KAREN: "Why would the creation time matter if the report is accurate?"
Kavalik stared at her.
KAREN: "Unless the report was changed after the fact."
Rebecca looked at the screen again.
REBECCA: "There are multiple modifications."
KAREN: "By whom?"
Rebecca clicked the user history.
Several accounts appeared.
One belonged to a property supervisor.
Another belonged to an administrative officer.
A third was an account labeled SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR.
Rebecca looked confused.
REBECCA: "I don't recognize this account."
KAREN: "Is it a shared account?"
REBECCA: "It shouldn't be."
KAREN: "Can you identify who has access to it?"
Rebecca shook her head.
REBECCA: "Not from this screen."
Kavalik moved toward the computer.
KAVALIK: "Close it. Now."
Rebecca did not move.
KAVALIK: "That is a direct order."
Karen stepped between him and the counter.
KAREN: "Sheriff, do not touch that workstation."
Kavalik stopped.
KAVALIK: "You are interfering with department operations."
KAREN: "I am asking you not to interfere with the preservation of records that may be relevant to an unlawful seizure."
KAVALIK: "You have no authority to tell me what to do in my own building."
KAREN: "Your building is not above the law."
The sheriff looked at the other officers.
Nobody supported him.
That seemed to anger him more than Karen's words.
He walked away from the counter and stopped near the entrance to the hallway.
His hand moved toward his radio.
Karen watched him.
KAREN: "Who are you calling?"
KAVALIK: "That's none of your business."
KAREN: "If you're contacting someone about these records, I suggest you make sure the conversation is preserved."
Kavalik lowered the radio slightly.
For several seconds, he simply stood there.
Then he pressed the button.
KAVALIK: "This is Sheriff Kavalik. I need the property supervisor in booking. Immediately."
He released the button.
Osei looked at Karen.
There was something close to disbelief in his expression.
OSEI: "He's going to call him?"
KAREN: "Apparently."
OSEI: "You don't understand. The property supervisor is part of it."
Kavalik turned sharply.
KAVALIK: "Deputy Osei, you are relieved of duty until further notice."
Osei stared at him.
OSEI: "For what?"
KAVALIK: "Insubordination."
Karen stepped forward.
KAREN: "You cannot use a disciplinary order to silence a witness who is reporting possible misconduct."
KAVALIK: "This is an internal personnel matter."
KAREN: "Then document the reason for the order and the time you issued it."
Kavalik looked at her with open hostility.
KAREN: "And preserve the communication."
Rebecca continued watching the screen.
She had opened another report.
This one was older.
The name of the owner caught her attention.
REBECCA: "Judge?"
Karen turned.
REBECCA: "I think you should see this."
Kavalik immediately moved toward her.
KAVALIK: "No."
Rebecca looked at Karen.
REBECCA: "It's a vehicle seizure from two years ago. The record shows the motorcycle was transferred to Kingsland Recovery."
Karen approached the desk.
KAREN: "What is unusual about it?"
Rebecca pointed at the owner information.
REBECCA: "The owner filed a complaint. The complaint was marked resolved, but the property was never returned."
KAREN: "Was there a court order?"
REBECCA: "I can't find one."
KAREN: "Was there a final forfeiture judgment?"
REBECCA: "No."
Karen studied the screen.
The report contained a note stating that the owner had failed to respond to a notification.
But the notification itself was missing.
No signed receipt.
No returned letter.
No email confirmation.
Nothing.
KAREN: "Who closed the complaint?"
Rebecca checked the record.
Her face changed.
REBECCA: "Sheriff Kavalik."
Kavalik's expression became unreadable.
KAVALIK: "That was an old case."
KAREN: "Then it should be easy to explain."
KAVALIK: "You don't know the circumstances."
KAREN: "I am asking you to provide them."
KAVALIK: "I'm not discussing a two-year-old case with you."
KAREN: "You have already discussed enough to make this department's records relevant to a serious investigation."
The sheriff looked at Rebecca.
KAVALIK: "Print nothing else."
Rebecca's hands hovered over the keyboard.
KAREN: "Rebecca, preserve the current view and record the time."
REBECCA: "Understood."
Kavalik stepped away.
His face had lost the aggressive certainty he had displayed on Kingsley Road.
He was now looking at the room as if every person inside it had become a potential threat.
The station phone rang.
Rebecca glanced toward it.
No one answered.
It rang again.
Then a third time.
Kavalik finally picked it up.
KAVALIK: "Sheriff's office."
A pause.
His expression changed.
KAVALIK: "Who?"
Another pause.
He looked toward Karen.
KAVALIK: "When did that happen?"
He listened.
Then he slowly lowered his voice.
KAVALIK: "Don't move anything. I'll handle it."
He hung up.
Karen studied him.
KAREN: "What happened?"
KAVALIK: "Nothing."
KAREN: "That didn't sound like nothing."
KAVALIK: "You need to leave."
KAREN: "My motorcycle is still in your custody."
KAVALIK: "It will be handled."
KAREN: "And the records?"
KAVALIK: "You have no reason to remain here."
Karen looked toward Rebecca.
The clerk was still seated at the computer.
She appeared to have noticed something on the screen.
Her expression was not simply worried anymore.
It was recognition.
REBECCA: "Judge..."
KAREN: "What is it?"
Rebecca turned the monitor slightly.
A new record had appeared in the audit history.
It showed a recent login.
The account was the same administrator account that had modified the earlier seizure records.
But the login time was only a few minutes old.
REBECCA: "Someone is accessing the property system right now."