"The warrant authorizes certain categories of material," Rosa said. "It doesn't authorize them to invent evidence or destroy your files. We'll read the scope, document the seizure, and seek review if they take unrelated property. And the preserved copy in purchasing is not inside your shop. Remember that."
Erica watched his face as he listened. When the call ended, she told him to take the suit out of its garment bag and prepare for the worst without giving anyone the satisfaction of seeing him panic. Before bed, they checked the doors and cameras at home, then helped Hope choose clothes for school. Those small actions were not enough to erase the fear, but they reminded Clayton that his family still had a life beyond the dispute.
At 6:45 Tuesday morning, Rosa was already waiting in Clayton's office with a thermos of coffee and a printed copy of the warrant she had requested. The mechanics arrived one at a time and stood in the service bay, speaking quietly. Clayton had told them not to obstruct the officers and to direct all questions through him and Rosa. He had also made sure ordinary customer vehicles were moved away from the technical room so they would not be damaged during the search.
At 7:30, old patrol car fourteen entered the lot again. Behind it came two other units and Sutcliffe's white pickup. The deputy chief stepped out holding the warrant, followed by Hagen, Lel, and several officers carrying evidence boxes. The sight of the men who had humiliated Clayton returning to search his shop made Jaylen grip the edge of a workbench until his knuckles hurt.
"Good morning, Deputy Chief," Clayton said from the office doorway. "My lawyer is here to read the warrant before anyone enters the technical room. We will not interfere with lawful instructions. We do expect a complete inventory."
Sutcliffe handed Rosa the papers with a smile. "Take your time, counselor. Every line."
"I intend to," she replied. She checked the judge's signature, the address, the described categories, the time period, and the manner in which equipment was to be seized. She noted that the application identified a possible link between fleet testing records and a suspected theft but left unanswered questions about Sutcliffe's personal role in the underlying dispute. She documented those questions for a later challenge without pretending the warrant had ceased to exist simply because she disagreed with it.
The officers moved into the technical room. They disconnected the server, tagged several external drives, and took backup media listed in the warrant inventory. Hagen opened desk drawers, collecting additional devices while Rosa questioned whether some contained only unrelated payroll and customer materials. Where the officers insisted on taking them, she recorded the objection and photographed the labels.
Jaylen stood with the other mechanics, hands visible, watching their sales videos and ordinary work records go into cardboard boxes. He wanted to tell Hagen that the sunrise clip was nothing more than a video of cars. Instead he remembered Clayton's warning: there was no benefit in giving the officer an argument when the search was already being witnessed and documented.