"Damaged."
Noah stared at him. "What would you call it?"
Boone placed the photograph on the desk. "Inspection-related condition."
Mercer gave him a brief look.
Noah said, "That is not what happened."
Boone pointed toward the hallway. "Then you should decide how much of tonight you want attached to your name."
Noah did not move. Mercer opened a blank report form. "What do you want in the narrative?"
Boone answered without hesitation. "Voluntary roadside contact. Vehicle identification could not be verified because physical markings appeared altered. Driver became uncooperative during inspection. Contact ended without formal arrest."
Noah looked toward the locked room. "She is still here."
Boone ignored him.
Mercer continued typing. "What about the motorcycle?"
"Held temporarily pending identification review."
"At Hensley?"
"No location in the first report."
Mercer stopped. "That is going to look strange."
"It will look incomplete. Incomplete is easier to explain than false."
Noah gave a short, humorless laugh. "You are literally writing something false."
Boone faced him. "You want to make a statement?"
"Yes."
"Then be careful what you say."
Noah did not answer.
Boone picked up another photograph. This one showed the broken headlight clearly. "Condition rating?"
Mercer leaned back in his chair. "Low. Salvage."
Noah looked at him. "That Harley was worth more than most new cars before you hit it."
Mercer turned. "Not in this condition."
Boone's eyes moved to him. Mercer realized what he had said.
Boone lowered his voice. "Do not say things you do not need to say."
Maya heard it through the door. She remained standing.
Boone continued. "What matters is what the vehicle looked like when it entered storage."
Noah said, "It entered storage after Wade changed how it looked."
Boone rubbed his forehead. "You are making this harder than it needs to be."
"No, you are."
For the first time, Boone looked genuinely annoyed. He walked to the locked room and opened the door. Maya looked at him.