“It doesn’t change what you saw.”
“No.”
Helen looked toward her phone.
“That’s why I made the copy before I knew.”
Chapter 16: What the Captain Had Protected
Investigators began reviewing older cases referenced in the transition files. One involved an evidence discrepancy that Russell had personally closed after determining a deputy made an innocent inventory error. Another involved a disputed body-camera failure following a roadside search.
Then another.
And another.
Patterns emerged slowly.
Some concerns were mundane.
Poor training.
Outdated software.
Sloppy paperwork.
Others were harder to explain.
Reports changed after supervisors reviewed them.
Complaint language became softer.
Body-camera failures clustered around several aggressive deputies.
Evidence classifications shifted after incidents became controversial.
None of those patterns alone proved Russell had run a coordinated cover-up for years.
They justified finding out.
At four in the morning, Derek and Russell sat in separate rooms.
For the first time since the roadside stop began, they no longer shared the same version.
Derek knew Russell had helped shape his report.
Russell knew Derek had deleted local footage.
Each also knew the other could reduce his own exposure by talking first.
Monique interviewed Russell.
He began with seniority.
“I’ve served this county thirty-one years.”
Monique waited.
“We receive complaints constantly.”
“I’m sure.”
“People lie.”
“Yes.”
“People misunderstand stops.”
“Yes.”
“People accuse deputies because they’re angry about citations.”
“Yes.”
Russell seemed irritated by her agreement.
She asked, “Did you physically handle the Bentley camera?”
He paused.
“Yes.”
“The memory card?”
“Possibly.”
“Did you break it?”
“I don’t remember breaking anything.”
“Did you remove pages from the transition case?”
“No.”
“Did you change evidence classifications?”
“I made supervisory corrections.”
“What required correction?”
“The equipment was damaged.”
“Who determined that?”
“Maddox said it was unreadable.”
Monique looked at him.
“So you changed an evidence classification based on the word of the deputy whose conduct the evidence recorded.”
Russell leaned back.
“That’s not unusual.”
“Maybe.”
She closed the notebook.
“That’s all for now.”
Russell frowned.
“You understand what Maddox is going to do.”
“What?”
“Blame everybody.”
Monique stood.
“That sounds like a conversation for your attorney.”
Chapter 17: The Argument in the Hallway
Derek waited outside.
“What did you tell them?”
Russell walked past.
“Nothing concerning you.”
“You said you’d handle this.”
“Lower your voice.”
“You told me what to write.”
Russell stopped.