"Every witness has limitations."
"Exactly."
"So do officers."
Brett did not answer. Price walked back to Maya.
"I'm asking you one more time: where is the card?"
Maya looked at the unopened evidence envelope. "I'm not giving it to you yet."
Ruth looked surprised; Daniel did, too.
Price lowered her voice. "You understand that withholding potential evidence can create a serious problem for you?"
"Yes."
"If the card contains what you think it contains, the best way to protect it is to get it into a documented chain of custody."
"Only from the moment you take it."
Price paused; Maya continued: "Everything before that will still be attacked."
Brett spoke from across the diner. "Because it should be."
Maya did not look at him.
Price said, "He's not wrong about that."
"I know."
"Then help me understand what you're trying to protect."
Maya looked toward Brett: he was standing near one of the patrol officers, watching her carefully. She turned back to Price.
"Don't look for the card first."
Price frowned. "What?"
"Don't make the card the center of this."
"You've spent the entire night refusing to tell me where it is."
"Because if you find it first, he gets exactly what he wants."
Brett stepped forward. "That makes no sense."
Price held up a hand without turning. "Stay there."
Maya continued. "The first argument will be source, then handling, then access, then whether I created or altered whatever is on it."
Price said nothing.
"After that, every question becomes about me: 'You were connected to the system.' I know. 'You had access.' I know. 'You had a dispute about that access.' I know that, too."
Price leaned closer. "Then what do you want me to do?"
"Preserve the access logs."
Brett's posture changed; Price noticed.
Maya continued, "Preserve the dispatch archive, evidence management history, version records—anything showing who accessed the relevant files and when."
Price looked at her carefully. "What relevant files?"
"I'm not naming the case yet."
Price's patience finally showed strain. "You cannot keep giving me half an answer and expect me to build an investigation around it."
"I'm not asking you to build one."
"Then what are you asking?"
"To stop anything from disappearing before you know where to look."
Brett moved closer again. "You're asking her to preserve a huge amount of department data based on your word."
Maya turned toward him. "You seem very concerned about what she preserves."
"I'm concerned about proper procedure."
Price looked at Brett. "Then proper procedure should protect you, too."
"It should be based on something more than suspicion from a former employee."
Price turned back to Maya. "Which case?"
Maya shook her head. "Not until I know the records are protected."
Price closed her notebook. "If you want me to protect something, tell me what I'm protecting."
Maya held her gaze. "The record."