"Did you know Mr. Hayes was being questioned about missing government equipment?"
"I was aware of an investigation involving a private contractor."
"Did you instruct Deputy Mercer to bring him in?"
Hollister looked toward the reporter.
"I don't direct every investigative decision made by my deputies."
"Did you know Mr. Hayes had been injured?"
"I became aware of his injuries after the interview."
"Why wasn't he taken for medical treatment immediately?"
The sheriff's expression tightened.
"That is under review."
Another reporter spoke.
"Are you aware that Deputy Lane has provided a statement to federal investigators?"
Hollister looked at him.
"I won't discuss personnel matters."
"Did Deputy Lane transport equipment from the warehouse?"
"No comment."
A third reporter raised her hand.
"Is it true that you signed a document approving the temporary storage of government equipment at a private facility?"
Hollister did not answer immediately.
The room became quiet.
Finally, he said:
"I have not seen the document you're referring to."
The reporter held up a printed copy.
"Is this your signature?"
Hollister stared at it.
For a moment, he looked as though he might walk away.
Then he leaned toward the microphone.
"I will not comment on a document that may have been altered."
The press conference ended less than five minutes later.
But the damage was done.
Tessa watched the recording of the press conference from Walter's living room.
When it ended, she turned off the television.
"He knows the records are real."
Walter nodded.
"Probably."
"He still denied seeing the document."
"That's his choice."
"Doesn't he understand that denying something doesn't make it disappear?"
Walter looked at her.
"Some people spend so long believing they can control the story that they forget other people have copies."
Tessa considered that.
Then she looked at him.
"Do you think Mercer will cooperate?"
"I don't know."
"Would you want him to?"
Walter was quiet for a moment.
"I want him to tell the truth."
"Even after what he did?"
"Especially after what he did."
Tessa frowned.
Walter continued.
"I don't need him to like me. I don't need him to apologize because he's afraid of losing his job. I need him to admit what happened and explain why."
Tessa nodded slowly.
"That's fair."
Walter looked toward the television.
"And I want the next person who sits in that interview room to be treated properly."
Cole Mercer eventually agreed to provide a formal statement.
His attorney was present.
The interview took place in a federal office, not at the sheriff's station.
Mercer described the events leading to Walter's arrest.
He admitted that Hollister had instructed him to question Walter about the warehouse.
He admitted that Walter had not threatened him.
He admitted that Walter had not resisted.
He admitted that he had used unnecessary force.
He also described the pressure placed on deputies to cooperate with North Ridge Security Solutions.
He did not claim that the sheriff had ordered him to assault Walter.
He did not invent a command that did not exist.
He simply explained what had happened.
At one point, Cross played the recording.
Mercer listened to his own voice.
When the recording ended, he stared at the table.
"That's me," he said.
Cross nodded.
"Yes."
"I know what it sounds like."
"What do you mean?"
Mercer swallowed.
"I sound like a bully."
Cross did not answer.
Mercer looked up.
"I was angry. I wanted him to tell me what he knew. I thought if I pushed hard enough, he'd stop asking questions."
"Did he?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Mercer looked at the recording device.
"Because he wasn't lying."
Cross waited.
Mercer continued.
"I knew that. I just didn't want to admit it."
The interview continued for another hour.
When it ended, Mercer asked whether he could speak to Walter.
Cross said he would relay the request.
But Walter was not ready.
He told Tessa that he did not want a private apology.
"If he wants to say something," Walter explained, "he can say it through the proper process."
Tessa understood.
The investigation into North Ridge Security Solutions uncovered a larger scheme.
The missing communications equipment had been moved through several storage locations. Some components had been sold to private buyers. Others had been used in unauthorized surveillance systems.
Investigators discovered that the company had billed for transportation services that had never occurred.
They found duplicate invoices.
They found altered delivery records.
They found a series of payments made to intermediaries who had no legitimate role in the logistics process.
The sheriff's department had not directly controlled every transaction.
But its resources had been used to protect the operation.
Patrol vehicles had escorted shipments.
Dispatch information had been shared.
Complaints had been delayed.
Witnesses had been pressured.
And several pieces of evidence had been removed from ordinary county records.
The federal team worked with the appropriate military authorities to identify the equipment and determine whether any sensitive information had been compromised.
Walter's old report became an important part of that process.