“Lieutenant Sloan initiated a purge sequence against preserved administrative records.”
Rebecca turned.
“I was protecting compromised data.”
Mercer stared at her.
“Why were you using an administrative console after being told not to modify anything?”
Rebecca’s expression hardened.
“You’re asking me that now?”
“I’m asking because federal agents just documented an attempted deletion under your biometric authentication.”
“You knew I had access.”
“That does not mean I authorized this.”
Rebecca laughed once.
Short.
Bitter.
“So that’s where we are.”
Mercer’s eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
Rebecca looked directly at him.
“Ask him who approved the shadow environment.”
Mercer said:
“There is no shadow environment.”
One technician opened the hidden-server certificate table.
An executive credential appeared.
DANIEL MERCER.
Mercer stepped closer.
“That could have been installed as part of general administration.”
Maya asked:
“Did you know your certificate was active on the hidden server?”
“No.”
“Did you know the room existed?”
“No.”
Rebecca shook her head.
“Careful, Chief.”
Mercer turned sharply.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You approved Calvin’s expanded access.”
“I approved maintenance.”
“You approved more than maintenance.”
“Rebecca.”
“You wanted outside reviews delayed until the project was closed.”
Mercer moved closer.
“You were just caught trying to purge logs.”
Rebecca’s voice rose.
“And you’re pretending you never knew the basement environment existed because you think Calvin and I are going to carry this alone.”
Maya raised one hand.
“Stop.”
Both looked at her.
“You will give separate statements.”
Neither spoke.
“You are not negotiating responsibility with each other in a hallway.”
Rebecca looked away.
Maya addressed the technician.
“Preserve the purge attempt. Biometric authentication. Full workstation state. Every certificate tied to the hidden environment.”
“Already in progress.”
Maya looked at Mercer.
“Your executive credentials are suspended from modification.”
“You’re disabling the chief of police inside his own department?”
“We are removing write authority on systems under federal preservation.”
Mercer’s jaw tightened.
Maya continued.
“Observation remains logged.”
He understood the difference.
He also understood he had lost control of the systems.
Rebecca was escorted to a separate room.
Before leaving, she looked at Mercer.
“You told me to keep outside reviewers away from the basement until Calvin finished cleaning up.”
Mercer’s face went hard.
“That is not what happened.”
Rebecca stopped at the door.
“Then your messages should help you.”
The door closed behind her.
Within forty minutes, Rebecca began identifying records.
Emails.
Calendar entries.
Contractor-access approvals.
Command instructions.
One message ordered external technology audits postponed until after project closeout.
Another instructed administrative staff not to alter Sloan Integrated Systems’ remote credentials.
Several came from Mercer’s command account.
At least two showed his personal authentication.
Mercer’s attorney was contacted before further questioning.
Maya did not push him for an immediate explanation.
She had documents now.
Documents did not get nervous.
They did not forget.
They did not reshape their memories after lunch.
The transport carrying Nathan Cole reached the secure federal interview location without further interference.
Maya spoke with him briefly by secure phone.