“You helped them.”
“I know.”
“You put handcuffs on me because they wanted to silence me.”
“I know.”
“You tried to take my phone.”
“I know.”
“And now you're asking for protection?”
Lawson looked at her.
“I can tell you what happened.”
Victoria was silent.
He continued.
“Not everything. But enough to prove that Captain Harlan has been doing this for a long time.”
Judge Whitmore leaned forward.
“Then you will have an opportunity to speak through the proper channels.”
Lawson nodded.
But before anyone could say another word, the courtroom doors opened.
A courthouse security officer rushed inside.
“Your Honor, we have a situation.”
Judge Whitmore turned.
“What situation?”
The officer looked directly at Victoria.
“There's been an incident downstairs.”
“What kind of incident?”
“The parking garage security system has been disabled.”
Victoria's stomach tightened.
The officer continued.
“And the vehicle connected to Sentinel Protective Services has been found abandoned.”
“Where is Gregory Shaw?”
The officer hesitated.
“We don't know.”
Victoria looked at the security footage again.
The vehicle had disappeared.
And so had the witness.
Chapter 15 — The Empty Vehicle
The security supervisor returned to the tablet.
“Your Honor, the vehicle was found on the service road behind the courthouse.”
“Was anyone inside?”
“No.”
“Any signs of a struggle?”
“Not that we've confirmed.”
Victoria stepped toward the screen.
“Show me the vehicle.”
The supervisor displayed a photograph.
The black SUV was parked beside a concrete wall. Its driver's door stood open. One of the rear windows had been lowered halfway.
The license plate was still attached.
But something else caught Victoria's attention.
A small white envelope lay on the pavement beside the rear tire.
“Can you zoom in?”
The supervisor enlarged the image.
The envelope had a name written across it.
VICTORIA BENNETT.
The courtroom fell silent.
Judge Whitmore looked at her.
“Have you seen that envelope before?”
“No.”
“Do you know what it contains?”
“No.”
Victoria studied the photograph.
“Was the envelope there when the vehicle entered the garage?”
The supervisor checked another image.
“No. It wasn't.”
“Then someone placed it there after the vehicle was abandoned.”
“Possibly.”
Victoria looked at the judge.
“Your Honor, I would strongly advise that nobody touch it until it has been documented and secured.”
The judge nodded.
“Contact the appropriate evidence-preservation team. I want a complete record of who approaches that vehicle and when.”
The supervisor left.
Cole remained seated, staring at the table.
Victoria turned toward him.
“Did you know about the envelope?”
“No.”
“Did Captain Harlan tell you what he intended to do with Gregory Shaw?”
“I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“Then you should be very interested in finding him.”
Cole looked up.
“I am interested in ensuring that this proceeding follows the law.”
“That's a new priority.”
“Ms. Bennett—”
“Don't.”
Her voice was quiet, but it stopped him.
“You've spent the morning calling my evidence unreliable. You authorized my arrest using a report prepared by the very officer under investigation. You tried to dismiss a recording before hearing it. And now a witness connected to the same investigation has disappeared from the courthouse parking garage.”
Victoria leaned forward.
“If you want to help the court, start by telling the truth.”
Cole's face reddened.
“You have no idea what you're dealing with.”
Victoria held his gaze.
“Then tell me.”
He looked away.
For a moment, she thought he might speak.
Instead, he reached for his briefcase.
The security supervisor returned almost immediately.
“Mr. Cole, leave the briefcase on the table.”
Cole froze.
“Excuse me?”
“Please leave it where it is.”
“On whose authority?”
Judge Whitmore answered.
“Mine. Until the court determines the appropriate procedure for preserving material connected to this proceeding, no one is to remove potentially relevant evidence.”
Cole slowly withdrew his hand.
Victoria noticed that he was looking at the briefcase as if it contained something far more dangerous than paperwork.
Something he had not intended anyone to see.
Chapter 16 — The Envelope
Twenty minutes later, a member of the courthouse evidence team entered the courtroom.
He carried a sealed transparent evidence container.
Inside was the white envelope recovered beside the abandoned SUV.
The name on the front was unmistakable.
Victoria Bennett.
Judge Whitmore instructed him to photograph the envelope before opening it.
“Has the exterior been examined?” she asked.
“Yes, Your Honor. No visible fingerprints have been processed yet. We documented its position and collected it using standard preservation procedures.”
“Open it.”
The technician carefully removed the contents.