"Tell me what you know, not what you think it proves."
Ramirez nodded.
"About six months ago I worked a traffic detail with Reigns. He stopped a contractor in a new pickup. I handled the second vehicle in the stop, so I wasn't close enough to hear everything. But afterward Derek came back to the patrol car and had cash in his hand."
"How much?"
"I don't know. Couple bills. Maybe more."
"What did he say?"
"Said the guy had paid an old municipal road assessment in cash. I didn't know there was such a thing, but he was senior to me."
"Did you see a receipt?"
"No."
"Did you ask?"
Ramirez looked ashamed. "No." Marcus did not shame him further.
"Anything else?"
"Voss told me later not to worry about Derek's roadside collections. Said some officers had authorization to resolve minor administrative issues without generating paperwork."
Marcus kept his face neutral.
"Did you believe him?"
"I wanted to."
"That's different."
Ramirez looked down.
"I should've said something."
"You are saying something now."
Marcus called Kim and had Ramirez repeat the account as a formal voluntary statement. Before the officer left, Marcus stopped him.
"One thing."
Ramirez turned.
"Do not discuss your statement with Reigns, Voss, or anyone else. Not because I want secrecy. Because witness contamination helps nobody."
"Understood."