“No.”
“Then we'll record it as your present recollection and look for corroboration.”
Voss nodded.
“I know that's all you can do.”
He left slowly, his cane tapping against the polished floor.
Marcus returned to the conference room and sat down beside the evidence table.
For the first time, the investigation possessed a clearer picture of the internal decision-making that had surrounded David Carter's death. Voss's documents indicated that the discrepancy had been recognized early, that a senior official had sought supporting records, and that the final report was approved without the underlying question being convincingly resolved.
But Voss's evidence also complicated the narrative. He had been part of the institution. He had remained silent. He had accepted explanations he did not believe. His eventual cooperation did not erase those choices.
The investigation was not uncovering a simple division between people who had known the truth and people who had not. It was revealing a hierarchy in which some people asked questions, others discouraged them, and still others chose not to pursue the answers.
The next task was to determine whether that hierarchy had acted out of ordinary administrative caution, fear of liability, deliberate concealment, or some combination of all three.
Marcus called Elena into his office.
“We need to interview the former city attorney and the administrative assistant who received Voss's memoranda,” he said. “We also need a forensic comparison of the signatures on the ledger, the transfer inventory, and the handwritten notation.”
“Should we interview Keller again?”
“Not yet. We need to establish the documents first. Once we can show him authenticated records, we'll give him an opportunity to respond.”
Elena looked at the growing timeline.
“There's another question. If Voss raised the issue in October and again later, why did nobody reopen the review when the family sought answers?”
“That's where Richard's records may become relevant. We need to locate every formal request made by the family, every departmental response, and any legal assessment prepared afterward.”
Elena wrote it down.
“Do you think the warehouse notes connect to the case?”
“I don't know. We should have an analyst examine the dates and names on the documents. If there is a verifiable connection between the inventory dispute and someone involved in the detention, we can investigate it. Until then, it remains a separate line of inquiry.”
“Understood.”
Marcus returned to the case file and reviewed the handwritten list Richard had provided. The delivery dates were clustered around the weeks before David's death. One entry contained a reference number that might correspond to a municipal procurement record.
He sent the reference number to the records analyst with instructions to identify the relevant transaction and determine whether the warehouse contractor had any documented relationship with the city employee David might have been investigating.
It was a small lead, but the case had become a collection of small leads, each requiring a patient effort to determine whether it belonged.
That evening, Ethan Miller stood in the community center's multipurpose room, watching a group of teenagers prepare for a job interview workshop.
The room smelled of fresh paint and inexpensive pizza. A young woman named Tasha was practicing how to introduce herself to a prospective employer. Jordan sat beside her, holding a notebook and pretending not to listen.
Ethan had spent the day answering questions about the viral video. A local radio station had called twice. Someone had posted an old photograph of him online and claimed to know his motives. Another person had written that the investigation was an attempt to embarrass the police department.
He had ignored most of it.
The young people in the room did not need him to become a symbol. They needed someone who would show up when promised, help them prepare applications, and remind them that a bad afternoon did not have to determine the rest of their lives.
When the workshop ended, Jordan remained behind.
“Can I ask you something?” he said.
“Sure.”
“My brother wants to talk to the investigators.”
“That's his decision.”
“He's worried they won't believe him because he complained a long time ago.”
“Then he should tell them what happened and provide whatever records he still has. They may ask questions, and they may need to check his account against other evidence. That doesn't mean they don't believe him.”
Jordan stared at his notebook.
“What if they find out he made a mistake in the complaint?”
“Then they should establish what the mistake was. Being wrong about one detail doesn't automatically mean the entire account is false.”
“What if the officer says he's lying?”
“Then the investigators have to examine both accounts. That's why records, witnesses, and other evidence matter.”
Jordan considered that.
“I used to think if you told the truth, everything would work out.”
Ethan gave a quiet laugh, without much humor.
“I used to think that too.”