We're past that. Noah met his eyes. That doesn't mean what happened before stops mattering. Mercer stared at him for a moment.
You're still young, Bennett. Let me give you some advice. People who turn every decision into an argument don't last very long in this job. Noah leaned back in his chair.
Is that advice? It's experience. Mercer walked away. Noah waited until he disappeared down the corridor before opening the system again.
A second record connected to the black case had been modified. One of the original inventory entries no longer appeared on the standard screen. Noah checked the audit information. The record had existed earlier that evening.
He entered another maintenance notation stating that the original inventory record was present before supervisory access. Then he saved it and logged out. He knew Dugan might remove what ordinary users could see. He was beginning to understand that the system still retained information about when those changes occurred.
That might matter later. Across town, Evelyn Brooks had not gone to bed. She sat at her kitchen table wearing her reading glasses, the yellow legal pad still beside her phone. She had already written down what she remembered from the traffic stop.
But Captain Dugan's insistence that she surrender her original phone continued to bother her. She called her daughter. Rachel. Mom.
Everything okay? I'm fine. I need you to tell me how to make another copy of a video. Rachel was silent for a second.
What video? The one I mentioned from the road. You still have it? Yes.
Did you send it to anybody? No. Don't delete anything. I wasn't planning to. Rachel walked her through saving another copy to the cloud account connected to her phone.
Evelyn followed each step carefully. "Does that mean it's somewhere besides this phone now?" she asked. "Yes." "Good."
"Mom, what exactly did you record?" A deputy had already broken the windows of a woman's Bentley. She was standing away from the car. Another deputy looked uncomfortable.
Then they opened the trunk. Rachel paused. Did you give the police the video? Captain Dugan wanted my whole phone.
And you said no, right? I told him I'd bring a copy tomorrow. Please don't go alone. Evelyn looked at the legal pad.
I won't. After the call ended, she reviewed her notes one more time. She added a final sentence stating that she had spoken with Captain Raymond Dugan that evening and that he had requested possession of the original phone. She wrote the approximate time beside it.
Then she closed the pad. Back at the sheriff's office, Noah went to the breakroom and found the half sandwich another deputy had mentioned earlier. He was not hungry, but he ate several bites while standing near the counter. The television on the wall showed the late local news with the sound turned low.
A weather map covered most of the screen. Deputy Lisa Warren entered and poured herself coffee. You still here? Apparently, she looked toward the hallway.
Dugan's in a mood. So is Mercer. When isn't he? Noah almost told her what he had seen.
He stopped himself. He did not know who Dugan trusted or how quickly anything he said might return to Mercer. Instead, he asked, "You ever see evidence get reclassified the same night it comes in?" Lisa looked at him.
"Depends on what? Why are you asking?" "No reason." She studied him for a moment, then picked up her coffee.
"If you think there's a problem, don't talk about it in the break room." Noah looked at her. Understood? She left.
The warning was enough. Noah returned to the evidence workstation, checked that his entries were still present, then signed out completely. The clock above the booking desk showed 11:45. A dispatcher near the front entrance looked through the glass doors.
County car just pulled in. Noah turned. A dark sedan had stopped in front of the building. Two people stepped out.
A man carried a leather document folder. The woman beside him held a second file against her chest. Neither wore a uniform. Mercer came out of the hallway.
Who's that? The dispatcher checked the front monitor. County attorney's office, I think. Dugan's office door opened immediately.
He stepped into the corridor and looked toward the entrance. Noah glanced at the wall clock again. 15 minutes remained before midnight. Whatever Dugan had been trying to finish before then was about to meet two people who had arrived carrying paperwork of their own.
The front doors opened and the man from the county sedan stepped inside with the woman beside him. Both appeared to be in their 50s. The man wore a dark suit and carried a leather folder. The woman carried a thick county file with several official tabs visible along the edge.
Dugan walked toward them before the dispatcher could leave her desk. Evening. Captain Raymond Dugan. The man offered a brief handshake.
Michael Reeves, county attorney. This is Helen Porter from the Board of County Commissioner's Office. Dugan looked at the folder in Reeves's hand. What can I do for you?
We need Maya Williams. Dugan's expression changed only slightly. You're here about the restricted records. Reeves did not answer the question.
Where is Miss Williams? She's being held while we investigate possible unlawful possession of internal county material. Porter looked at Reeves, then at Dugan. Reeves asked, "Held where?"
"Interview holding." "Has she been formally charged?" "We're still working through the incident."
"Then bring her out." Dugan's tone remained polite. I'll need more than that. We have an active investigation.
Reeves looked toward the clock above the booking desk. It was a few minutes before midnight. We can wait. Dugan frowned.
For what? Reeves did not explain. Mercer had come out of the hallway and was now standing several feet away. Noah remained near the evidence workstation.
Porter placed her county file on the counter but kept one hand on it. Dugan looked between them. If this is about the case in her vehicle, we have reason to believe it contains restricted internal review documents. She refused to explain how she obtained them.
Reeves asked, "Did anyone verify the control number on the case?" Dugan paused. We were in the process. That sounds like a no.
Mercer stepped forward. The circumstances gave us reason to believe the material could be stolen. Reeves looked at him. You are Deputy Travis Mercer.
Porter glanced at the file in front of her. Mercer noticed. What? Nothing.