Yet an audit of internal access logs showed Price had searched warehouse incident reports multiple times.
Then stopped.
Simone wondered why.
The answer was buried in a deleted memo recovered through the county’s server backups.
Price had submitted a short internal report.
Possible discrepancies involving after-hours warehouse access and inconsistent security logs.
It was addressed directly to Sheriff Cole Mercer.
The report was closed two days later.
Reason:
No substantiated misconduct.
No evidence showed Price had been interviewed.
No follow-up was documented.
Then the original report disappeared from the active system.
Someone with administrator credentials removed it.
That was not enough to charge anyone.
But it gave Simone another reason to study Mercer.
On the morning of the traffic stop, the investigation reached a new stage.
Federal agents had executed a court-authorized operation involving one of the shell contractors.
The objective was narrow.
Recover records.
Secure digital devices.
Document evidence.
Avoid alerting Westbridge officials until prosecutors were ready for the next phase.
The equipment inside Simone’s SUV was being transported to a secure federal facility.
The drone had been used during lawful surveillance.
The sealed drives contained copies of recovered business records.
The photograph of Keller and Talbot belonged to a documented evidence packet.
The Tahoe itself was monitored by Simone’s support team because investigators could not rule out the possibility that somebody connected to the conspiracy had discovered the morning operation.
Marcus Reed rode in an unmarked vehicle several blocks behind.
A second federal SUV traveled on a parallel route.
Simone carried an encrypted transmitter beneath her shirt.
The team could hear her if she activated it.
That precaution became important when she noticed the sheriff’s cruiser.
Three intersections before the lights came on.
Same distance.
Same turns.
No attempt to pass.
No routine patrol behavior.
Simone watched in the mirror.
She changed lanes.
The cruiser changed lanes.
She turned onto Hawthorne Avenue.
The cruiser followed.
Then the lights appeared.
Simone slowed.
She selected a well-lit residential stretch with a wide shoulder.
Parked.
Turned off the engine.
Placed both hands where they could be seen.
She also tapped the silent alert on her phone.
Marcus Reed’s voice came softly through the concealed earpiece.
“We see you.”
Simone did not respond.
Sheriff Cole Mercer approached alone.
Broad shoulders.
Tan uniform pressed carefully.
Sandy mustache trimmed with almost military precision.
His right hand rested near his belt.
He stopped slightly behind the driver window.
“License and registration.”
Simone handed them over.
“Reason for the stop, Sheriff?”
He looked at her license.
“You crossed the center line.”
Simone had not.
Her forward-facing camera had recorded the entire drive.
She considered challenging him.
Instead she said:
“I don’t believe I did.”
His eyes lifted.
“Are you arguing with me?”
“No.”
“I’m asking what violation you observed.”
“I just told you.”
Mercer studied her.
“What are you doing in Westbridge?”
“Driving.”
His mouth tightened.
“From where?”
“That relevant to the alleged lane violation?”
“Answer the question.”
Simone thought about the equipment behind her.
Mercer’s presence might be coincidence.
Bad timing.
An aggressive sheriff conducting an ordinary stop.
The next few minutes would tell her more.
“I came from the industrial district.”
“Which part?”
“Near Commerce Park.”