Darius paused the video at the moment his badge appeared in frame. "What are they saying about the investigation?"
"That's just it. They don't know there is one. Nobody's mentioned the body cameras or your security footage. It's like the only evidence that exists is this clip."
A sharp knock interrupted them. Gordon Hail stepped through the door, his face flushed with barely controlled anger.
"Chief, we have a problem. The mayor's getting calls demanding your immediate suspension. Three council members want an emergency vote of no confidence. The Police Foundation board is meeting tonight to discuss withdrawing funding."
Darius leaned back in his chair. "All because of thirty seconds of edited video."
"All because you refused to handle this quietly when you had the chance." Gordon moved closer to the desk. "Public perception has already turned. It doesn't matter what really happened in that driveway. What matters is what people see on their screens."
"The truth matters."
"The truth is whatever gets the most shares on social media." Gordon pulled out his own phone. "Look at the comments. Corrupt cop threatens innocent woman. Another bad chief abusing his power. She was just trying to protect her neighborhood."
Santos crossed her arms. "We have evidence that contradicts every word of that narrative."
"Evidence nobody has seen," Gordon snapped. "Evidence locked away behind departmental procedure while Mrs. Vale controls the story." He turned back to Darius. "Release the body-camera footage now. Show people what really happened."
Darius shook his head. "That evidence is protected until the formal review process."
"Forget procedure. Your career is being destroyed in real time."
"If I leak protected evidence to save myself, I'm exactly the corrupt chief they're saying I am."
Gordon's voice rose to a shout. "You're going to let pride destroy everything you've worked for."
The office door opened again. Officers Mercer and Ruiz entered, both looking exhausted. Mercer's uniform was wrinkled, his face pale with stress.
"Chief," Ruiz said quietly. "Internal Affairs just interviewed us. They want our statements about the driveway incident."
Darius studied Mercer's expression. "What did you tell them?"
Mercer shifted uncomfortably. "I told them—I mean, I tried to be accurate about what I could remember clearly."
"What does that mean?"
"It means," Ruiz interrupted, his voice sharp with disgust, "that Mercer suddenly can't recall Mrs. Vale's exact words to 911. He claims the details are fuzzy after all the stress."
Mercer's face reddened. "I'm not going to put words in someone's mouth that I'm not completely certain about."
"You're not certain? She demanded we arrest him before we checked ownership." Ruiz stepped closer. "You're not certain she claimed to witness him breaking into the car? Everything's recorded, Evan. Your body camera captured every word."
Mercer looked away. "Memories can be unreliable."
"Cowardice is reliable."
Ruiz turned to Darius. "Chief, he's scared the investigation will show he violated procedure by accepting her accusation without evidence. He's trying to minimize what happened to protect himself."
Gordon watched the exchange with calculating eyes. "This is exactly the problem. Even your own officers are questioning the official narrative. How do you think that looks to the oversight committee?"