I was handling sealed matters. "You missed my ceremony." "I know." Mara's voice broke. Everyone online is saying you use drugs. They're saying you threatened the police because you're a judge. Simone stepped forward, but Mara backed away.
"Tell me the truth," Mara said. "All of it? I can't discuss the investigation. You still can't." "No." Mara looked at her as if the answer had confirmed her worst fear. Simone felt something inside her fracture.
Being doubted by strangers was painful. Being doubted by the girl she had raised since Mara's mother died was almost unbearable. "I have never used cocaine," Simone said. "The officer planted it." "Then prove it." "I'm trying." Mara turned and left the room. Later that morning, Harland met Crowell in the parking lot behind Lyle recovery.
Victor Lyle waited beside Simone's motorcycle. Harland looked at the bike. "We should destroy it." Crowell shook his head. "Too obvious." "The camera could have something." "It's already been removed." Victor held up a small black recording unit. Harland relaxed slightly.
Crowell stepped closer to him. You made a reckless stop. She looked perfect for it. She was a federal judge. I didn't know.
That excuse won't save you. Harland's face hardened. He had joined Crowell's operation 3 years earlier after falling into debt. His younger brother had borrowed money from dangerous people, and Harland had tried to protect him. The first planted bag paid off the debt.
The second financed a new truck. By the 10th, Harland no longer pretended he was doing it for family. Now Crowell had made it clear that if the operation collapsed, Harland would take the blame. "We need Dorsey under control," Crowell said. Harland nodded.
Caleb had already made his decision. He contacted Naomi through an attorney and turned over a private copy of the electronic evidence room access logs. The log showed Harland entering the narcotic storage area less than 3 hours before stopping Simone. His written reason was laboratory transport. No transport had been scheduled.
The logs also showed Crowell approving the access remotely. Naomi now had evidence of preparation, but she still lacked proof that Harland physically planted the drugs. She asked Caleb whether he had seen it happen. "No," he admitted. "Not clearly." Then why should a jury believe you?
Because I heard him tell me to turn off my camera. Your camera was still running. Caleb froze. He had forgotten that his body camera used a 30-second pre-record buffer. Even when officers pressed the stop button, the system retained video without audio for 30 seconds before shutdown.