That will be all for now. Dugan frowned. That's it for this interview. He stood slowly. You understand what Mercer is going to do, don't you?

Blake remained seated. What do you think he's going to do? He's going to blame everyone around him. That sounds like something you should discuss with your attorney. Dugan left without responding.

Mercer was waiting near the hallway. What did you tell them? Dugan kept walking. Nothing that concerns you. Mercer followed him.

You said you were going to handle this. Lower your voice. You told me what to put in the report. Dugan stopped. Several deputies looked up.

He turned toward Mercer. I told you to write an accurate report. Mercer stared at him. No, you didn't. Dugan's voice stayed controlled.

Think very carefully before you continue. Mercer stepped closer. You told me to write that her refusals were non-compliance. You told me to make the vehicle entry sound necessary. You told me the camera was unreadable.

I repeated what you told me. That's not true. Noah stood near the evidence workstation and heard every word. So did two other deputies. Dugan noticed the attention gathering around them.

This conversation is over. Mercer gave a short laugh. That's convenient. He walked away before Dugan could answer. Maya was in a separate office with Reeves when Blake entered a few minutes later.

We're separating them now. Blake said. Maya looked up. Mercer and Dugan. Yes.

Their accounts are already beginning to conflict. Reeves asked. Do you have enough to establish who changed the evidence? We have account access, timestamps, Noah's preservation notes, and the original system states. We still need interviews and forensic confirmation.

Maya nodded. That's the right order. Blake studied her. You could make this easier politically if you issued a statement tonight. No.

Reporters will be here by morning. I know you'll be asked whether you think this was corruption. Maya looked toward the glass wall separating the office from the main corridor. I'll say there's an independent investigation. Blake nodded once.

That's the answer I was hoping for. Maya stood. Where is Evelyn Brooks? On her way. She agreed to give a formal statement here, but only to the outside team.

Good. A little after 3:30, Evelyn entered through the courthouse side entrance, wearing the same dark slacks and light blouse she had worn to dinner. A gray cardigan was buttoned over it. She carried her phone, a yellow legal pad, and her reading glasses in a small case. Reeves met her first.

Mrs. Brooks. Yes, I'm Michael Reeves, county attorney. She shook his hand. I was told an outside investigator wanted to see me.

Blake approached and introduced herself. Evelyn nodded politely. Before we start, I want to be clear about something. I don't know what happened before I stopped my car. I can only tell you what I saw after I got there.

That's exactly what we want, Blake said. Evelyn relaxed slightly. Maya remained several feet away until Evelyn noticed her. "Are you Miss Williams?" "Yes." Evelyn looked at her for a moment. "I heard they're calling you Sheriff Williams now." "They are?" Evelyn gave a small, tired smile.

Well, Sheriff Williams. I nearly kept driving. Maya looked at the phone and legal pad in her hands. But you didn't. No, that matters.

Evelyn nodded and followed Blake into the interview room. Her video confirmed the condition of the Bentley after the windows had been broken. It showed Maya standing away from the vehicle with her hands visible. It showed Mercer beside the open trunk and Noah nearby. It also captured part of Mercer's effort to make Evelyn leave the roadside.

More important were her handwritten notes. She had written them before she knew Mia's position before she spoke with anyone from the county and before the incident could become public. Blake reviewed the pages carefully. You wrote down that Captain Dugan asked for your original phone. Yes.

What did he say? That bringing the whole phone in that night would be best for chain of custody. Why didn't you? Evelyn adjusted her glasses because he sounded more interested in having the phone than in hearing what I saw. Blake wrote that down.

Outside the interview room, the investigation team continued reviewing the surviving transition package. One investigator brought Blake a file when Evelyn's interview ended. We found another complaint connected to Dugan's supervisory review. Blake opened it. Then another investigator handed her a second file.

The pattern was similar. disputed evidence handling, changed wording and reports. Complaints closed after supervisory intervention. None of the older files proved misconduct by themselves. Together, they raised a new question. Dugan's involvement might not have started that night.

Blake carried the files into the hallway where Maya and Reeves were waiting. This may go back further than Mercer. Mia looked at the folders. How far? We don't know yet.

Maya did not ask to see them. then find out. Across the building, Mercer sat alone in an interview room. Dugan was in another. For the first time since the roadside stop, they were no longer protecting the same version of events. By 4 in the morning, the central question had changed again.

It was no longer whether Dugan had protected Mercer that night. It was how many times he might have done the same thing before. Dugan requested another interview shortly after 4 in the morning, but this time he asked that Maya be present. Agent Blake considered the request before agreeing. You understand?

Sheriff Williams is not conducting this investigation. She told him, "I understand. I still want her to hear what I have to say." Maya entered the conference room with Michael Reeves and took a seat near the end of the table. Blake sat across from Dugan while an investigator prepared the recording. Dugan looked tired now.

His white shirt was wrinkled at the sleeves, and the coffee he had carried most of the night was gone. I've worked in this department for more than 30 years, he began. I've watched people come in here with no idea what it takes to keep an office like this functioning. Maya said nothing. Dugan continued, "Complaints come in every week.