They were investigating a network of people who had spent years controlling evidence, manipulating reports, and intimidating witnesses.
And someone had just made it clear that they were willing to follow her anywhere.
The next morning, the State Office of Police Accountability held an emergency meeting.
Eleanor Price stood at the front of the conference room.
Around the table sat investigators, legal advisers, and representatives from the state attorney's office.
Victoria placed the documents from Michael Reed on the screen.
"We now have evidence that multiple incident reports were altered," she explained. "We also have a witness who admits that he was instructed to change dispatch records."
A senior attorney named Richard Coleman examined the documents.
"Can he testify?"
"He's willing to cooperate."
"Will he identify the person who gave the instructions?"
"Captain Robert Mitchell."
The room became quiet.
Richard folded his hands.
"That is a serious allegation."
"I understand."
"Do we have independent verification?"
Victoria displayed the dispatch records.
"These records establish discrepancies between the original emergency call and the official incident timeline. We are also attempting to recover the deleted audio."
Eleanor added another document.
"And we have evidence of unauthorized access to the investigation database."
Richard studied the report.
"Who accessed it?"
"Kevin Shaw."
"Is he cooperating?"
"Not yet."
Victoria continued.
"There's also the matter of Andre Collins. His original complaint involved Daniel Brooks, and the medical records contradict parts of the officer's report."
Richard nodded.
"We need to separate what we can prove from what we suspect."
Victoria agreed.
"That's why we're preserving every original record and obtaining independent forensic examinations."
The meeting lasted nearly two hours.
By the end, the state attorney's office had authorized a broader investigation into possible evidence tampering, misconduct, and obstruction.
But Victoria knew that paperwork alone would not solve the problem.
They needed the original recordings.
And they needed Thomas Miller.
That afternoon, the technical team recovered part of the deleted archive.
The files were damaged, but several recordings remained intact.
One contained a conversation between Daniel Brooks and Captain Mitchell.
Victoria entered the review room as the audio began playing.
Daniel's voice came through the speakers.
"I told you the incident was under control."
Mitchell replied:
"Then why is there a complaint?"
"Because the family keeps asking questions."
"Handle it."
"How?"
A pause followed.
Then Mitchell said:
"Make sure the report matches what happened."
Victoria stopped the recording.
Eleanor looked at her.
"That sounds like an instruction to alter the report."
"It could be interpreted that way," Richard replied. "We need the complete conversation."
The technician continued playing the file.
Daniel spoke again.
"What about the camera?"
Mitchell answered:
"There was no usable footage."
Victoria froze.
That was the same explanation the department had given in the Andre Collins case.
She looked at the technician.
"Can you identify the date?"
The technician checked the file properties.
"Three years ago. The night Samuel Collins died."
Victoria felt the room become smaller.
The recording suggested that Daniel and Mitchell had discussed the incident before the official report was completed.
But the most important part came at the end.
A third voice appeared.
It was faint, but recognizable.
"Don't forget the other file."
Victoria leaned forward.
"Can you enhance that?"
The technician adjusted the audio.
The voice became clearer.
"File seventeen-B."
Victoria looked at Eleanor.
The same reference that had appeared in the anonymous email.
File 17-B.
The missing recording.
The room fell silent.
"Where is that file now?" Richard asked.
The technician searched the archive.
"According to the index, it was transferred to an external evidence storage system."
"Who authorized the transfer?"
The technician opened another document.
Then he stopped.
"That's strange."
"What?" Victoria asked.
"The transfer was approved using credentials belonging to someone from your office."
Victoria frowned.
"Whose credentials?"
The technician turned the screen toward them.
The authorization showed the name:
ELEANOR PRICE.
Victoria stared at the screen.
Eleanor stood motionless.
"That's impossible," she said.
Richard looked between them.
"Are you saying someone used your credentials?"
"I never authorized any transfer."
Victoria examined the date.
The transfer had occurred six months earlier.
Long before the confrontation on Mercer Avenue.
Long before the investigation became public.
She looked at Eleanor.
"Who had access to your account?"
Eleanor shook her head.
"Only me."
The technician opened the audit log.
There was one additional entry.
A device had connected to the archive from a location outside the government building.
The address belonged to a private office in Westbridge.
A company called Meridian Security Solutions.
Victoria recognized the name.
Meridian had been contracted by the police department to manage its digital evidence system.
And its director was a former police commander.
Robert Mitchell's longtime friend.
Richard slowly closed the folder.
"We need to secure this information before anyone else accesses it."
Victoria nodded.
But her mind was already racing.
The missing recording had not simply disappeared.
Someone had deliberately transferred it.
Someone had used Eleanor's credentials.
And that meant the conspiracy might reach beyond the police department itself.
Just as the meeting was ending, Victoria's phone vibrated.
A message had arrived from Thomas Miller.
I FOUND FILE 17-B.
Victoria immediately called him.
He answered on the first ring.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"I can't tell you over the phone."
"Thomas, we need that recording."
"I know. But you need to understand what it contains."
"What does it contain?"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Daniel Brooks didn't just witness what happened to Samuel Collins."
Victoria held her breath.
"He was involved."
"How?"
Thomas was silent for several seconds.
Then he said:
"Because Samuel was alive when Daniel arrived."
Victoria felt her blood run cold.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying the official timeline is a lie. Samuel didn't die in the accident."
A loud noise interrupted the call.
Thomas gasped.
Then the connection disappeared.
Victoria stared at her phone.
She called again.
No answer.
A second later, a message appeared.
It contained a location.
And beneath it were six words:
COME ALONE. THE TRUTH IS HERE.
Victoria looked toward Eleanor.
For the first time since the investigation began, she wasn't sure whom she could trust.
Because if Thomas was telling the truth, then the case against Daniel Brooks was only the beginning.
And the most important secret had just been exposed.
He had stopped the wrong woman.
Victoria Hayes stared at the location Thomas Miller had sent her.
It was an abandoned industrial building on the eastern edge of Westbridge, nearly twenty minutes from the city center. The area had once been filled with warehouses and small manufacturing businesses, but most of the companies had moved away years earlier.
She read the message again.
COME ALONE. THE TRUTH IS HERE.
Victoria knew it could be a trap.
After everything that had happened, trusting an anonymous location was not something she would normally consider. Thomas had disappeared during their phone conversation, and someone had already threatened her.