At 2:15 a.m., the surveillance team received a signal from a vehicle registered to Ethan Cole.
The car had been parked in an underground garage belonging to an abandoned commercial building on the eastern side of the city.
Walker examined the location.
"That's interesting."
"Why?"
"That building used to house the police department's property and evidence division."
Olivia immediately remembered Ethan's message.
If anything happens to me, look inside the old evidence room.
She grabbed her coat.
"We're going there."
Walker blocked the door.
"Not without backup."
"Then call backup."
Within fifteen minutes, a federal tactical team assembled outside the building.
The structure was old, with boarded windows and a damaged security gate. Most of the surrounding businesses had closed years earlier.
A faded sign above the entrance still displayed the department's former insignia.
Walker approached the gate.
"Federal agents! We have a warrant to search the premises!"
No response.
The team entered carefully.
Their flashlights swept across dusty desks, broken filing cabinets, and abandoned equipment.
The building smelled of damp concrete and old paper.
Olivia followed Walker down a narrow hallway.
At the end was a metal door with a faded label.
PROPERTY STORAGE — AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
Walker examined the lock.
"Someone's been here recently."
There were fresh scratches around the keyhole.
One of the agents opened the door using specialized equipment.
Inside was a large storage room filled with metal shelves.
Hundreds of boxes remained stacked along the walls.
Most were covered in dust.
But one shelf looked different.
Three boxes had recently been moved.
Olivia approached them.
The first contained old traffic reports.
The second held paperwork from an investigation involving illegal gambling.
The third box had no identifying label.
She opened it.
Inside were photographs, handwritten notes, and a small black notebook.
Olivia recognized the handwriting immediately.
Ethan Cole.
She opened the notebook.
The first pages contained dates, names, and financial amounts.
Then she found a section marked:
PROJECT NIGHTFALL.
Her stomach tightened.
She turned the page.
A list of names appeared.
Robert Harlan.
Michael Grant.
Victor Kane.
Daniel Brooks.
And beneath them, another name.
Captain David Mitchell.
Olivia looked at Walker.
"Captain Mitchell was involved?"
Walker took the notebook.
"Maybe. We need to determine what these entries mean."
She continued reading.
The notes suggested that several officers had received payments in exchange for altering police reports, suppressing witness statements, and providing confidential information about ongoing investigations.
Some payments were relatively small.
Others exceeded $100,000.
But the most disturbing entries concerned missing evidence.
Three criminal cases had been quietly closed after crucial documents disappeared from official storage.
One involved a construction company accused of bribing city inspectors.
Another concerned the disappearance of a young woman named Sarah Miller.
The third involved the suspicious death of Detective James Porter.
Olivia stopped at the final entry.
It contained a date and a short sentence.
The original recording is still inside the department. Harlan doesn't know I kept a copy.
Beneath it was a location.
Room 417.
Olivia looked up.
"Where is Room 417?"
Walker checked the building's old floor plan.
"Fourth floor. Records archive."
They climbed the stairs.
The fourth floor was almost completely dark.
At the end of the corridor, a metal sign identified the room.
417.
The door was slightly open.
Walker raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.
He listened.
Nothing.
Two agents entered first.
Then Walker.
Olivia followed.
The room contained several filing cabinets and a large wooden desk. Papers covered the floor.
Someone had searched it recently.
An agent opened the nearest cabinet.
"There's something here."
He pulled out a small envelope.
Olivia approached.
Inside was a memory card.
No label.
No explanation.
Walker placed it inside an evidence bag.
"Let's get this back to the office."
But before they could leave, a noise came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Fast footsteps.
Walker turned.
"Federal agents! Stop!"
A figure appeared at the far end of the corridor.
The person ran.
Two agents immediately pursued.
Olivia remained beside Walker as he moved toward the exit.
A loud crash echoed from the stairwell.
Then another.
Finally, one of the agents shouted.
"Suspect detained!"
They brought a young man into the room.
He was breathing heavily and looked terrified.
Walker examined his identification.
"Who are you?"
The man swallowed.
"Jason Miller."
Olivia froze.
"Are you related to Sarah Miller?"
He looked at her.
"She's my sister."
The room became silent.
Olivia stepped closer.
"Jason, why were you here?"
He looked toward the memory card in Walker's hand.
"Because my sister disappeared after she found something inside the police department."
"What did she find?"
He hesitated.