"What Dalton just said is precisely what I had in mind." Donovan Bell let the words settle over the room, his voice carrying the flat certainty of a man who had already made his decision before the meeting began. He straightened in his chair, palms resting on the conference table, and continued without pause. "Therefore, I've decided to elevate the investigation team's standing. I will serve as its chief. Cliff Crawford will serve as first deputy chief. Victor Sinclair, Ruby Gordon, and Ambrose Ward possess the deepest familiarity with the case as it currently stands, so they will continue in their roles as deputy chiefs."
The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, and for a long moment nobody in the room so much as shifted in their seat.
Dalton Lawson's response came immediately, sharp eno
