Beexley raised the plaque while the cameras zoomed in. He thanked the task force for its exceptional performance and repeated that every gun in the bin would be destroyed permanently. A few people applauded, and the council member who had presented the award stepped aside with a satisfied expression. Fowler unlocked the chain, removed the tarp, and exposed rows of tagged weapons packed inside the steel container. Beexley lifted one pistol, held its evidence tag toward the cameras, and laid it on the conveyor belt.
The crusher operator reached for the controls. At the white table, Mallister raised his hand before the machine could start. "Hold the conveyor, please," he said, loud enough to be heard over the low engine noise. The operator stopped immediately, glancing first at Beexley and then at the auditor. Beexley kept smiling but asked whether the review could wait until after the ceremony.
"I'm here to certify what happens before destruction," Mallister answered. "Not to reconstruct it afterward." He explained that the inventory and associated destruction records had to be reconciled because discrepancies had been raised during the funding review. He asked that no tagged item be moved until the relevant serial numbers were documented. The two investigators beside Quist stood and took positions from which they could see the bin without interfering with the operator.
An event marshal opened a side passage in the public rope for Monica after Mallister requested her assistance as the person who had submitted the comparison list. She approached only as far as the marked yellow boundary, leaving several feet between herself and the bin. She kept her hands visible, with the folder open and the wrench tucked safely beneath one arm. "Mr. Mallister," she said, "would you read the tags against the official destruction certificates before any of them are destroyed today?" He answered that he intended to do exactly that.
Beexley stepped down from the stage, his smile becoming more strained. "This isn't the appropriate time for an unverified accusation," he told the auditor. Mallister showed him the audit authorization and the written scope of the review, then asked him to remain outside the restricted evidence space while the checks were conducted. "Captain, the time for checking a serial number is while the metal still exists," he said. Beexley held his gaze for a moment, then stepped back.
Monica read the first line from her folder: DX92055. Mallister compared the official current inventory to the cardboard tags and located the pistol under its assigned evidence number. He read the marking on the firearm, verified it against the tag, and looked up the corresponding entry on the 2024 destruction certificate.
He then spoke for the record in the same calm tone he had used on the telephone. "Physical firearm present. Serial number DX92055. Prior certificate reports destroyed."