"I am asking you."
"He wanted to know how much evidence exists."
Boone's expression did not change.
Maya added, "He also seems concerned that your name is not attached to the roadside report."
Boone looked toward the hallway. "Did he say that?"
"He did not have to."
Boone closed the door behind him. "You are trying to turn us against each other."
Maya shook her head. "No. I think that started before I got here."
Boone placed the file on the desk. "Mercer has worked for me for years."
"And tonight, you are already deciding which parts of the report belong to him."
Boone said nothing.
Maya continued, "That is not loyalty. That is risk management."
He picked up the file again. "You think you understand this department because you read some records?"
"I understand that Mercer is wondering why he is carrying the visible part of the problem."
Boone's face tightened. Maya watched him carefully. She did not need to accuse either man of planning to betray the other; they already knew one of them might have to.
Boone turned toward the door. Before he left, Maya spoke again. "Sergeant."
He looked back.
"If you are planning to protect yourself, you should assume Mercer is doing the same."
Boone walked out without answering.
In the warehouse, Mercer was standing beside the damaged Harley. Boone stopped several feet away from him. Neither man spoke. For the first time that night, they were not thinking about Maya: they were thinking about each other.
Laura Chen had Ruth Walker's video open on one monitor and a set of Ashford County seizure records on another. Two agents were working beside her, comparing names, dates, towing companies, and vehicle descriptions.
The first case looked ordinary at first: a restored 1967 Chevrolet Camaro had been stopped during a registration check 11 months earlier. The report said the vehicle identification could not be confirmed at the roadside. It was towed to private storage and listed as heavily damaged with a low estimated value.
Laura opened the attached photographs. The Camaro was not heavily damaged—at least not in the first photograph. She moved to the next image: the left headlight was broken, and the front fender had been dented.
"When were these taken?" she asked.
Agent Daniel Reeves, seated across from her, checked the file information. "The first photo was uploaded before the tow request. The damaged photos were uploaded forty-three minutes later."
"Who handled the stop?"
Daniel looked at the report. "Mercer."
Laura wrote the name on a legal pad. "Who approved the seizure?"
"Clay Boone."
She opened another case: a 1972 Porsche had been stopped for what the deputy described as a plate discrepancy. The owner challenged the seizure, but the vehicle remained in storage while the department claimed the chassis identification needed further review. The initial report valued the car at less than $3,000.
Laura looked at Daniel. "What was it actually worth?"
He checked an insurance record they had obtained. "Agreed-value policy for 86,000."