Inside were several filing cabinets, dusty shelves, and cardboard boxes stacked against the walls.
At first glance, there was nothing unusual.
Then Sarah noticed a small security camera mounted in the upper corner.
It was connected to a separate electrical system.
"That's interesting," she said.
Victoria looked around.
"Check the cabinets."
Two investigators began searching.
The first three cabinets contained old administrative records.
The fourth contained folders marked with dates.
Sarah pulled one out.
It was labeled:
INTERNAL COMPLAINTS — CONFIDENTIAL.
She opened it.
Inside were complaints from citizens who had accused officers of misconduct.
Some were several years old.
Others were recent.
Many had no final investigation report.
Some were marked as resolved even though the complainants had never received a response.
Victoria examined the first folder.
Then the second.
Then the third.
Her expression grew increasingly serious.
"This isn't just one incident," she whispered.
Sarah looked at her.
"What have you found?"
Victoria handed her a document.
It was a handwritten note from a former administrative clerk.
The note contained a list of names, dates, and case numbers.
At the bottom, someone had written:
The sheriff knows. Everyone knows. Nobody is willing to speak.
Sarah looked toward the security camera.
"Someone has been keeping records."
Victoria nodded.
"And someone wanted us to find them."
Suddenly, a noise came from the hallway.
Both women turned.
A figure stood in the doorway.
It was an older woman wearing a blue administrative uniform.
Her hands were trembling.
"Please," she whispered. "You need to listen to me."
Victoria stepped closer.
"What's your name?"
"Margaret Ellis."
"Do you work here?"
Margaret nodded.
"I've worked here for nineteen years."
"What do you know about these files?"
Margaret looked toward the hallway, making sure nobody else was nearby.
Then she closed the door.
"I know who put them here."
Victoria waited.
Margaret's eyes filled with tears.
"It was me."
Sarah exchanged a glance with Victoria.
"Why?"
Margaret took a shaky breath.
"Because I couldn't watch them destroy any more lives."
She opened her handbag and removed a small envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed Sheriff Whitmore standing beside a man Victoria immediately recognized.
The man was not a police officer.
He was a wealthy businessman named Charles Donovan, whose company had received several lucrative county contracts.
On the back of the photograph was a handwritten date.
And beneath the date were four words that changed everything.
The night Thomas Reed disappeared.
Victoria looked up sharply.
"Disappeared?"
Margaret nodded.
"Thomas Reed wasn't the only victim."
She paused.
"There was another man. His name was David Carter. He was supposed to testify against the sheriff."
Sarah slowly closed the folder.
"Where is he now?"
Margaret looked directly at Victoria.
"I don't know."
Then she whispered something that made the entire room feel suddenly colder.
"But I know who was the last person to see him alive."
Victoria held her gaze.
"Who?"
Margaret's lips trembled.
"Sheriff Daniel Whitmore."
And at that exact moment, the lights in Room 214 went out.
For three seconds, nobody moved.
The darkness inside Room 214 was absolute. The only light came from the emergency exit sign at the far end of the hallway, casting a faint red glow through the narrow glass window in the door.
Victoria immediately reached for her phone.
"Sarah, stay where you are."
"I'm here."
"Margaret?"
A frightened voice answered from somewhere near the filing cabinets.
"I'm here. Please don't leave me."
Victoria switched on her phone's flashlight. A narrow beam cut through the darkness, illuminating Margaret's terrified face.
Sarah pulled out her own phone and contacted the security team.
"Room 214. We have a possible security incident. Send someone immediately."
A few seconds later, footsteps echoed outside.
Then came a loud metallic sound.
Someone was trying the door handle.
Victoria moved toward Margaret and positioned herself between the older woman and the entrance.
"Don't open it," Margaret whispered.
"Who do you think it is?"
Margaret shook her head.
"I don't know. But someone knows we found those files."
The handle stopped moving.
Silence followed.
Then a man's voice came from the other side.
"Ms. Bennett? Everything all right in there?"
Victoria recognized the voice.
It belonged to Sheriff Whitmore.
She looked at Sarah.
Neither woman moved.
"Director Bennett," the sheriff called again. "I think we need to talk."
Victoria walked toward the door.
"About what, Sheriff?"
"About the woman you're interviewing."
"Margaret Ellis?"
"Yes. She's been having some personal difficulties. I don't think she's in the right condition to make reliable statements."
Margaret's face went pale.