She placed the printed message on the table.
It contained a brief instruction to update the traffic entry with information received from an external source. The message referred to a potential criminal concern but did not identify the person who had provided it or include supporting evidence.
There was also a note indicating that the update should be completed before the officer finalized his report.
Daniel Mercer read the document carefully.
Daniel Mercer: "Why did you save this?"
Laura Mitchell: "Because the instruction was unusual. Normally, we need a clear source and a supporting reference. This message didn't have either."
Daniel Mercer: "Why did you make the entry?"
Laura looked down.
Laura Mitchell: "I thought the supervisor had already verified it. I was afraid that refusing an instruction from the command office would create problems for me."
The investigators asked for permission to preserve the message in its original electronic form and identify its sender.
Laura agreed.
The electronic copy later confirmed that the message had been sent through an account connected to the captain's office. Investigators still needed to determine who had actually used the account, but the message provided a clearer explanation for how the additional allegation had entered the dispatch record.
It also raised another question.
Where had the original claim about illegal material come from?
Laura explained that the wording had been passed to her as information received from an outside source. She had not spoken directly with the source and had no independent evidence supporting the allegation.
The name of the person associated with the external information appeared in another message.
Daniel Price.
The same property consultant who had visited Richard's house.
Elena was informed immediately.
She read the message twice.
Elena: "So the person who pressured my father about selling the land may also have supplied information used to justify the stop."
Daniel Mercer: "That is what the current records suggest. We still need to verify the communication chain and establish whether Price acted independently or under instructions from Hale."
Elena: "Find out who authorized him to contact the department."
Daniel Mercer: "We're working on that."
The next interview involved Daniel Price.
He arrived with legal representation and initially denied any involvement in the traffic stop.
He admitted that he had visited Richard's property to discuss a possible sale but described the conversation as a normal business meeting.
He said the company had a legitimate interest in acquiring the land and had hired him to communicate with property owners.
Daniel Price: "I was doing my job. We wanted to make an offer, and Mr. Brooks wasn't interested. That happens all the time in development projects."
Investigator: "Did you discuss Mr. Brooks or his daughter with anyone in the police department?"
Price: "I may have spoken to people about the property dispute. I don't remember discussing a traffic stop."
Investigator: "Did you contact Officer Miller before the stop?"
Price: "I don't recall."
The investigator placed a record on the table.
It showed a call from Price's company number to Grant's department phone shortly before the traffic stop.
Price studied the document.
Daniel Price: "I speak to a lot of people. A call doesn't mean I arranged anything."
Investigator: "We are asking what the call concerned."
Price: "I can't remember every conversation."
The investigator then showed him the internal message that had been used to update the dispatch record.
Price's expression changed slightly.
Daniel Price: "I didn't write that."
Investigator: "Did you provide the information referenced in it?"
Price remained silent.
His attorney requested a break.
The interview resumed later, but Price did not provide a clear explanation for the communication.
The investigators did not treat his silence as evidence of guilt. They continued examining the records and comparing his account with other available information.
Meanwhile, Elena's father received another phone call.
It happened late in the afternoon while Richard was sitting at the kitchen table reviewing the documents he had kept. His phone displayed an unfamiliar number.
He almost ignored it, but something made him answer.
Richard Brooks: "Hello?"
A man's voice came through.
Unknown Caller: "You should have left this alone."
Richard froze.
Richard Brooks: "Who is this?"
Unknown Caller: "Your daughter can't protect you forever."
The call ended.
Richard stared at the phone for several seconds.
He did not immediately call Elena. Instead, he took a screenshot of the call record and saved the number. He remembered what his daughter had told him: document everything, avoid confrontation, and do not try to investigate threats by himself.
When Elena arrived later that evening, he showed her the record.
Elena's expression became serious.
Elena: "Did the person say anything else?"
Richard Brooks: "No. Just that I should leave this alone and that you couldn't protect me forever."
Elena: "Did you recognize the voice?"
Richard Brooks: "No."
Elena took a photograph of the call record and forwarded it through the appropriate secure channel.