“I did not know why.”
She held up her phone.
“So I recorded what I could establish.”
She described the cruiser.
The Lexus.
The timeline.
The damaged phone.
She did not speculate.
The difference was noticeable.
Then the station doors opened.
Daniel Cole emerged holding a thick file.
Briggs appeared several yards behind him.
Daniel stopped at the edge of the press group.
“My name is Detective Daniel Cole.”
Patricia turned her stream toward him.
“I work in internal affairs for the Westbrook Police Department.”
Derek, watching from inside, saw the folder.
He knew what it was before Daniel opened it.
“I have been reviewing complaints involving Officer Holloway for approximately six months.”
The crowd erupted.
Daniel raised his voice slightly.
“There are eight prior complaints relevant to that review.”
A reporter shouted.
“Were they sustained?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“That is part of what is now being investigated.”
Daniel looked toward Sam.
“Justice Owens is the ninth complainant whose allegations share material similarities with portions of that pattern.”
Then Daniel said the sentence Briggs had feared for six months.
“Some earlier complaints should not have been closed when they were.”
Behind him, Briggs’s face changed.
Another reporter shouted.
“Was there a cover-up?”
Daniel chose his words carefully.
“I have evidence that supervisory decisions repeatedly prevented full review.”
“By Captain Briggs?”
Daniel did not turn.