Monique nodded.
“Good distinction.”
He seemed confused.
“Good?”
“Keep knowing what you know and suspecting what you suspect.”
She closed the laptop.
“Don’t turn one into the other just because you think you’re right.”
Maya heard about that answer later.
It was exactly the kind of investigator she wanted.
The surviving transition files were examined next.
One introductory memorandum settled the question of Maya’s possession.
AUTHORIZED TEMPORARY CUSTODIAN: MAYA WHITFIELD. FINAL RECIPIENT UPON ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE: SHERIFF MAYA WHITFIELD.
The case had never been stolen.
The documents had been where they were supposed to be.
The problem was what happened after Derek found them.
Several page-number sequences now contained gaps.
Fourteen.
Fifteen.
Then nineteen.
Another section skipped two pages.
The missing portions could not immediately be identified.
What remained was troubling enough.
Derek’s name appeared in multiple unresolved incidents.
So did Russell’s.
Not as proof of criminal conduct.
As reviewing supervisor.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Monique closed the file.
“This stopped being one traffic stop a while ago.”
Maya stood near the doorway.
“I know.”
Then she left the room.
Derek watched her go.
“You’re not going to see what’s missing?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Maya stopped.
“Because if I start interpreting the evidence, every conclusion becomes easier to dismiss as revenge.”
Then she walked away.
Chapter 15: The Witness Arrives
Helen Parker arrived shortly after three in the morning carrying her phone, legal pad, reading glasses, and an external drive. She requested to speak only with the SBI team. Monique agreed immediately.
Helen began by stating what she did not know.
She had not witnessed the beginning of the stop.
She did not know why Maya had originally been pulled over.
She did not know what Derek had said before she parked.
Monique nodded.
“That’s exactly how we want you to answer.”
Helen’s recording showed the Bentley after the windows were broken.
Maya stood away from the vehicle.
Hands visible.
Derek was near the trunk.
Aaron stood farther back.
It also captured Derek ordering Helen to leave.
Her handwritten notes were even more important.
They had been created before Maya’s appointment became public.
Before news crews.
Before outside investigators.
Before anyone could reasonably accuse Helen of adjusting memory to match a famous story.
Monique read the final entry.
“Captain Hollis asked for the original phone?”
“Immediately.”
“Why didn’t you give it to him?”
Helen adjusted her glasses.
“He sounded more interested in controlling my recording than knowing what I had seen.”
Monique wrote that down.
Helen looked through the interview-room window.
“Is that woman really the sheriff now?”
“Yes.”
Helen shook her head.
“Well.”
She folded her hands.
“That explains why everybody outside is losing their mind.”
Monique smiled slightly.