No. Medication we need to know about? No. The woman nodded and continued the intake. Noah carried the dash camera into evidence processing. A property deputy looked at the bag.
What's wrong with it? Mercer answered before Noah could. Media corrupted in the field. The property deputy typed the description.
Any recoverable files? None. Noah looked at Mercer. The answer came too quickly.
He had seen the green recording indicator on the road. He had heard Mercer ask how long it had been running. Now, the camera had supposedly arrived with nothing usable. Noah said the unit was active when it was seized.
Mercer turned toward him. Noah said, "And I'm just making sure that goes in the intake." The property deputy looked between them.
Mercer said, "Put down that it appeared active. Storage was unreadable." Noah did not respond, but he memorized the wording. A few minutes later, the black metal case was placed on an evidence table. The property deputy examined the broken seal.
Who opened this? I did, Mercer said. You verify the control number first. Mercer's expression tightened.
We had probable cause. That's not what I asked. Before Mercer could answer, the side door opened. Captain Raymond Dugan entered wearing dark slacks and an open collar white shirt.
He carried a convenience store coffee and looked irritated at having been called in on a Sunday night. What happened? Mercer gestured toward the case. Traffic stop turned into something bigger.
Dugan set the coffee down and approached the table. He read the label. Restricted internal review material. Then he opened one of the folders Mercer had removed from the case.
His eyes moved down the page. His expression changed. Who opened this? I told you.
I did. Dugan looked at Mercer. Who else saw what was inside? Mercer glanced toward Noah.
Bennett. Dugan followed his eyes. Noah stood near the evidence workstation. Dugan closed the folder.
Then he looked through the window toward the interview room where Maya sat alone. She was not pacing. She was not demanding a lawyer. She was not asking to leave.
She simply sat at the table with her hands folded in front of her. Dugan watched her for several seconds. Who is she? Mercer replied.
She won't say much. Dugan looked back at the file in his hand. "Find out who she is before anybody outside this building does." Dugan entered the interview room carrying a legal pad and a paper cup of coffee.
He closed the door behind him, set both on the table, and took the chair across from Maya. Miss Williams, he said. I'm Captain Raymond Dugan. Maya gave a small nod.
I understand you were stopped this evening with restricted county material in your vehicle. You understand what Deputy Mercer told you? Dugan studied her before opening the legal pad. Let's keep this simple.
Where did you get the case? The control number is printed on the seal. I saw the control number. I'm asking where you got it, and I'm telling you how to verify it.