"Section 9.2, ma'am. Burn-in data. Twelve units, seventy-two hours each, complete and unaltered. The data are owed under the contract, whether or not the payment has cleared." Clayton set the drives and checksum manifest on the counter. "I'd like a receipt for the exact materials and the time."
Ingrid reviewed the cover sheet. She asked whether there was anything she should flag or any security issue that would affect storage. Rosa had prepared instructions for controlled access because the files included identifiable video from private property, and Clayton presented them without discussing the contents of any particular minute. Ingrid directed a records employee to log the packages and place them in the department's locked contract archive.
At 9:14, she stamped the receipt and signed it. Clayton checked that the listed serial numbers, the manifest reference, and the date were correct before he accepted his copy. Ingrid watched him and almost smiled.
"Your father teach you to read this carefully?" she asked.
"Every page before a signature, ma'am. He said a receipt is a friend that doesn't change its story."
"I should warn you," she said, more seriously, "receiving these records does not lift your suspension. The contract is still subject to the open investigation."
"I understand. One office can receive a delivery without deciding what another office should believe." Clayton thanked her and walked out. He did not expect the city to discover the truth immediately, but the sealed package was now part of its own recorded contract history.
At noon, Sutcliffe called the shop. His voice was almost friendly. "Heard you left some drives at city hall. Whatever you think you've got belongs to the city now."
"It does," Clayton said. "That's why I delivered it."
There was silence, followed by a click. Clayton put the telephone down and looked toward Rosa, who had been sitting across the desk. She raised an eyebrow. Someone in purchasing had informed the deputy chief within three hours. They could not know whether the call was routine or suspicious, but the speed of the information traveling through city hall confirmed the need to keep the record of every transfer.
Rosa filed a formal protest against the contract suspension and requested an expedited hearing. By late afternoon, purchasing set the hearing for Tuesday, October 6, at two o'clock. Sutcliffe would appear for the department. Ingrid would preside over the contract issue, not the criminal allegations, and a city attorney would attend to advise on procurement procedure.
Rosa wanted to show the unit-seven recording immediately. She argued that a clear video of the officers ignoring Clayton's identification and removing personal property could undermine the premise of the investigation before the rebid deadline. Clayton listened without interrupting, then told her he wanted the department's representative to make a complete statement first.
"I don't want to sit through another man calling it a misunderstanding," Rosa said. "You have proof. We're trying to save your business, not plan a clever surprise."