He did not play it immediately.
Instead, he connected the camera to his phone using the device's standard transfer function and located the relevant file. He checked the date and duration, then copied the original recording to a separate folder.
He made a second backup on his phone.
He did not edit the footage, add captions, or remove any part of it.
When he had finished, he placed the phone on the passenger seat and looked at the camera again.
For the first time since Cole had taken the money, Walter felt that he had something concrete to work with.
It was not a guarantee that he would recover the cash.
It was not proof that the officer had committed every act Walter suspected.
But it was a record that might help establish what had happened.
He sat back and closed his eyes briefly.
The image that returned was still Cole's hand reaching through the window.
Walter remembered the way the officer had looked at the money, the casual manner in which he counted it, and the expression he wore when Walter asked for it back.
He remembered the second officer standing nearby.
And he remembered the moment Cole had placed the cash into his pocket.
The memory was clear enough to make him angry all over again.
But this time, the anger had somewhere to go.
It could become a written account.
It could become a formal complaint.
It could become a request for the department to preserve any relevant records, including patrol-car footage, body-camera recordings, dispatch logs, and information identifying the officers assigned to the stop.
Walter understood that the process might be slow. He understood that the department might question his account or request additional information. He also understood that an investigation would have to examine the available evidence rather than simply accept his version of events.
He was prepared for that.
What he was not prepared to do was quietly accept that a uniform gave someone the right to take whatever they wanted.
A few minutes later, a dark-blue Ford Explorer turned into the parking area.
The vehicle moved slowly between the empty spaces before stopping beside Walter's sedan. Daniel stepped out, carrying a laptop bag in one hand and his phone in the other.
He looked toward Walter and raised a hand in greeting.
Walter opened his door and stepped onto the pavement.
DANIEL REYES:
"You look like you've had a long afternoon."
WALTER:
"That's one way to describe it."
Daniel looked at him carefully, then glanced toward the silver sedan.
DANIEL REYES:
"Show me what you've written first. We'll check the timeline before we watch the video."
Walter handed him the phone.
Daniel read the notes without speaking, scrolling slowly through each entry. Occasionally, he paused to ask a question about the order of events or the exact wording Walter remembered.
He did not suggest new details.
He did not tell Walter what he ought to have seen.
When something was uncertain, Daniel marked it as uncertain.
When Walter remembered a statement clearly, Daniel recorded it as a direct quotation.
After several minutes, Daniel returned the phone.
DANIEL REYES:
"This is a useful starting point. We'll keep the original notes, and we can make a more formal version later."
Walter nodded.
WALTER:
"I want to make sure I haven't left anything out."
DANIEL REYES:
"We can review that after we watch the footage."
They moved to Daniel's vehicle, where the laptop could be placed securely on the passenger seat. Daniel opened it and waited while Walter transferred the copied recording to the computer.
The file appeared in a folder with the date and time.
Daniel checked that the copied file had a plausible size and duration, then opened it in the standard video player.
The screen showed the road from Walter's dashboard.
At first, the footage contained nothing unusual. Cars moved ahead, the roadside passed in a steady sequence, and the silver sedan continued along the same route Walter had described.
Daniel watched quietly.
Then the red and blue lights appeared in the rearview mirror.
DANIEL REYES:
"That's the beginning of the stop."
WALTER:
"Yes."
The footage showed Walter moving toward the shoulder and bringing the car to a stop. The patrol vehicle settled behind him.
Daniel paused the video briefly.
DANIEL REYES:
"Do you remember whether you signaled before pulling over?"
WALTER:
"Yes. I signaled and moved over gradually."
Daniel resumed playback.
The officer approached the driver's window. His face was partly visible from the camera's position, and the audio captured the first exchange.