“I knew nothing about stolen equipment.”
Keller’s face changed from fear to disbelief.
Simone said nothing.
Sometimes silence was the best interview technique available.
Keller stared.
“Are you serious?”
Mercer turned toward him.
“Keep your mouth shut.”
Simone raised one eyebrow.
Marcus looked away briefly, hiding what might have been disbelief.
Keller took a step toward Mercer.
“You told me this was protected.”
Every person at the roadside went still.
Mercer’s face became crimson.
“Stop talking.”
“You said nobody was looking at us.”
“Keller.”
“You said Talbot handled the paperwork.”
Mercer lunged forward.
Not a full attack.
A sudden movement toward Keller.
Marcus stepped between them.
Two agents moved closer.
Price’s hand hovered near his radio, then lowered when he realized the federal team had control.
Keller pointed past Marcus.
“He ran it.”
Mercer shouted:
“He’s lying.”
Keller continued.
“The warehouse schedules.”
“The patrol coverage.”
“When fire inspectors came.”
“Which complaints disappeared.”
“Everything.”
Mercer tried again.
“You have no idea what you’re saying.”
Keller laughed once.
It sounded almost broken.
“You just tried to put everything on me.”
Simone watched.
Six months.
Thousands of pages.
Financial records.
Surveillance.
Interviews.
All of it had brought them close to Mercer.
His own instinct for self-preservation had just done what the records had not yet been able to do.
Still, a roadside accusation was not a conviction.
Simone knew that.
Marcus knew it.
The prosecutors waiting at the field office would know it.
She would not turn adrenaline into certainty.
“Deputy Keller,” Simone said.
He looked at her.
“You need to stop speaking right now.”
He blinked.
She continued.
“You are not helping yourself by making uncontrolled statements on the side of a road.”
Mercer looked surprised.
Perhaps he expected her to encourage Keller.
Simone did not need a contaminated confession.
“If investigators want to interview you,” she said, “you will be advised of your rights and you may request counsel.”
Keller swallowed.
Then nodded.
That was the moment Price stepped forward.
“Agent Carter.”
Simone turned.
“I need to tell you something.”
Mercer looked at him.
“Price.”
The younger deputy ignored him.
Simone recognized how difficult that was.
“Three months ago, I found inconsistencies in warehouse security reports.”
“What kind?”
“After-hours entries that didn’t match dispatch.”
“Some report numbers repeated.”
“One camera outage recorded on a night the IT system showed the camera online.”
“What did you do?”
“I wrote a memo.”
“To who?”
“Sheriff Mercer.”
Mercer interrupted.
“He brought me vague speculation.”
Price continued.
“I was told to drop it.”
Mercer said:
“That is not what happened.”
Price looked at him.
“You told me I was trying to turn paperwork into a conspiracy.”