But Ryan remained silent.
Sergeant Miller, on the other hand, seemed unusually calm.
Too calm.
When the cruiser entered the underground parking area, Miller turned off the engine and stepped outside.
"Bring him in," he ordered.
Ryan opened the rear door.
"Watch your step."
Daniel climbed out slowly.
"Officer Ryan, please. You know something, don't you?"
Ryan looked at him.
"I don't know anything."
"Then why did your face change when I told you my name?"
Ryan didn't answer.
Instead, he guided Daniel toward a metal security door.
Inside, the station was almost empty. A receptionist sat behind a glass window, typing on a computer. Two officers were drinking coffee near the hallway. A television mounted above the waiting area played the late-night news.
Daniel recognized the building immediately.
He had been there once before.
Three weeks earlier, he had walked into that same station to report a suspicious death connected to a construction company.
The receptionist looked up.
"Good evening. Who do we have?"
Miller handed her a folder.
"Daniel Carter. Suspected involvement in the assault near Riverside Avenue."
Daniel immediately reacted.
"Assault? What assault?"
The receptionist looked at him, then at the folder.
"Please sign here."
"I haven't assaulted anyone!"
Miller pushed him forward.
"Keep moving."
Daniel was taken to a small interrogation room.
The walls were painted gray. A metal table stood in the center, surrounded by three chairs. A camera was mounted in the upper corner.
Ryan removed Daniel's handcuffs and instructed him to sit.
"I want a lawyer," Daniel said immediately.
Miller smiled.
"Already preparing your defense?"
"I want legal representation. That's my right."
"Of course it is."
Miller placed the folder on the table.
"But first, let's talk."
Daniel stared at him.
"About what?"
Miller opened the folder and removed a photograph.
It showed a man lying on the pavement beside a parked vehicle.
Daniel felt his stomach tighten.
He recognized the location.
Riverside Avenue.
But he had never seen the victim before.
"Do you know this man?" Miller asked.
"No."
"Look carefully."
"I said I don't know him."
"Interesting."
Miller placed another photograph on the table.
This time, it showed Daniel standing outside a convenience store.
The image was blurry, but his face was recognizable.
"That's me," Daniel admitted. "I was there yesterday afternoon."
"So you admit being near the scene?"
Daniel frowned.
"Yesterday afternoon? The incident happened tonight, didn't it?"
Miller didn't respond.
Daniel leaned forward.
"What time did this happen?"
"That's not your concern."
"It absolutely is. You're accusing me of something, but you won't even tell me when it happened."
The interrogation room door opened.
A tall man wearing a dark suit entered.
Lieutenant Richard Hayes.
He was in his early fifties, with neatly combed gray hair and a reputation for being one of the most respected officers in the department.
At least, that was what the public believed.
"Leave us," Hayes said.
Miller stood.
"Lieutenant."
"Now."
Miller walked out.
Hayes closed the door and sat across from Daniel.
For several seconds, he simply studied him.
Then he spoke.
"Mr. Carter. It's been a while."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"I remember you."
"Good. That saves us some time."
"You were at the station three weeks ago when I reported the death of Michael Reed."
Hayes nodded.
"I remember."
"Then you know I came here because I wanted to help."
"People change their stories."
"Not mine."
Hayes leaned back.
"Let's not make this complicated. You tell us what you know about tonight's incident, and we can make this easier for everyone."
Daniel shook his head.
"I don't know anything about it."
Hayes sighed.
"You're making a mistake."
"No, Lieutenant. Someone else is."
For the first time, Hayes lost his smile.
He slowly closed the folder.
"Do you remember Michael Reed?"
"Every day."
"Then you should understand how dangerous it is to involve yourself in matters that don't concern you."
Daniel stared at him.
"Michael was murdered."
Hayes stood up.
"That's enough."
"His family deserves answers."
Hayes walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he turned around.
"Your family deserves peace, Mr. Carter. I suggest you think about that."
The door closed.
Daniel sat motionless.
He had just realized something terrifying.
The lieutenant wasn't interested in investigating the assault.
He was interested in making Daniel stop talking about Michael Reed.
Outside the room, Ryan stood near the hallway.
He had heard enough to understand that something was terribly wrong.
When Hayes passed him, Ryan straightened.
"Sir."
Hayes stopped.
"Officer Ryan. How long have you been with us?"
"Eleven months, sir."
"Then let me give you some advice. There are things in this department you don't need to understand."
Ryan swallowed.
"Yes, sir."
Hayes walked away.
Ryan looked through the narrow window of the interrogation room.
Daniel was sitting alone, staring at the table.
And suddenly, Ryan remembered exactly where he had seen that name.
Three weeks earlier, he had accidentally opened a confidential file on the lieutenant's computer.
Inside was a list of witnesses connected to an internal corruption investigation.
One name had been highlighted in red.
DANIEL CARTER.
Underneath it was a short handwritten note:
Monitor closely. Prevent further contact with investigators.
Ryan felt cold.
He returned to his desk and opened the department's internal database.
He searched for Daniel Carter.
The result appeared almost immediately.
But what he read next made his hands tremble.
Daniel Carter was not listed as a suspect.
He was listed as a protected witness.
And his protection status had been secretly revoked just four hours earlier.
Ryan stared at the screen.
Someone had deliberately removed Daniel's protection.
Someone had arranged the arrest.
And that someone had access to the highest levels of the department.
Ryan looked toward Lieutenant Hayes's office.
The lights were still on.
Then a message appeared on his computer.
ACCESS DENIED. THIS FILE IS UNDER RESTRICTED REVIEW.
A second message followed.
USER ACTIVITY LOGGED.
Ryan immediately closed the file.
He had made a terrible mistake.
Someone now knew he was looking.
And whoever had arranged Daniel's arrest might already be watching him.
At 2:17 a.m., Daniel Carter was still sitting in the interrogation room.
He had asked for a lawyer twice.
Nobody had brought one.
He had requested a phone call.
Nobody had answered.
And every time he asked what crime he was accused of committing, the officers gave him a different explanation.
First, it was an assault.
Then it was a possible robbery.
Now, according to the paperwork Miller had shown him, he was being investigated for obstruction of justice.
Daniel almost laughed.
He had spent three weeks trying to help the police solve a murder.
Now the police were treating him like a criminal.
Across town, a woman named Olivia Carter was pacing inside a small apartment.
Olivia was Daniel's younger sister.
She was twenty-four, worked as a nurse at a private medical clinic, and had always depended on her brother.
Their parents had died when Olivia was sixteen. Since then, Daniel had worked tirelessly to make sure she could finish school.
He was not perfect.
He sometimes forgot birthdays. He occasionally worked so much that he barely slept. But he had never abandoned her.
And tonight, he had promised to be home before midnight.
At 12:30, Olivia called him.
No answer.
At 1:00, she called again.
Still nothing.
At 1:45, she received a message from an unknown number.
Your brother is in trouble. Stop looking for him.
She immediately called the police.