Shaw hesitated, then nodded toward the doorway. Danielle stepped just outside the shop, where the surveillance cameras covered the walkway. A pair of highway maintenance workers stood near their truck, eating breakfast from paper wrappers. They paid little attention to the two investigators.
"I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot," Shaw began. "Nolan is a hothead. He's been one for years. I warned him about losing his temper. What happened to your badge was a terrible decision, and I'm willing to address it in his file."
Danielle waited.
"But there's a larger responsibility here. People work at this station. Leah has a daughter. The owner is already calling my office, asking why his contracts are frozen. Federal accusations can ruin a business long before a court decides whether anyone did something wrong."
"That's one reason I'm trying to identify the actual people responsible," Danielle said. "Not punish everyone connected to a location."
"Then let our internal investigators handle the local personnel side. Send the billing records to the vendor auditors. Leave the police matter with us. We can agree that Voss made a mistake and resolve it without turning it into a spectacle."
"Which internal investigator would you assign?"
Shaw named a lieutenant. Danielle knew the name. The lieutenant had signed the two incident summaries dismissing Leah's complaints without identifying the tanker trucks.
"That officer already handled Leah's reports," she said. "I don't believe your proposal protects the independence of the evidence."
Shaw's smile vanished. "You're making assumptions."
"I'm reading the reports."
He lowered his voice. "Agent Cross, there are ways to make a career unnecessarily difficult. I've worked with federal agencies for twenty years. Cooperation depends on judgment."
Danielle looked him directly in the eye. "Are you threatening to retaliate against me if I continue?"
"I'm advising you to use good sense."
"Then here's mine: I won't transfer a possible corruption investigation to the supervisors whose conduct is under examination. If you want to help, preserve the records and stop contacting the witness privately."
A flicker of anger passed across Shaw's face. He began to say something else, then seemed to notice Danielle's body-worn recording indicator. He straightened his jacket.
"I hope you don't regret turning a solvable problem into an incident."
"I hope you don't give us another reason to document obstruction."
Shaw walked away. Danielle stood where she was until he reached his sedan. She suspected the captain was making a calculation about the camera system. He had seen the new evidence, or enough of it to know that his normal explanation was failing. He would want to know where the copies were stored and how quickly they could leave the station.
She returned to the office and asked Ortega to prioritize preserving the full raw files and their metadata. The technician acknowledged the instruction and checked the copy process. Fifty-eight percent. Danielle asked Leah about the camera's backup storage.
"It holds the most recent month locally," Leah said. "I take an archive home every week. I've never put the whole thing on the station computer."