She opened the final file.
It was an audio recording.
The date was six weeks earlier.
Three voices could be heard.
Robert Harlan.
Victor Kane.
And Michael Grant.
Grant's voice was unmistakable.
"We need to finish this before Bennett gets the original records."
Harlan responded.
"She won't stop."
Grant laughed.
"Everyone stops eventually. Some people need encouragement."
Kane asked a question.
"And if she refuses?"
There was a short silence.
Then Grant answered.
"Then we make her the criminal."
Olivia closed her eyes.
The recording continued.
Grant explained how they would fabricate financial transactions, manipulate witness testimony, and leak selected documents to the media.
The plan was to make Olivia appear corrupt before the evidence against Harlan became public.
Then Harlan would announce an internal investigation into her conduct.
Her case would be suspended.
The witnesses would be discredited.
And the original evidence would disappear.
But the final sentence was the most disturbing.
Grant said:
"Once Bennett is removed, we can finish dealing with the remaining witnesses. Sarah Miller is the first priority. Porter is still a problem. And Walker knows too much."
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Olivia slowly turned toward Thomas.
"They planned to eliminate you too."
Walker gave a humorless smile.
"I've had worse mornings."
But Olivia noticed that his hands were shaking slightly.
He had worked with her for years.
He had two children.
A wife who expected him home that evening.
And now he was on a list of people marked for elimination.
Olivia understood that the investigation had become personal for everyone involved.
She looked at Sarah.
"Is there anything else?"
Sarah nodded.
"One more recording."
She opened another folder.
"This one was made three days before Detective Porter disappeared."
The recording began with the sound of a door closing.
Then came the voice of James Porter.
"I have the evidence. The original recording proves everything."
A second voice answered.
It was Captain Mitchell.
"Then you need to give it to Bennett."
Porter replied:
"I tried. Grant intercepted the transfer."
Mitchell lowered his voice.
"Then we have a serious problem."
Porter asked:
"Are you still with us?"
Mitchell took several seconds to answer.
Finally, he said:
"I've been with you from the beginning."
Olivia looked at Walker.
Captain Mitchell had not been working with Harlan after all.
He might have been secretly helping Porter.
The recording continued.
Porter explained that he had hidden the original evidence somewhere outside the department.
But before he could reveal the location, another voice interrupted.
"Who's there?"
The recording ended abruptly.
Olivia leaned back.
"Where did you get this?"
"From Porter's old phone. I recovered it before the department seized his belongings."
Walker examined the file information.
"Can we verify that it's authentic?"
Sarah nodded.
"The original device is still somewhere safe."
Olivia stood.
"Then we need to find Porter."
At 10:15 a.m., Captain David Mitchell arrived at the federal facility.
He looked exhausted.
His uniform was slightly wrinkled, and his face showed the strain of a man who had spent an entire night trying to prevent a disaster.
Olivia met him in the conference room.
"Captain."
"Ms. Bennett."
He looked at Sarah.
"You're alive."
Sarah nodded.
"Because I didn't trust you."
Mitchell accepted the accusation without protest.
"That's fair."
Olivia placed the recording on the table.
"We heard your conversation with Detective Porter."
Mitchell closed his eyes.
"So you found the files."
"Some of them."
He sat down.
"I should have told you everything earlier."
"Yes, you should have."
Mitchell looked toward the window.
"Four years ago, I discovered that evidence was disappearing from the department. At first, I believed it was a problem with the property division. Then I found out that several officers were being paid to alter records."
"Why didn't you report it?"
"I did."
"To whom?"
"Deputy Chief Harlan."
Olivia stared at him.
Mitchell gave a bitter laugh.
"I know how that sounds now."
"What happened?"
"He told me to forget about it. He said the matter had already been handled. Two weeks later, the officer who gave me the original information was transferred. Then he resigned."
"And you did nothing?"
"I tried to investigate quietly. I contacted Porter because I knew he was trustworthy."
Olivia waited.
"Together, we collected evidence. We discovered that Harlan was receiving payments from Kane. Then Porter found Grant's involvement."
"Why didn't you come to me?"
"Because Grant controlled the federal communication channels. We believed he could see every message sent through the official system."
Olivia looked at Walker.
That explained why Sarah had refused to trust anyone connected to the department.
Mitchell continued.