The clerk left.
Cole rose.
“Your Honor, I must object to the court conducting what amounts to an independent investigation.”
“I am not conducting an investigation,” Judge Whitmore said. “I am protecting the integrity of a proceeding in which a prosecutor appears to have authorized the detention of an investigator whose assignment he knew about.”
Cole sat down.
Victoria looked at the closed courtroom doors.
Something was wrong.
She had expected Shaw to be frightened. She had expected him to hesitate. She had even expected him to change his mind.
But he had never missed a scheduled contact without sending a warning.
She checked the second phone.
No new message.
Then the screen lit up.
An unknown number.
Victoria answered without speaking.
A man's voice whispered:
“Don't let them take you downstairs.”
Victoria's expression changed.
“Who is this?”
“You need to listen carefully.”
“Who are you?”
“Someone who knows what happened to Gregory.”
Victoria stood.
“Where is he?”
The caller breathed heavily.
“He never made it to the courthouse.”
“Where is he?”
“I don't know. But I saw the vehicle.”
“What vehicle?”
“A black SUV. No department markings. Two men got out. They took him from the parking garage.”
Victoria's grip tightened around the phone.
“Where?”
“East entrance. Underground level.”
“Who were the men?”
“I recognized one.”
“Who?”
The caller hesitated.
“Officer Lawson.”
Victoria looked across the courtroom.
Lawson was standing near the door.
His face was pale.
She ended the call.
“Your Honor.”
Judge Whitmore looked up.
“What is it?”
“Gregory Shaw may have been taken from the courthouse parking garage.”
Lawson immediately shook his head.
“That is ridiculous.”
Victoria turned toward him.
“I haven't accused you of anything yet.”
“You're trying to frame me.”
“Then you won't mind explaining why someone identified you as one of the men who removed him.”
Lawson stepped forward.
“I never went to the parking garage.”
“Where were you at 8:45?”
“In the corridor.”
“Which corridor?”
“Outside this courtroom.”
“Who can confirm that?”
Lawson opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Judge Whitmore stood.
“Officer Lawson, do not move.”
He froze.
“Mr. Cole, did you know Gregory Shaw was expected to provide information today?”
Cole shook his head.
“No.”
Victoria looked at him.
“You received the same notice I did.”
“I received no such notice.”
“Your office was copied.”
“I don't monitor every email.”
“Then perhaps your staff can explain why the message was opened from your account at 7:52 this morning.”
Cole stared at her.
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Because the system records access.”
For the first time, the prosecutor appeared genuinely frightened.
Chapter 13 — The Security Footage
The courtroom clerk returned with a security supervisor.
The supervisor was a broad-shouldered man in his fifties wearing a dark uniform and a small courthouse identification badge.
He approached the bench.
“Your Honor, we've checked the visitor log.”
“And?”
“Mr. Shaw did not enter through the public entrance.”
“Was his vehicle recorded?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Underground parking, east entrance.”
Victoria stepped closer.
“Was he alone?”
The supervisor glanced at her.
“Are you Ms. Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“We have footage of a man matching his description entering the garage at 8:37.”
“Did he leave?”
The supervisor hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
“No.”
Judge Whitmore looked sharply at him.
“Explain.”
The supervisor opened a tablet.
“Two men approached him near the elevator. One appeared to speak with him. The second stood behind him. They then walked toward a vehicle.”
“Was he resisting?”
“It's difficult to tell from the camera angle.”
“Was he handcuffed?”
The supervisor zoomed in.
“His hands were behind his back.”
Victoria's expression hardened.
“Can you identify the men?”
The supervisor looked at the image.
“One appears to be a courthouse contractor. The other is wearing a dark jacket.”
“Does he have a badge?”
The supervisor enlarged the image.
A small reflective shape appeared near the man's belt.
Victoria leaned closer.
It was a badge.
Not a courthouse badge.
A police badge.
Lawson looked away.
Judge Whitmore turned toward him.
“Officer Lawson, do you recognize this individual?”
“No.”
“Look at the image.”
“I don't recognize him.”
The supervisor zoomed in further.
The man's face became clearer.
Victoria stared at the screen.
“That's not Lawson.”
The judge looked at her.
“Who is it?”
“Captain Harlan.”
Lawson's head snapped toward her.
“That is impossible.”
Victoria looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because Captain Harlan was not here.”
“Then how did you know who the person was before I said his name?”
Lawson went silent.