Nobody seemed interested in what the officers took.
I explained our investigation.
Then asked him about the recording device.
His expression changed immediately.
"The black box?"
I nodded.
"Tell me about it."
He leaned forward.
"That was our security recorder."
"Where was it installed?"
"Office storage cabinet. Connected to the security system."
"Did it record inside the garage?"
"Several cameras. Front office. Vehicle yard. Loading entrance."
I made a note.
"Did anyone maintain backup copies?"
He hesitated.
"Usually."
I looked up.
"Usually?"
"The system uploaded selected recordings to an off-site account. But we had trouble with the internet connection."
I nodded.
"Do you know whether the night of the raid was backed up?"
He looked down.
"I don't know."
"Who managed the account?"
"Mostly me."
I leaned forward.
"Do you still have access?"
He nodded.
"Maybe."
That afternoon, with the owner's permission and appropriate evidence-preservation procedures, our digital forensic team examined the off-site security account.
The account was still active.
Several older recordings remained.
Most were routine.
Vehicles entering the yard.
Employees opening the shop.
Customers walking through the waiting area.
The camera timestamps required verification because the system clock had occasionally drifted.
But the footage itself appeared consistent with the garage's equipment and layout.
Then we found a sequence from the evening of the raid.
I watched it three times.
At first, it showed exactly what Elena described.
Police entering the business.
Employees being detained.
Officers searching the office.
Then two uniformed men carried currency packages toward the front entrance.
Not one.
Two.
The camera angle was imperfect.
But both bags were visible.
Separate.
Sealed.
And carried by different officers.
I looked toward Dana.
"That supports the original inventory."
She nodded.
Then the footage continued.
A senior officer entered the office wearing a dark coat over his uniform.
Silver hair.
Broad shoulders.
An unmistakable posture.
Deputy Chief Harold Mercer.
He spoke briefly with Sergeant Keller.
Then pointed toward the storage cabinet.
Keller opened it.
Removed the black recording device.
And placed it inside an evidence pouch.
Mercer examined the pouch.
Then gave an instruction we could not hear.
There was no audio from that camera.
But Keller's response was visible.
He carried the pouch toward the door.
Mercer followed.
I paused the footage.
Looked toward Dana.
She stared.
"There's our missing device."
I nodded.
But what happened next changed the investigation.
The front office camera captured Mercer returning several minutes later.
He approached Elena Brooks, who stood near the counter while another officer guarded the doorway.