"Captain Ellison," Morrison began, "information has been submitted suggesting you accessed restricted complaint files outside your authorized investigative scope and changed entries after reviewing them. We need to address that allegation immediately." Marcus looked from Morrison to the laptop. "Who submitted it?" he asked.
"At this stage, the concern is the records themselves," Morrison replied. He turned the screen. An access log displayed Marcus's user credentials beside dates and times when he knew he had not been at a computer. Several complaint entries appeared to have been altered after the case was opened, their timestamps rearranged to suggest he had changed historical findings.
Marcus read the screen twice. The entries looked official, complete with server identifiers and time stamps. A person unfamiliar with the evidence system could easily assume the list told an objective story. But Marcus remembered the actual times when he had reviewed the files with Benton and Kim, and some of the alleged access periods overlapped meetings attended by multiple witnesses.
"Those entries are false," he said. Kim looked at him carefully. "That is one possibility we're investigating," she replied. "The other is that the system was used improperly, whether deliberately or by error. We're not drawing conclusions before the forensic review."
Morrison folded his hands. "Because of the seriousness of the allegation, you're being placed on temporary administrative leave while an independent technical examination is conducted. Your command functions will be assumed by me in the interim. You'll surrender your department access card and official credentials until that review is complete."
The decision struck Marcus harder than he expected. He had accepted the possibility of conflict and criticism, but he had not imagined handing back command authority before finishing his first full week. His mind flashed briefly to the mayor's announcement, the congratulations from colleagues he respected, and the hours he had spent preparing to lead this department. All of it now seemed suspended between two possible explanations of a computer log.
"I will comply," he said. "But I am formally requesting a forensic comparison of the displayed records with the independent originals and all available verification logs. I also want the investigation of my conduct separated from the misconduct complaint in which I'm the reporting witness. No one accused in that complaint should have access to either set of evidence."
Morrison looked toward Kim, who nodded. "That request is reasonable. We will preserve the system in its current condition and arrange the comparison under independent technical supervision." Marcus placed his credential case and access card on the table. He signed an inventory describing what he surrendered and what remained in evidence custody, refusing to let uncertainty become an excuse for careless records.
As he stepped into the hallway, he saw Reigns near the water fountain. The officer looked toward the conference room and smiled. It was not a broad smile, but the same satisfied expression Marcus had seen during the roadside stop when Reigns believed he controlled the outcome. Voss stood farther down the corridor with a folder beneath his arm.