“Please include the operations room cameras, the front entrance camera, and any footage covering the evidence desk.”
Mercer nodded.
“I'll have that handled.”
Claire looked at him.
“Who controls the video system?”
“Our IT supervisor.”
“Does he report directly to you?”
“Administratively, yes.”
“Then I would recommend issuing a preservation instruction immediately.”
Mercer's expression tightened.
“Is that necessary?”
“Yes.”
“Agent Bennett, I understand you're doing your job. But this department has a good relationship with the task force. We don't want a misunderstanding to damage that.”
“Neither do I.”
“Then perhaps we can keep the matter focused on the records.”
Claire regarded him for a moment.
“The records and the conduct that occurred during the inspection are separate issues. Both need to be documented.”
Mercer rubbed his forehead.
“I understand.”
Claire opened her case folder and removed a second document.
“There is another matter I need to ask about.”
“What is it?”
“Who approved the original evidence-handling procedures for the narcotics unit?”
Mercer looked surprised.
“Those procedures were established before I became chief.”
“Were they reviewed after the department joined the federal task force?”
“Yes.”
“By whom?”
“Lieutenant Pike, primarily. The previous chief signed the revised policy.”
“Can I have a copy?”
“Certainly.”
Claire wrote the request down.
Mercer watched her.
“Agent Bennett, are you investigating the department or a specific officer?”
“I'm reviewing evidence integrity.”
“That doesn't answer my question.”
“It is the answer I can provide at this stage.”
Mercer leaned back.
For the first time, Claire saw something more complicated than embarrassment in his expression.
He looked worried.
Not simply because Cole had humiliated a federal agent.
He seemed worried about what the records might reveal.
7. The Camera Room
At 2:05 p.m., Claire asked to review the precinct's camera coverage.
Mercer directed Lucas Reed to accompany her to the security office.
The room contained several monitors and a workstation used to manage the building's surveillance system.
A technician named Aaron Bell sat behind the desk.
“Chief says you need access to the footage,” he said.
“I need to identify the relevant cameras and ensure the footage is preserved.”
Aaron nodded.
He displayed the operations room camera.
The footage showed Claire entering the room, speaking with the desk supervisor, and approaching the evidence desk.
It also showed Cole walking toward her.
The camera had no audio.
Claire watched the sequence.
Cole stood in front of her.
Claire remained still.
Then Cole reached out and grabbed her upper arm.
She could see the movement clearly.
A few seconds later, he took the credential wallet from her hand.
Then he threw it into the trash can.
Claire asked Aaron to pause the recording.
“Can you export the original file?”
“Yes.”
“Will the export include metadata?”
“It should include the timestamp and camera identifier.”
“Can you preserve the original recording before creating the export?”
Aaron nodded.
“I can lock the relevant time range.”
“Please do that.”
Lucas stood near the doorway.
He had been one of the officers who watched the confrontation.
Claire turned toward him.
“Officer Reed, were you present when my credentials were taken?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Did you see Officer Cole throw the wallet into the trash?”
Lucas glanced at the monitor.
“Yes.”
“Did you hear me order him to return it?”
“Yes.”
“Did you hear him refuse?”
Lucas hesitated.
“I heard him say, 'And if I don't?'”
Claire wrote that down.
“Thank you.”
Lucas looked uncomfortable.
“Is Officer Cole in trouble?”
“That's not something I can determine from this footage alone.”
“But he shouldn't have done that, right?”
Claire closed her notebook.
“I am not here to tell you how to evaluate your colleague. I am here to document what happened.”
Lucas nodded.
Claire looked back at the screen.
The recording continued.
Mercer entered the room.
His expression changed when he saw the wallet in the trash.
Claire asked Aaron to preserve that portion as well.
Then she requested footage from the corridor outside the evidence room.
Aaron clicked through the camera list.
“Camera six covers the hallway. Camera seven covers the evidence entrance.”
“Can we review both?”
“Sure.”
The hallway footage showed Patricia entering the evidence room at 8:42 a.m.
At 9:03, Cole appeared outside the door.
He looked down the corridor before entering.
He remained inside for approximately four minutes.
At 9:07, he exited carrying a small cardboard box.
Claire leaned closer to the monitor.
“Can you pause that?”
Aaron did.
“Do you know what that box contains?”
“No.”
“Is there a record of evidence leaving the room at that time?”
Aaron shrugged.
“That's not something I can see.”
Claire wrote down the timestamp.
She requested the corresponding access log.
Lucas looked at the screen.
“I thought Cole was working on old case files this morning.”
Claire turned toward him.
“Did he tell you that?”
“He said he needed to check something before the inspection.”
The room became quiet.
Claire looked back at the monitor.
“What time did he say that?”
“Just before nine.”
“Did you see what he carried into the room?”
“No, ma'am.”
“Thank you.”
Claire did not ask another question.
But she added the time to her notes.
8. The Missing Package
At 3:10 p.m., Claire returned to the conference room.
Patricia had located the original transfer form for case NR-24187.
It was stored in a separate archive folder.
The document showed that the original package number had been assigned at the time of seizure.
A handwritten note indicated that the package had been divided into two containers before transfer.
But there was no record identifying the second container.
Claire examined the handwriting.
“Who wrote this note?”
Patricia checked the initials.
“D.C.”
“Officer Cole?”
“I believe so.”
“Is there a signature?”
“No.”
“Was the division of the package witnessed?”
Patricia searched the file.
“I don't see a witness signature.”
Claire looked at the transfer date.
“Was the second container ever entered into the evidence system?”
Patricia searched again.
“No.”
“Was it sent to the laboratory?”
“Only the first container appears in the laboratory receipt.”
“Was the remaining material returned to the precinct?”
“I can't find a return record.”
Claire placed the documents in a clear protective sleeve.
“Please do not remove anything from this file. I will request a formal preservation order through the appropriate channel.”
Patricia looked worried.
“Are you saying the evidence is missing?”
“I'm saying the records do not account for it.”
Cole appeared in the doorway.
“What's missing?”
Claire did not answer immediately.
Patricia looked down.
Cole stepped into the room.
“Are you talking about NR-24187?”
Claire closed the folder.
“Yes.”
“That's old. The lab changed the packaging. I already explained that.”
“You explained that a new number may have been assigned. We have not found a record for the second container.”
Cole frowned.
“There wasn't a second container.”
Claire looked at the handwritten note.