
This time, they were determined not to make the same mistake.
The morning after Eleanor Brooks called Daniel Carter, the city woke up to a scandal.
News stations were reporting that senior police officials were under investigation for corruption, evidence tampering, and the possible murder of a former financial auditor.
But the most important evidence had not yet reached the public.
And Deputy Chief Brooks intended to make sure it never did.
At 9:30 a.m., Daniel received a message from an unknown number.
We need to talk. Come alone if you want to know what really happened to your father.
Attached was an address.
It belonged to an expensive restaurant overlooking the river.
Daniel showed the message to Rachel.
"Don't go," she said immediately.
"She knows something about my father."
"That's exactly why you shouldn't trust her."
Daniel looked at Olivia.
"What if she's willing to tell us the truth?"
Olivia shook her head.
"She has already threatened us. Why would she suddenly become honest?"
Ryan agreed.
"If Brooks wants to meet you, she probably has something planned."
Daniel put his phone down.
"Then we'll find out what it is."
Rachel considered the situation.
"You're not going alone. We'll arrange surveillance, and the investigators will stay nearby."
Two hours later, Daniel entered the restaurant.
Brooks was waiting at a table near the window.
She wore a dark blue suit and looked remarkably relaxed for someone whose career was collapsing.
"Mr. Carter," she said, standing.
"Deputy Chief."
"Please. Sit down."
Daniel remained standing for a moment before taking the opposite chair.
Brooks ordered coffee.
Daniel refused.
"Let's get to the point."
She smiled.
"You're impatient. I suppose that runs in your family."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Don't talk about my father."
"Your father was a very intelligent man. Unfortunately, intelligence doesn't always come with good judgment."
"What happened to him?"
Brooks stirred her coffee.
"James Carter discovered something he shouldn't have."
"What?"
"An arrangement involving several contractors, city officials, and members of the police department. Money was being moved through construction projects. Certain investigations were quietly closed in exchange for payments."
Daniel leaned forward.
"And Hayes was involved."
"Hayes was one of many."
"Was my father murdered?"
Brooks looked directly at him.
"Your father died because he refused to understand the consequences of his actions."
Daniel clenched his fists.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer you're going to get."
She opened a leather folder and placed a document on the table.
It contained a photograph of James Carter, along with a confidential financial report.
Daniel recognized the handwriting immediately.
It belonged to his father.
"Where did you get this?"
"From the original investigation."
"Why show it to me?"
"Because I want to make you an offer."
Daniel looked at her suspiciously.
Brooks lowered her voice.
"Give us the original recordings. Destroy the copies. Withdraw your allegations against the department. In return, your arrest will be officially declared a mistake, your sister will be protected, and you'll receive enough money to start a new life somewhere else."
Daniel stared at her.
"You're offering to pay me to forget my father?"