INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "Did you question the request?"
DAVID MERCER: "I thought it was unusual, but I was working under a consulting agreement. I was told that the request had already been approved by the event administration office."
GENERAL MARCUS HALE: "Who told you that?"
DAVID MERCER: "Olivia Grant."
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "Did you communicate with Richard Vaughn directly?"
Mercer hesitated.
DAVID MERCER: "Once."
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "What did he say?"
DAVID MERCER: "He called me after Olivia sent the instructions. He asked whether I could obtain the recording quickly. He said the company could not afford to have an incomplete version of the incident circulating."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did he say anything about the confrontation itself?"
DAVID MERCER: "He said the colonel had made a serious mistake and that the company needed to protect itself."
EVELYN CARTER: "Did he tell you what the recording should show?"
Mercer looked down at his notebook.
DAVID MERCER: "He said he wanted to know whether there was anything before the physical contact that could be used to demonstrate that he had been provoked."
The room became quiet.
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "Did he ask you to remove evidence that showed him grabbing Colonel Carter?"
DAVID MERCER: "He didn't use those words."
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "What words did he use?"
DAVID MERCER: "He said the company needed a version that showed the incident from the beginning, but that the audio was more important than the video. He wanted to know whether the recording could establish that Colonel Carter had threatened him."
Evelyn remained composed.
EVELYN CARTER: "I never threatened him. I instructed him to step away."
DAVID MERCER: "I understand."
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "Did you attempt to obtain the recording after that conversation?"
DAVID MERCER: "Yes."
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "And when the system rejected the request?"
DAVID MERCER: "I informed Olivia. She told me to wait."
GENERAL MARCUS HALE: "Did she give you another instruction?"
DAVID MERCER: "She told me that if the security team contacted me, I should say I was only performing a routine technical request."
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "Did you follow that instruction?"
DAVID MERCER: "I haven't spoken to the security team until today."
The investigative director leaned forward.
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "Mr. Mercer, do you have any messages or records supporting what you have told us?"
Mercer nodded and opened his laptop.
DAVID MERCER: "I saved the communications because I didn't want to be blamed for something I hadn't decided."
He handed the laptop to the investigator.
The messages showed a conversation between Mercer and Olivia Grant. The first message requested access to the main stage recording. The second asked whether the audio could be obtained separately. The third instructed Mercer not to discuss the request with the event administration staff.
There was also a message from Richard Vaughn.
It was brief, but its wording was revealing.
"Get the original before anyone starts making copies. I need to know exactly what they have."
Evelyn read it carefully.
EVELYN CARTER: "When was this sent?"
DAVID MERCER: "Approximately six minutes after the confrontation."
GENERAL MARCUS HALE: "Did you understand what he meant?"
DAVID MERCER: "I thought he wanted to prepare a legal response."
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "Why did you decide to cooperate now?"
Mercer looked toward the window.
DAVID MERCER: "Because yesterday I received another message from Olivia. She told me to delete the access request from my local records and not mention the conversation with Mr. Vaughn."
INVESTIGATIVE DIRECTOR: "Do you still have that message?"
DAVID MERCER: "Yes."
He showed them the communication.
The investigator saved a verified copy.
GENERAL MARCUS HALE: "Mr. Mercer, your cooperation is important. We will ensure that the evidence you have provided is properly documented."
DAVID MERCER: "I want to make something clear. I didn't know Mr. Vaughn was going to approach Colonel Carter. I wasn't part of that confrontation."
EVELYN CARTER: "Then tell the investigators everything you know. Do not protect someone simply because you were given an instruction."
Mercer nodded.
DAVID MERCER: "I will."
***
The interview with Mercer changed the direction of the investigation.
Until that morning, the investigators had been examining whether Richard Vaughn had acted alone during the confrontation and whether the later attempts to obtain the recording were connected to his company.
Now they had direct communications showing that his executive office had been trying to obtain the original footage almost immediately after the incident.
The messages also suggested that the company was particularly interested in the audio.
The investigators requested a full examination of the event's technical systems. They wanted to determine whether the microphone interruption had been accidental, whether anyone had accessed the audio configuration remotely, and whether the missing sound could be recovered from another recording source.
The technical director was interviewed first.
He confirmed that Richard Cole had instructed him to place the stage microphone on standby if the presentation became disruptive. However, he insisted that the instruction was part of a standard procedure intended to prevent unexpected interruptions.