He leaned inside the Bentley.
Aaron moved forward.
“What are you doing?”
Derek pulled the camera from its magnetic mount.
Maya spoke immediately.
“If you’re seizing that as evidence, document the time and start chain of custody now.”
Derek held the camera in one hand.
“You don’t tell me how to handle evidence.”
“I’m not.”
She looked at the camera.
“I’m making sure somebody remembers when you took it.”
Aaron stared at the green indicator.
“We should bag it before anything gets touched.”
Derek placed the camera on the hood of his patrol SUV.
“We’ll log it at headquarters.”
“That’s not the usual sequence.”
“I said I’ll handle it.”
Aaron stopped talking.
This time Maya’s disappointment was more obvious.
Chapter 3: What Was in the Trunk
Derek returned to Maya.
“Give me the key.”
“No.”
His voice hardened.
“I’m not asking anymore.”
“You still haven’t provided a lawful basis for the trunk.”
Derek told her to turn around and place her hands behind her back.
Maya stayed still.
“Am I under arrest?”
“You’re detained.”
“For what offense?”
“Interfering with an active investigation.”
“How?”
“Turn around.”
Maya studied him for several seconds.
Then she complied.
The handcuffs closed around her wrists.
She winced once but otherwise gave Derek nothing.
“Please include that I did not resist.”
He reached into her coat pocket and removed the Bentley remote.
Aaron watched.
That was the moment the stop crossed another line in his mind.
The key was not merely property anymore.
It was the tool Derek intended to use to defeat the refusal he had been given repeatedly.
Aaron followed him toward the trunk.
“Derek, think about this.”
“I am.”
“No.”
Aaron’s voice was firmer this time.
“You’re trying to make everything you already did look justified.”
Derek stopped walking.
“You want to be part of this or not?”
“I already am.”
They stared at each other.
Derek pressed the button.
The trunk opened.
A single matte-black metal case sat in the center of the otherwise empty compartment. Numbered tamper seals crossed both latches, and evidence tape ran along the edges. A white label on the top displayed the Cedar Ridge County seal.
Aaron leaned closer without touching it.
CEDAR RIDGE COUNTY SHERIFF TRANSITION INTEGRITY REVIEW — RESTRICTED
Derek stared.
For the first time, relief briefly replaced anger.
He believed he had found the answer that would transform the previous half hour from a series of questionable decisions into excellent police instinct.
“What the hell is this?”
Maya stood cuffed beside his SUV.
“I told you not to open the trunk.”
“You’re carrying restricted county documents.”
Maya said nothing.
“Where did you get them?”
“The control number is on the seal.”
“I’m asking you.”
“And I am telling you how to verify the answer.”
Aaron stepped closer.
“We should run the control number before we open anything.”
Derek looked irritated.
“This could be stolen.”
“It could also be authorized.”
Maya watched the exchange.
“Verify it.”
Derek placed his fingers beneath the evidence tape.
Maya’s voice changed slightly.
“Do not break that seal until you know what you’re handling.”