Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"Is that a threat?"
"No. It's a warning."
The call abruptly disconnected.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Mitchell quietly asked:
"Who was that?"
Daniel slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Someone who just made a very serious mistake."
Hayes looked concerned.
"What mistake?"
Daniel turned toward him.
"He called me."
The captain didn't understand.
Daniel continued.
"Which means he knows I'm here. He knows the operation is active. And he knows someone has already identified the missing evidence."
Hayes looked toward the dark road.
"Then we need to get you somewhere secure."
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
"Detective, this isn't safe."
"That's why I'm not leaving."
He looked at Mitchell.
"Officer, do you remember the exact time you received the suspicious activity report?"
Mitchell swallowed.
"About an hour ago."
"Who sent it?"
"I don't remember."
"You don't remember?"
"It came through dispatch."
Daniel turned toward Hayes.
"Can you verify that?"
Hayes nodded reluctantly.
"Yes."
Daniel touched his earpiece.
"Control, check the origin of the report that initiated Officer Mitchell's stop. I want the original transmission, not the summary."
A few seconds passed.
Then a voice responded.
"Cross, we've located it."
Daniel waited.
"Go ahead."
"The report wasn't generated through dispatch."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Where did it come from?"
"It was submitted directly through a supervisor-level terminal."