"Sometimes. But not always."
Victoria took out her notebook.
"Who authorized those decisions?"
Margaret looked toward the door.
Then she lowered her voice.
"Deputy Commissioner Brooks."
Victoria stopped writing.
"Alan Brooks?"
Margaret nodded.
"He had authority over the internal complaint division. Whenever a case involved senior officers, his office could request additional review."
"Did he close the complaints himself?"
"Not directly. He made recommendations. But everyone knew that if Brooks wanted a case delayed, it would be delayed."
Victoria looked through the documents again.
"Did anyone challenge him?"
Margaret gave a sad smile.
"One person did."
"Who?"
"Thomas Reed's attorney."
"What happened?"
"He submitted additional evidence. Two weeks later, he withdrew from the case."
"Why?"
Margaret looked uncomfortable.
"I heard he had received threats."
Victoria slowly closed the folder.
"Do you have any proof?"
Margaret shook her head.
"No. Just rumors."
Victoria stood silently for a moment.
Then she asked:
"Margaret, would you be willing to provide an official statement?"
The older woman looked frightened.
"I don't know."
"I won't force you."
Margaret stared at the floor.
"My husband is retired. My daughter works for the department. I don't want to cause problems for my family."
Victoria nodded.
"I understand. But I also need you to understand that the people whose complaints disappeared probably had families too."
Margaret looked up.
For a long moment, neither woman spoke.
Then Margaret slowly opened a drawer.
She removed a small envelope.
"I kept copies."
Victoria stared at it.
"What?"
"Not everything. Just a few records I thought might be important."
She placed the envelope on the desk.
Victoria opened it carefully.
Inside were photocopies of internal correspondence, several tracking sheets, and a handwritten list of complaint reference numbers.
Some of the records were dated more than two years earlier.
Victoria examined them one by one.
Then she noticed something.
Every complaint on the list had been assigned to the same internal review supervisor.
A man named Richard Cole.
And beside his name, someone had written a short note.
RETURN TO CENTRAL OFFICE. DO NOT REGISTER.
Victoria looked at Margaret.
"Who wrote this?"
Margaret shook her head.
"I don't know. But I remember seeing the same handwriting on several other files."
Victoria photographed the documents and placed them inside her folder.
"Margaret, this could be extremely important."
The older woman nodded nervously.
"I know."
Victoria placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"Thank you for trusting me."
As Victoria left the records room, she received a call from Robert.
"Victoria, we have a problem."
"What happened?"
"Sergeant Miller has requested legal representation. He's refusing to answer questions."
"That's his right."
"I know. But there's something else."
Robert lowered his voice.
"Deputy Commissioner Brooks just called my office."
Victoria stopped walking.
"What did he want?"
"He wants the investigation suspended immediately."
Victoria looked at the envelope in her hand.
"On what grounds?"
"He claims the review is creating unnecessary disruption within the department."
Victoria almost laughed.
"Unnecessary disruption?"
"That's what he said."
She looked down the empty hallway.
"Robert, I think we've found the reason these complaints disappeared."
There was a pause.
Then Robert asked:
"Are you sure?"
Victoria looked at the name written on the documents.
"Not yet. But we're getting closer."
She ended the call.
Then she noticed something unusual.
At the far end of the hallway, a man was standing near the elevator.
He appeared to be reading a message on his phone.
But when Victoria looked at him, he quickly put the device away.
She recognized him.
Richard Cole.
The same man whose name appeared on the archived records.
He gave her a brief smile.
"Good morning, Ms. Hayes."
Victoria nodded.
"Good morning, Mr. Cole."
He glanced at the folder under her arm.
"Finding everything you need?"
"Not quite."
He smiled again.
"Well, I hope you have a productive day."
Then he stepped into the elevator.
As the doors closed, Victoria noticed that he had been holding a small envelope.
An envelope almost identical to the one Margaret had just given her.
And suddenly, Victoria realized that the records room might not be the only place where evidence had been hidden.
Someone was still moving documents.
Someone was still protecting the old system.
And someone had just noticed that she was looking.
By the following morning, Victoria had already reviewed twenty-three additional complaints.
She had barely slept.
Her hotel room was covered with printed reports, handwritten notes, and photographs of archived documents.
She had created a timeline connecting the incidents.
The results were disturbing.
Over a period of eighteen months, at least fourteen complaints had been closed unusually quickly.
Seven had missing witness statements.
Five had been marked incomplete despite containing the required information.
And four had been transferred to departments that had no direct responsibility for investigating the original incidents.
There was another pattern.
Every case involved either Sergeant Miller, Richard Cole, or a supervisor who reported directly to Deputy Commissioner Alan Brooks.
Victoria knew that patterns were not proof.
But they were a reason to investigate further.
At 7:30 a.m., she arrived at the department.
Robert was already waiting in his office.
He looked exhausted.
"Did you get any sleep?" he asked.
"Not much."
He smiled faintly.
"Neither did I."
Victoria placed her folder on his desk.
"We need to discuss the complaints."
Robert examined the documents.
"Fourteen cases?"
"At least fourteen. There may be more."
She explained the patterns she had discovered.
Robert listened carefully.
When she finished, he leaned back.
"Have you considered that some of these cases may simply involve administrative mistakes?"
"Yes."
"Then we need to be careful."
"I agree. But these aren't random mistakes. The same people appear repeatedly in the approval process."
Robert studied the timeline.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to preserve the original records, obtain the system access logs, and interview the employees responsible for handling these complaints."
Robert nodded.
"That will require authorization."
"Then we should request it immediately."
Before Robert could answer, his office phone rang.
He picked it up.
"Robert Mitchell speaking."
A voice on the other end spoke for several seconds.
Robert's expression changed.
"Yes, I understand."
He listened again.
"Of course. I'll be there."
He ended the call.
Victoria looked at him.
"What happened?"
"Brooks has scheduled an emergency leadership meeting."
"About the investigation?"
"Apparently."
Victoria closed her folder.
"Then I'll attend."
Robert hesitated.
"I'm not sure he'll welcome that."
Victoria looked at him calmly.