“Mr. Cole, if you interrupt again without a valid legal basis, I will have you removed.”
Victoria placed the phone on the table.
“The call came at 8:04 this morning. The caller identified himself as someone acting on behalf of Captain Harlan. He told me that the department had located the original Sentinel delivery records and that I needed to meet him privately to collect them.”
“Did you meet him?” the judge asked.
“No. I asked him to send the records through the official evidence channel.”
“And?”
“He refused.”
Victoria tapped the screen.
“Instead, he told me that if I continued asking questions, I would be arrested before the hearing.”
Lawson looked toward the door.
The judge leaned forward.
“Play it.”
Victoria pressed the screen.
A man's voice filled the courtroom.
“Ms. Bennett, you need to understand something. This department has been cooperating with the prosecutor's office for a long time. You are walking into a situation you don't understand.”
Victoria's recorded voice answered calmly.
“Then explain it.”
The man laughed.
“People who ask too many questions usually end up answering questions themselves.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I'm giving you advice.”
“Who is this?”
“You already know who I am.”
The recording ended.
For a moment, the only sound was the ventilation system above the courtroom.
Judge Whitmore looked at Victoria.
“Can you identify the speaker?”
Victoria turned toward Lawson.
“Officer Lawson can.”
Lawson's face hardened.
“I don't know that voice.”
Victoria pressed another button.
A second recording began.
This time the voice was clearer.
“Derek, make sure she doesn't leave the building with that phone. The captain wants everything secured before the judge sees it.”
The voice belonged to a man.
A man Lawson recognized.
His eyes widened.
Victoria stopped the recording.
“Still unfamiliar?”
Lawson stared at the phone.
Cole slowly lowered himself into his chair.
Judge Whitmore looked from the device to the officer.
“Officer Lawson, whose voice is that?”
He didn't answer.
“Officer Lawson!”
His lips parted.
“Captain Harlan.”
The judge's expression became severe.
“Then we have a serious problem.”
Victoria's voice remained quiet.
“No, Your Honor. We have a serious pattern.”
And she opened the folder again.
Chapter 11 — The Captain's Name
Judge Whitmore ordered the courtroom clerk to contact the courthouse security director.
She then instructed the clerk to preserve the audio recording, the phone, and every document Victoria had submitted.
No one was permitted to remove anything from the courtroom.
Cole looked increasingly uncomfortable.
“Your Honor, I strongly recommend that this hearing be suspended until the department has an opportunity to respond.”
“The department has had months to respond,” Victoria said.
Cole turned toward her.
“You are not in charge of this proceeding.”
“No. But I am responsible for making sure the evidence doesn't disappear.”
Judge Whitmore looked at the prosecutor.
“Mr. Cole, why did you authorize the arrest?”
Cole adjusted his tie.
“I received information that Ms. Bennett had obtained restricted records through unauthorized access.”
“From Captain Harlan?”
“Among other sources.”
“Which sources?”
“I cannot disclose them at this stage.”
“Why not?”
“Because revealing them could compromise an ongoing investigation.”
Victoria gave a small, humorless smile.
“That's the phrase they use every time someone asks where the evidence went.”
Cole ignored her.
Judge Whitmore opened the arrest authorization.
“Your signature is here. Your office issued the document at 8:31 a.m. Ms. Bennett was detained at approximately 8:51 a.m. What specific evidence did you review before signing?”
Cole hesitated.
“A preliminary report.”
“Who prepared it?”
“Captain Harlan's office.”
“Did you independently verify the allegations?”
“I relied on the information provided to me.”
“Did you know Ms. Bennett was conducting an authorized federal review?”
Cole looked down.
“I had seen references to her assignment.”
“References?”
“I had not received the complete appointment file.”
Victoria leaned forward.
“Your office received it on Monday.”
Cole's head snapped up.
“How do you know that?”
“Because the delivery confirmation is in the evidence package.”
“You have no authority to access our internal correspondence.”
“I didn't access your correspondence. The document was forwarded to the oversight office by the court's own records administrator.”
Judge Whitmore looked at the clerk.
“Is that correct?”
The clerk nodded.
“Yes, Your Honor. The correspondence was included in a preservation request received yesterday.”
Cole looked stunned.
Victoria continued.
“The message was sent by your office at 4:17 p.m. It included my appointment letter and a request that the department preserve all records connected to the Sentinel contract.”