"Sergeant Blake ordered him to step away from the garage. Mr. Reed refused because he said the officers were standing on his property without permission."
"Was he arrested?"
"Yes."
"On what charge?"
"Resisting an officer."
Sarah exchanged a brief glance with Michael.
"Was there physical contact?"
Ryan nodded.
"Sergeant Blake pushed him against his vehicle."
"Did Mr. Reed resist?"
"Not really. He was trying to explain something."
"Did you witness this?"
Ryan's eyes filled with uncertainty.
"I wasn't there when it happened."
"Then how do you know?"
"Because I watched the footage."
Sarah stopped writing.
"What footage?"
"The body camera recording."
"Was it included in the official report?"
Ryan shook his head.
"No."
"Why not?"
Ryan remained silent.
Sarah waited patiently.
Finally, he spoke.
"Because the sheriff ordered it removed."
The room became completely still.
Michael leaned forward.
"Are you certain?"
Ryan nodded.
"I heard him give the order."
"Who else heard it?"
"Sergeant Blake. Deputy Harris. And me."
Sarah closed her notebook.
"Deputy Mitchell, this is important. Did you personally remove the recording?"
"No."
"Did you participate in altering the report?"
"No."
"Did you know the footage was missing?"
Ryan lowered his head.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you report it?"
His voice became quieter.
"Because I was afraid."
Sarah did not interrupt.
Ryan continued.
"My father was a police officer. He always told me that the badge meant something. He said that if I ever became an officer, I should remember that people would trust me even when they had every reason not to."
He rubbed his eyes.
"When I joined this department, I believed I was doing something important. But after a while, I started seeing things that didn't feel right."
"What kinds of things?"
"Reports changing. Complaints disappearing. Officers being transferred whenever someone asked too many questions."
Sarah listened carefully.
"And the sheriff?"
Ryan nodded.
"He knew about everything."
Across the station, Sheriff Whitmore was having a very different conversation.
He had entered his office with his personal attorney, Richard Lawson.
Lawson had arrived less than thirty minutes earlier.
He was an experienced defense lawyer who had represented several public officials. He was known for his calm manner and aggressive courtroom strategies.
Whitmore paced behind his desk.
"This is a disaster."
Lawson placed his briefcase on a chair.
"Calm down."
"Calm down? They've taken over my building."
"They haven't taken over anything. They're conducting an investigation."
"They have access to everything."
"Then we need to understand what they are looking for."
Whitmore lowered his voice.
"They have the Reed incident."
Lawson stopped arranging his papers.
"Which incident?"
"Thomas Reed. Six months ago."
"Why is that important?"
Whitmore stared at him.
"Because the original recording still exists somewhere."
Lawson's expression changed.
"You told me it was deleted."
"It was supposed to be."
"Supposed to be?"
Whitmore moved closer.
"One of the deputies made a copy."
Lawson stared at him.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Then you need to find out."
Whitmore shook his head.
"They're interviewing everyone. I can't get near them."
Lawson sat down.
"Listen carefully. Do not contact anyone involved in the investigation. Do not delete anything. Do not attempt to retrieve files. From this moment forward, you speak to me before doing anything."
Whitmore sank into his chair.
"What if they find the recording?"
Lawson looked at him.
"Then we deal with it through the legal process."
But even Lawson seemed troubled.
Because the Reed incident was not the only problem.
He knew that the sheriff had been involved in several questionable decisions over the past two years.
And if investigators discovered that those incidents were connected, the consequences could be far worse than Whitmore imagined.
At 6:45 that evening, Victoria received a message from an unknown number.
The message contained only eight words.
You are investigating the wrong incident. Look at Room 214.
Victoria read it twice.
She immediately showed Sarah.
"Do you recognize the number?" Sarah asked.
"No."
"Could be someone inside the department."
"Possibly."
Sarah examined the message.
"What is Room 214?"
Victoria looked toward the hallway.
"I don't know yet."
They contacted the station's administrative officer and requested a list of all rooms and their assigned functions.
Room 214 was listed as an old records storage room.
It had supposedly been unused for more than a year.
Sarah frowned.
"Why would someone direct us there?"
Victoria considered the possibilities.
"Because something was hidden."
They walked down the hallway together.
Room 214 was located behind a locked door near the old evidence archive.
An administrative employee brought them the key.
When the door opened, a wave of stale air drifted into the hallway.