"You stood right there with his weapon pointed at you, and now the recording is conveniently gone." Francis did not correct her choice of words. He understood why it felt convenient, but he knew the next step required evidence showing where the file had gone, not only anger about its absence. He told her he would request the preservation logs in writing and ask that the loss itself be independently investigated.
Less than an hour later, Puren called. He spoke quickly and sounded as if he were sitting in a vehicle with the windows closed. "Bellamy changed his story again," he said. Francis sat down.
"Explain." Puren said Bellamy had gone to Captain Vanji's office and claimed that his original description of Francis standing calmly had been mistaken. According to the new version, Francis behaved aggressively enough to justify Mason's escalating response.
"Did Bellamy explain why his memory changed?" Francis asked. "Stress," Puren said bitterly. "He says things happened fast."
Francis pictured the driveway, the long minutes of standing motionless, the carefully spoken questions. He asked whether Puren had heard any recent conversation between Bellamy and Mason. Puren hesitated. "Not enough that I can prove anything.
But Mason's friends have been talking to everybody, and Bellamy keeps saying we need to show a united front." He exhaled. "I'm afraid they're going to say I was the one who misunderstood."
Francis reminded him to make a full, honest statement to the proper investigators and to preserve any relevant notes or messages lawfully within his control. He did not encourage Puren to take confidential files or covertly access records. The last thing he wanted was to undermine the officer's credibility through improper evidence handling. "If you're pressured," he said, "record who spoke to you, when, and what was said. Don't confront anybody alone if you feel unsafe." Puren thanked him, sounding slightly steadier, then ended the call.
The third setback arrived after sunset. Ivette Salor, a local journalist who had contacted Francis earlier about his complaint, called to say her editor had postponed publication of her article. A source claiming knowledge of the internal review had supplied a competing account portraying Francis as a federal agent who intimidated working officers during an ordinary investigation. The source offered details that seemed to come from inside the department. Ivette said she did not personally believe the claims, but her editor insisted that they be examined before the story could run.
"What evidence did the source provide?" Francis asked. Ivette hesitated. "A summary of the incident report and assertions from someone describing himself as familiar with the matter."
Francis rubbed a hand across his forehead. "That report is precisely what I'm challenging." "I know," she said. "I should have asked harder questions the moment it arrived.