Electronics.
Pharmaceuticals.
High-end tools.
A truck would “break down.”
Cleary Recovery would tow it.
Certain boxes vanished.
Insurance covered losses.
Drivers were paid.
Everybody profited.
Then Shaw escalated.
Government freight.
Boyd claimed he refused at first.
Sarah, now sitting opposite him, asked:
“Why change your mind?”
Boyd looked embarrassed.
“Money.”
“How much?”
“Twenty-five thousand first time.”
“For eight hours of access.”
“Yes.”
“Second?”
“Forty.”
“Then?”
Boyd looked down.
“More.”
Sarah thought of his county salary.
The house discovered in his wife’s name.
The boat.
The hunting property.
“Did you know what was being taken?”
“Not exactly.”
“Did you know it belonged to the Department of Defense?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know it was controlled equipment?”
“Shaw said none of it could hurt anybody.”
Sarah laughed once.
Cold.
“You believed that?”
“No.”
At least he was done pretending.
Boyd continued.
“He said foreign buyers wanted hardware for reverse engineering.”
“Foreign buyers?”
“I never met them.”
“Who did?”
“Nolan.”
“Who else?”
“Shaw.”
“Any county employees?”
Boyd hesitated.
“Chief Deputy Warren.”
Sarah stopped.
They had not suspected him.
“Full name.”
“Lucas Warren.”
“Role?”
“He handled evidence transfers.”
“Is he here tonight?”
Boyd looked toward the observation glass.
“No.”
Sarah’s stomach tightened.
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
Ortiz immediately left the room.
Sarah remained.
“Why did you arrest me?”
Boyd stared.
“Because you pissed me off.”
The honesty surprised her.
“That's all?”
“At first.”
“And after you saw the military ID?”
He looked away.
“Then I thought maybe you were connected.”
“To Shaw?”
“To the investigation.”
“So why not release me?”
Boyd laughed bitterly.
“Because by then I'd already arrested a general.”
“So?”
“You think I could just uncuff you and say sorry?”
“Yes.”
The answer came so fast he looked startled.
Sarah continued.
“That was one available option.”
Boyd stared.
“I thought if I held you, I could call Shaw.”
“And?”
“He would tell me what to do.”
“Did you call him?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“The red phone rang.”
For the first time, Sarah nearly smiled.
Boyd did not.
10
Chief Deputy Lucas Warren was found at 3:17 a.m.
Not at home.
At the county landfill.
Driving a department pickup.
In the bed were four banker boxes filled with paper records.