The complaints had originated from different people, but the paperwork often moved through the same command office.
The deputy chief's office.
The agent looked toward the list.
"And the missing bookkeeper?"
The analyst shook his head.
"Still unaccounted for."
She studied the records again.
Then noticed something curious.
Several payments to one consulting company were followed within days by changes to police incident reports involving residents who had questioned redevelopment spending.
She leaned closer.
"Who owns this consulting company?"
The analyst opened the corporate records.
"Indirectly, it appears to be connected to a business partnership involving a relative of a senior foundation executive."
The agent looked at him.
"Verified?"
"The ownership chain is supported by available registration records, but we still need to establish who controlled the relevant payments."
She nodded.
"Good. Keep those separate."
Then she pointed toward the police records.
"Can we establish who changed the incident reports?"
"Some changes are reflected in the audit logs."
The agent read the names.
One belonged to the deputy chief's administrative office.
Another belonged to a civilian records supervisor.
A third belonged to an account that had been disabled several months earlier but apparently remained active for a period after its assigned employee departed.
The agent sat back.
The missing reports.
The questionable payments.
The warnings before inspections.
The attempt to interfere with the evidence transfer.
There was now a coherent theory connecting them.