KAVALIK: "I can arrange to have the motorcycle returned."
Karen did not blink.
KAREN: "That is not the only thing I want returned."
Kavalik frowned.
KAVALIK: "What does that mean?"
Karen looked toward the booking desk.
Her eyes moved to the computer, then to the paperwork, then to the sheriff's face.
KAREN: "It means I want to know why a recovery truck was waiting for a motorcycle that had not been confirmed stolen."
Nobody answered.
The silence was different now.
Outside, the afternoon was beginning to fade.
Inside the station, the sheriff who had been so confident on Kingsley Road was suddenly struggling to find the right words.
And Karen had only just begun asking questions.
The printer continued running.
One page slid into the tray.
Then another.
Then another.
The sound was unusually loud in the booking area, cutting through the silence that had settled after Karen demanded the preservation of every seizure record in the department.
Rebecca Nolan turned toward the machine.
She had not sent anything to print.
Neither had Halverson.
Kavalik looked at the printer, then at the deputy standing near the hallway.
For a moment, nobody moved.
The machine produced another sheet.
Rebecca stood up.
REBECCA: "I didn't print anything."
KAVALIK: "Then turn it off."
REBECCA: "Sheriff, it's connected to the records system."
KAVALIK: "I said turn it off."
Rebecca hesitated.
She looked at the papers accumulating in the tray. The first page contained a department header, a date, and several columns of information. It appeared to be an internal property seizure report.
She picked it up.
Her eyes moved across the page.
A vehicle identification number.
A registered owner's name.
A seizure date.
A storage facility.
And a financial amount listed under a column marked RECOVERED ASSET VALUE.
Rebecca frowned.
REBECCA: "Sheriff, what is this?"
Kavalik approached the desk.
KAVALIK: "Put it down."
REBECCA: "It's an asset report."
KAVALIK: "I know what it is."
Karen stepped closer.
KAREN: "Let me see it."
Kavalik immediately moved between Karen and the booking desk.
KAVALIK: "This is internal department information."
KAREN: "Then you should have no problem preserving it."
KAVALIK: "You are not authorized to access our internal records."
KAREN: "I have not asked you to give me access. I have instructed you not to destroy evidence."
The sheriff stared at her.
He seemed to be struggling with the fact that the woman he had treated like a powerless suspect was now speaking to him with the calm authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed.
Karen extended her hand toward Rebecca.
KAREN: "Please keep the page exactly as it came out of the printer."
Rebecca looked at Kavalik.
He shook his head.
KAVALIK: "Do not hand her anything."
REBECCA: "Sheriff, I think we should document this."
KAVALIK: "You think too much."
The words were sharp enough to make Rebecca withdraw her hand.
But Karen had already seen the first page.
She had noticed something that bothered her more than the unexpected print job.
The report listed a motorcycle seized several months earlier.
The owner's name was unfamiliar.
The amount recorded as recovered value was considerably higher than the amount listed as the vehicle's estimated resale value.
Karen looked at the next sheet.
It contained a different vehicle.
Then another.
Each report carried the same storage company name.
KINGSLAND RECOVERY & STORAGE.
KAREN: "How many vehicles have been processed through this company?"
Kavalik stepped forward.
KAVALIK: "That's enough."
KAREN: "How many?"
KAVALIK: "You are not conducting an investigation here."
KAREN: "Then why are you so concerned about a printed report?"
Deputy Osei had remained near the hallway.
He was watching the sheriff carefully.
His hands were folded in front of him, but his shoulders were tense.
Karen noticed that he kept glancing at the documents.
He recognized them.
Not because he had never seen them before.
Because he had seen them too many times.
KAREN: "Deputy Osei."
Osei looked up.
OSEI: "Yes, Judge?"
KAREN: "You mentioned a quota. I want you to explain exactly what you meant."
Kavalik turned toward him.
KAVALIK: "Don't say another word."
Osei swallowed.
OSEI: "I wasn't trying to cause trouble."
KAREN: "I'm not asking you to cause trouble. I'm asking you to tell me what you know."
KAVALIK: "He knows nothing."
Osei looked at the sheriff.
Then at Rebecca.
Finally, his eyes returned to Karen.
OSEI: "It started before I joined this department."
Kavalik slammed his palm against the counter.
KAVALIK: "Deputy!"
The sound echoed through the booking area.
Osei flinched, but he did not stop.
OSEI: "There are monthly numbers. Property values. Seizure totals. Certain officers are expected to bring in a minimum amount."
Karen remained silent.
OSEI: "Vehicles, cash, jewelry, expensive equipment. Anything that can be classified as property connected to a suspected offense."
KAREN: "And what happens after the property is seized?"
Osei glanced toward the printer.
OSEI: "That's where things become complicated."
KAVALIK: "You are finished."
Karen raised one hand slightly.
KAREN: "Let him finish."
Osei took a breath.
OSEI: "Some items go into official storage. Others are transferred to private facilities. The paperwork says they're being held as evidence or awaiting forfeiture proceedings."
KAREN: "Are all those transfers documented?"
OSEI: "They're supposed to be."
KAREN: "That wasn't my question."
Osei looked down.
OSEI: "Not always."
Rebecca slowly returned to her chair.