"I'll have to speak with Deputy Chief Vance first."
Marcus looked at the telephone.
"Why?"
"Because the archive falls under his administrative authority."
"Does the finance division report to the deputy chief or the police chief?"
There was a pause.
"Ultimately, the police chief."
"Then send me the log."
The director agreed, though his voice suggested he was deeply uncomfortable.
Marcus hung up.
He was beginning to understand why the department had resisted change for so long. Every important record seemed to pass through a small circle of people before reaching anyone who could question it.
And that circle had been protected by the same command structure that was supposed to supervise it.
***
At 2:30 p.m., Sarah brought a message to Marcus's office.
"Chief, there's someone here asking to see you."
"Who?"
"Officer Reed."
Marcus looked up.
"Did he come alone?"
"Yes. He says he wants to explain what happened."
"Tell him to wait in the interview room. Don't let him enter the main office."
Sarah nodded and left.
Marcus contacted Internal Affairs and requested that an investigator be present during the meeting. He also instructed the front desk to record the time of arrival and preserve the relevant visitor logs.
When he entered the interview room, Thomas Reed was standing beside the table.
He wore civilian clothes rather than his uniform. His expression was tense, but he attempted to appear confident.
"Chief."
"Sit down, Officer Reed."
Thomas sat.
Marcus placed a copy of the preliminary incident report on the table.
"You requested this meeting. Go ahead."
Thomas rubbed his hands together.
"I think yesterday got out of control."
"What part?"
"Things happened quickly. I thought you were someone who shouldn't have been in a restricted area."
"I was standing at the public reception desk."
"I didn't know who you were."
"That does not give you permission to assault someone."
Thomas leaned forward.
"I've already spoken with people about this. They told me it would be better if we handled it internally."
Marcus watched him carefully.
"Who told you that?"
Thomas hesitated.
"I'm not here to get anyone else involved."
"Then explain why you attacked me."
Thomas looked away.
"I thought you were being disrespectful."
Marcus's expression remained cold.
"So you decided to strike me?"
"It wasn't supposed to happen like that."
"Did you know that Sarah witnessed the entire incident?"
Thomas shifted in his chair.
"Yes."
"Did you know the reception cameras recorded it?"
"I heard about the footage."
"Then you understand why your explanation is difficult to accept."
Thomas lowered his voice.
"Chief, I've worked here for fourteen years. I've helped this department through some difficult situations. People know me."
"That is not an answer."
Thomas looked at him.
"You're new here. You don't know how things work."
Marcus leaned slightly forward.
"Then explain how they work."
Thomas swallowed.
For a moment, he seemed ready to say something.
Instead, he shook his head.
"I shouldn't have hit you."
"No, you shouldn't have."
"I want to apologize."
"An apology does not replace an investigation."
Thomas stood.
"Are we done?"
Marcus nodded toward the door.
"For today."
Thomas walked out without another word.
The Internal Affairs investigator remained behind to complete the interview record.
Marcus returned to his office and found a message waiting on his desk.
It was from an unknown number.
The message contained only one sentence.
STOP LOOKING INTO THE FINANCIAL RECORDS IF YOU WANT TO LAST HERE.
Marcus read it twice.
Then he placed his phone on the desk and called the department's digital evidence unit.
"I need the message preserved. I also need a record of any suspicious access to my official communications account."
"Understood, Chief."
"Do not investigate through the normal administrative chain. I want the evidence secured first."
He ended the call.
The warning confirmed one thing.
Someone was paying attention.
***
That evening, Elena arrived at Marcus's office carrying a thick folder and a small USB drive.
"I found more than I expected."
Marcus closed the door.
"What did you find?"
Elena placed the folder on his desk.
"These are copies of the original procurement records. Some are incomplete, but the dates and invoice numbers match the transactions I told you about."
Marcus began reviewing them.
One invoice showed a payment for twelve advanced surveillance systems. The department's inventory records listed only four.
Another documented the purchase of specialized protective equipment for an entire tactical unit. Yet the equipment had never been signed into the department's storage facility.
A third invoice involved vehicle repairs charged to a company that had been dissolved nearly two years earlier.
Marcus looked up.
"Who approved these?"
"Different people signed the paperwork. But the authorization codes were all connected to the same administrative account."