Her role ended there. The agents would obtain records through appropriate channels and determine whether anyone had intervened improperly. She left the conference room without knowing whether her suspicion would survive scrutiny.
That evening Darlene received a message from one of the investigators asking for a private discussion about future evidence preservation. The message did not promise a dramatic sting. It acknowledged the risk that people under scrutiny might continue their misconduct while the inquiry remained hidden. The question was whether additional incidents could be documented safely, without encouraging them or endangering anyone. Darlene brought the question to the team and insisted they discuss it as a matter of safety rather than excitement.
“I won't have Nia put in front of a man who's already assaulted her just because it would make compelling footage,” Alyssa said.
“I agree,” Harold answered. “And no one is authorized to engineer an arrest.”
Nia listened. She understood the temptation to catch Halverson in the act; she had seen the clarity of the original street videos and the limitations of incomplete footage. But she also understood how quickly a plan could turn a person into bait, reducing her fear and safety to supporting details in an investigation. She refused to be reckless simply because she wanted justice. They agreed that no direct encounter would take place without an independent authority controlling the legal and safety arrangements, and that Nia could withdraw her consent.
For several days there was no further discussion. The external investigators quietly requested additional task-force records. Darlene continued gathering case histories, while Meera prepared to examine the physical evidence under a court-approved protocol. An initial hearing on Nia's motion to suppress the alleged narcotics was scheduled, though the defense still lacked complete footage. The ethics complaint against Alyssa was provisionally set aside after her contemporaneous notes and witness records contradicted its factual premise.
Then an independent supervisor contacted Harold with a proposal. Investigators had obtained credible information that Halverson intended to approach Nia again if he encountered her in the city, despite the pending litigation. Rather than allow an uncontrolled confrontation, they offered a monitored, lawful observation during a routine trip that Nia already needed to make. The oversight team would have authority to intervene immediately, and Nia would not be asked to violate a traffic rule or invite an arrest. The aim was not to force Halverson to do anything, but to preserve evidence if he chose to act again.
Nia had an appointment in another part of the city later that week. She could cancel it and no one would blame her. She could ask for a secure ride and avoid the route entirely. The choice remained hers, and she spent most of the night considering it.
The first arrest had happened on an ordinary journey home; the possibility that another ordinary journey might end the same way filled her with nausea. She did not believe bravery meant ignoring the risk. She asked the oversight team hard questions about their authority, the presence of independent observers, and whether they would intervene before she was hurt.