The state prosecutor issued emergency preservation orders covering the city's redevelopment records, police communications, and financial transactions connected to Caldwell Urban Holdings.
A team of forensic accountants began examining payments made to companies involved in the eastern industrial district project.
Another team searched the private medical records of Westbridge Recovery Center.
The first discovery came from an old financial ledger.
A company called Westbridge Medical Group had received nearly three million dollars in payments from a subsidiary of Caldwell Urban Holdings. The payments had been classified as consulting fees, although the medical facility had never provided consulting services.
A second discovery came from a vehicle maintenance record.
A van belonging to Northbridge Protection Services had been repaired on the same evening Thomas Reed disappeared.
Its destination had been listed as Westbridge Recovery Center.
Elena studied the documents in the temporary command office.
“That's enough to justify an immediate search warrant,” Daniel Cho said.
“Not yet,” Elena replied. “We need to establish whether the facility still exists and who currently controls it.”
Marcus stood beside the table.
“Could Thomas have been kept there under another name?”
“It's possible,” Elena said. “But we can't assume he's alive based on a transfer record.”
Rebecca sat nearby, listening.
She had not spoken much since the encounter with Mercer.
Marcus approached her.
“You should eat something.”
“I'm not hungry.”
“You haven't eaten since this morning.”
Rebecca looked at the photograph in her hands.
“I keep thinking about what he might have been through.”
Marcus sat across from her.
“I know.”
“No, you don't. If he was alive, he spent years somewhere believing we had forgotten him. If he wasn't alive, then someone made sure we never got to say goodbye.”
Marcus didn't interrupt.
Rebecca continued.
“My mother kept his clothes in the closet for years. She couldn't bring herself to give them away. When I was little, I used to smell his jackets because I was afraid I would forget what he smelled like.”
Her eyes filled.
“Now I might finally find out what happened.”
Marcus leaned forward.
“Whatever the truth is, we'll face it with you.”
She looked at him.
“Do you think he's alive?”
Marcus chose his words carefully.
“I think there are enough unanswered questions that we have a responsibility to investigate every possibility. I won't promise you something I can't prove.”
Rebecca nodded.
It wasn't the reassurance she wanted, but it was honest.
Across the room, David Reynolds entered carrying a new folder.
“We found Evelyn Shaw.”
Everyone turned.
“Where?” Elena asked.
“She's currently working at a nursing home in a town called Millbrook. She left Westbridge Medical Group eleven years ago and changed employers twice.”
“Does she have a family?”
“A husband and a son. Her husband died five years ago. Her son lives in another state.”
“Any connection to Caldwell?”
“Not directly. But there are two unusual payments in her financial history. Both came from companies linked to the redevelopment project.”
Elena frowned.
“Bribes?”
“Possibly. The amounts were relatively small, but they were paid shortly after Thomas Reed's disappearance.”
Rebecca stood.
“She knows what happened to my father.”
David nodded.
“She may.”
“Then I want to speak to her.”
Elena shook her head.
“We'll speak to her first. If she is frightened, we don't want to overwhelm her.”
Rebecca looked frustrated.
“She has had ten years to speak.”
“And she may have spent those ten years being threatened,” Marcus replied gently. “We need to give her a chance to tell the truth safely.”
Rebecca slowly sat down.
Elena turned to her team.
“Prepare a contact plan. No uniforms. No marked vehicles. We approach her as witnesses, not suspects.”
In Millbrook, Evelyn Shaw was finishing her morning shift when she noticed two unfamiliar people waiting near the reception desk.
One was a woman with dark hair and a state identification badge. The other was a man carrying a leather folder.
Evelyn immediately recognized the badge.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
The woman stepped forward.
“My name is Elena Ramirez. I'm with the state investigative office. This is Daniel Cho.”
Evelyn's expression changed.
“Is something wrong?”
“We're investigating events connected to Westbridge Recovery Center.”
The color drained from Evelyn's face.
“I don't know anything about that place anymore.”
Elena kept her voice calm.
“We haven't accused you of anything. We simply need to ask some questions about a patient named Thomas Reed.”
Evelyn looked toward the nursing station.
Then she lowered her voice.
“Not here.”
“Of course.”
“There is a café across the street. Give me ten minutes.”