Marcus looked toward the window.
“If Mercer has been taking property during searches and Hollis has been protecting him, my vehicle is dangerous evidence.”
Brooks immediately understood.
“Where is it?”
“Municipal impound.”
She reached for the phone.
They requested a federal preservation order.
Twenty minutes later, the impound supervisor called back.
Brooks’s expression changed during the conversation.
“When?”
She listened.
“Who signed in?”
Another pause.
“Send the access log now.”
She ended the call.
Marcus waited.
“Your SUV has been accessed twice since it arrived.”
“By who?”
“Officers from Riverside Police.”
“Names?”
Brooks looked at him.
“Both entries authorized under Hollis.”
The municipal impound facility sat behind chain-link fencing and floodlights.
Marcus arrived with Brooks and a federal evidence team just before midnight.
The SUV was in bay seven.
Doors closed now.
Hood shut.
Cargo hatch latched.
It looked more intact from a distance.
That made Marcus more uneasy.
Federal technicians photographed everything before anyone touched it.
Fresh tool marks appeared around one rear door.
The evidence seal applied after impound had been disturbed.
Inside, some roadside debris had been repositioned.
Marcus stood outside the evidence perimeter.
Brooks handed him gloves only after the technicians completed their initial documentation.
The impound supervisor, Rodriguez, brought the sign-in log.
“Lieutenant Hollis came yesterday afternoon.”
“Alone?” Brooks asked.
“One officer with him.”
“Name?”