“I’m telling you what I know.”
“Then tell me everything.”
Daniel looked toward the dark window.
Rain moved across the glass.
“Twelve years ago, Mason Pike came to me with an arrest.”
“Evan.”
“Yes.”
“He said narcotics were recovered during a lawful vehicle search.”
“Were they?”
Daniel’s voice shook.
“I believed so.”
“At first.”
Daniel looked at his son.
“At first.”
That phrase changed everything.
“What happened?”
“The evidence bag.”
“Blue seal.”
Daniel nodded.
“Our lab stopped using that tape in 2012.”
“Evan was arrested in 2013.”
“Yes.”
“You noticed?”
“Thomas did first.”
Adam’s hands curled into fists.
“And brought it to you.”
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
“I checked the destruction ledger.”
“Bag had already been destroyed.”
“Supposedly.”
“So you knew the evidence in Evan’s car came from police custody.”
“I knew something was wrong.”
Adam laughed.
“You signed the report.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the signature happened before Thomas came to me.”
“What did you do after?”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Nothing fast enough.”
“Do not make it poetic.”
His father flinched.
Adam continued.
“What did you do?”
“I confronted Mason.”
“And?”
“He said an old bag must have been reused during field packaging.”
“Did that make sense?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“I ordered an internal inventory.”
“And?”
“Two more narcotics packages were missing.”
Adam sat now.
He needed the chair.
“Three.”
“At least.”
“What did you do?”
Daniel looked ashamed.
“I went to the chief.”
“What happened?”
“The chief shut the review down.”
“Why?”
“He said our evidence unit had recently changed systems. He said missing paperwork didn’t prove missing narcotics.”
“But actual drugs were missing.”
“We couldn’t establish that conclusively.”
Adam stared.
“And Evan?”
“His case had already gone to the prosecutor.”
“You let it continue.”
“Yes.”
“Dad.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Adam shook his head.
“You don’t get to say that.”
Daniel’s eyes filled.
“Thomas kept pushing.”
“So you threatened him?”
“No.”
“Someone investigated him for stealing cash.”
“I didn’t order that.”
“Did you stop it?”