Her phone buzzed. A text from a witness who'd recorded the incident. Sorry. Deleted the video. Phone storage full.
Another dead end. She walked to her car making notes. The pattern was too perfect, too coordinated. This wasn't just Ror covering his tracks. Someone with authority was orchestrating this, making calls, applying pressure.
Back at the precinct, Sloan was on the phone, her voice professionally concerned. Yes, I understand your organization wants to help, but Mr. Boon has shown increasingly erratic behavior. We're worried about liability issues. She paused, listening.
Of course, we care about the homeless population, but for everyone's safety, it might be best to direct him to other resources outside the area. She hung up, marking another name off her list. Three outreach organizations contacted. Three agreements to redirect Isaiah if he sought help. The net was tightening.
Ror returned with his completed report. Sloan scanned it, nodding approvingly at the careful construction of threat and instability. Good. File it immediately and Ror. She fixed him with a stern look.
No more confrontations. If you see him again, radio it in. Let others handle it. Yes, Lieutenant. He hesitated at the door.
What if that judge makes trouble? Judge Price has his own concerns to worry about, Sloan said smoothly. I've already spoken with people who can remind him of that. Maya's next stop was the homeless outreach center where Isaiah sometimes got meals. The director, Tom Harris, had always been friendly and cooperative.
Today, he barely opened his door. I'm sorry, Maya. We have no record of Mr. Boon using our services. His eyes darted nervously.
Tom, I was here last week when he got breakfast. You know him. Our policy is not to discuss individual clients. He started to close the door. Maya caught it.
Who got to you? What did they threaten you with? Please, he whispered. We can't lose our funding. We help hundreds of people.
The door clicked shut. Maya stood there, pieces clicking together in her mind. The disappeared footage, the synchronized stories, the sudden silence from witnesses, the pressure on outreach groups. Her phone rang, an unknown number. She answered cautiously.