Naomi agreed.
A meeting was arranged at a neutral legal office several days later.
Before the meeting, Margaret reviewed the available information.
The county contract with Kingsland Recovery had been renewed several times.
The company was responsible for transporting vehicles under certain circumstances, storing them, maintaining inventories, and reporting their condition.
Its invoices were submitted to the county according to an agreed schedule.
The contract contained provisions requiring accurate documentation and cooperation with audits.
However, the initial records did not clearly explain why some vehicle transfers appeared before their associated seizure authorizations.
Nor did they explain why several storage entries contained different property codes from the county's records.
The investigation would need to compare the original source documents.
On the morning of the meeting, Naomi arrived at Margaret's office wearing a tailored black suit.
Her hair was styled neatly, and the small injury on her face had mostly healed.
She looked composed, but the previous week's events had changed the way she viewed the department.
She had always understood that authority could be abused.
She had studied the issue in legal opinions and seen its consequences in court.
But there was a difference between reading about abuse of power and experiencing it personally.
The sheriff had looked at her and seen a woman he believed he could intimidate.
He had not known her title.
He had not cared about her explanation.
And he had apparently expected the entire incident to end once the motorcycle was taken away.
Naomi knew that many people would never have been able to challenge him.
They would not have known how to preserve records.
They might not have had an attorney.
They might not have understood the administrative process.
They might have simply accepted that the sheriff's word was final.
That thought troubled her more than the injury.
At 10:15 a.m., Margaret entered the meeting room.
MARGARET ELLIS: "Marcus is here."
Naomi stood.
A man in his late 40s entered carrying a worn leather folder.
He was tall, with short dark hair beginning to turn gray. His clothes were simple, and his expression was cautious.
He looked at Naomi, then at Margaret.
MARCUS BELL: "Thank you for agreeing to meet me."
MARGARET ELLIS: "Please take a seat. Before we begin, I want to explain that this meeting is voluntary. You may decline to answer any question, and you should seek independent legal advice if you believe you need it."
Marcus nodded.
MARCUS BELL: "I understand."
Naomi sat across from him.
NAOMI WHITLOCK: "Deputy Osei mentioned that you worked for Kingsland Recovery."
MARCUS BELL: "For almost five years."
NAOMI WHITLOCK: "What was your role?"
MARCUS BELL: "I coordinated vehicle pickups and deliveries. I handled transport schedules, checked vehicle identification numbers, recorded condition reports, and delivered vehicles to the storage facilities."
NAOMI WHITLOCK: "Did you work directly with the sheriff's department?"
MARCUS BELL: "Almost every day."
NAOMI WHITLOCK: "What made you leave?"
Marcus opened his folder.
Inside were several printed documents.
MARCUS BELL: "I started noticing that the records didn't match."
Margaret leaned forward.
MARGARET ELLIS: "Which records?"
MARCUS BELL: "The transport schedules, the county seizure reports, and the storage inventory."
He placed the first document on the table.
MARCUS BELL: "This is a transport schedule from last year. It lists the vehicles we were instructed to collect. Some assignments came through the official dispatch system. Others came through a separate administrative contact."
Naomi examined the document.
There were dates, vehicle descriptions, locations, and internal reference numbers.
NAOMI WHITLOCK: "Who provided the separate instructions?"
Marcus pointed to a column.
MARCUS BELL: "Usually someone from the property administration office."
NAOMI WHITLOCK: "Was that Martin Greaves?"
Marcus looked at the name.
MARCUS BELL: "Sometimes."
Margaret took a note.
MARGARET ELLIS: "Who else?"
MARCUS BELL: "I don't want to guess. I can only identify the people whose names appear in the records I kept."
He produced another sheet.
It contained a series of handwritten notes.
Some entries were marked with a star.
Others had short descriptions beside them.
HIGH VALUE.
PRIORITY PICKUP.
HOLD FOR ADMIN.
Naomi studied the notes.
NAOMI WHITLOCK: "What did these labels mean?"
Marcus took a breath.
MARCUS BELL: "They were instructions about which vehicles needed to be collected first."
NAOMI WHITLOCK: "Why would a vehicle's value affect the pickup order?"
Marcus looked at her.
MARCUS BELL: "That was one of the questions I asked."
MARGARET ELLIS: "And what answer were you given?"
MARCUS BELL: "I was told that the company had to prioritize certain assignments because the county needed the vehicles secured quickly."
Naomi turned another page.
There were several entries involving expensive motorcycles and luxury vehicles.
One entry described a red Ducati.
Her attention sharpened.
NAOMI WHITLOCK: "Do you remember this particular vehicle?"
Marcus examined the page.
MARCUS BELL: "I remember a red Ducati being listed on a recent schedule, but I need to check the date."
Naomi looked at Margaret.
Margaret remained silent.
Marcus turned several pages.
Then he stopped.
MARCUS BELL: "Here."
He pointed to an entry.
The date matched Naomi's roadside detention.
The description listed a red Ducati motorcycle.
The location was Kingsley Road.
The scheduled recovery company was Kingsland Recovery & Storage.
Naomi looked at the time.
It was 2:18 p.m.
The same time shown in the sheriff's department dispatch record.