Chapter 7 - THE MISSING TWENTY-FOUR MINUTES
Lena's office was empty when I returned with Detective Hart and a signed witness-interview request. A maintenance worker said she'd been placed on administrative leave at noon.
We found her across the street, packing a cardboard box into her car.
“They blamed me for a record I wasn't allowed to amend,” she said. “I wrote an addendum. It vanished.”
Hart asked for details. Lena took a breath and finally spoke like a doctor instead of a frightened employee.
“Iron Gate was a simulated rescue course. A contractor tested new ventilation and monitoring equipment inside an enclosed training building. The heat-warning alarm sounded, and the exercise kept running.”
“Who was in charge?” Hart asked.
“Captain Grant Heller, the training officer. Ryan Cole was the senior cadet assigned to control entry. Ben became disoriented and collapsed after repeatedly asking for water and a break.”
“Who told you that?”
“April Finch, our medical assistant. She heard the emergency radio call. She wrote it down because the wall clock had been reset after a power interruption.”
I remembered Ben's note: THEY KEEP CHANGING THE CLOCKS.
“Do you have that addendum?” I asked.
“They took my work laptop. But I sent a copy to our outside accreditation reviewer before they locked me out.”
Hart asked for the email address and time. Her expression changed from polite interest to professional focus.
Then Lena showed us a photograph she had taken of Ben's training wristband. Alongside his name sat a printed identification number and a red inspection mark.
“Every cadet wore these,” she said. “The inspection mark is supposed to mean someone checked the building's safety system.”
“Who signed the checks?” Hart asked.
May you like
Lena gave a bitter laugh. “The same man who sold the system to the academy.”
The paperwork named Cole Tactical Systems. The signature belonged to Charles Cole.
