Ruth shifted position to keep the baton, the officer's face, and the yellow cloud inside the frame. Hale looked between the camera and the display. At eighty-eight percent, he told Mercer to leave the equipment intact. Mercer remained with the baton partly raised and answered, "You said the bike was stolen." Hale repeated the order more firmly. The upload reached ninety-two percent and then ninety-six.
Maya stood silent as the final numbers appeared. At one hundred percent, the yellow cloud turned green, and the words "Upload complete" appeared beneath it. Mercer lowered the baton as though it had become suddenly too heavy. A diesel engine sounded behind the checkpoint, coming closer along the road. Maya turned her head and saw a Kingsley Towing truck pull onto the shoulder with its amber lights flashing.
The driver stepped out with a clipboard tucked under one arm. He looked from Hale to the Ducati, then back at the sheet in his hand. "This the one?" he asked.
"Yes," Hale replied after checking his watch. "Take it in."
The driver adjusted his grip on the clipboard, and Maya caught a clear glimpse of its top line. "Red V4 — high value," it read. The text was not a theft complaint, a plate number, or a description supplied by a concerned owner. It was a valuation. The tow truck had arrived before Mercer finished his detention form and before anyone had identified a problem with the documents. Whatever the officers intended, the motorcycle had been selected long before they found a reason to hold it.
Mercer guided Maya into the rear seat of the patrol car. The door closed with a hollow, final sound, leaving the smell of vinyl and disinfectant around her. Through the window she watched the driver unfold the loading ramp while Ruth continued filming from the pharmacy sidewalk. The Ducati's display remained lit for a few seconds, its green cloud visible beneath the instrument cluster.
The county could take possession of the motorcycle, Maya thought, but not of the record that had already left it.
The tow driver worked carefully, using soft restraints around the Ducati's wheels and checking the bodywork before tightening anything. He seemed interested in preserving its resale value, a detail Maya noticed because the officers themselves had shown so little concern for her rights.
Hale remained on the shoulder beside Ruth, attempting to turn her attention away from the paperwork. "You've recorded enough, Councilwoman," he told her. Ruth held the phone steady and asked again for the theft report number. Hale told her not to publish incomplete information and returned toward the command vehicle without giving an answer.
Mercer paused beside the Ducati before leaving. He examined the area beneath the instrument panel where the green indicator had been, then asked the driver if anything needed to be disconnected for transport. "No," Hale said immediately.
"Take it as it is." Mercer lowered his voice, but Maya saw his jaw tightening as he spoke. He looked toward Ruth once more, then climbed into the passenger seat of Bennett's patrol car. Bennett took the driver's position and checked the mirrors before starting the engine.