Brooks won't move. H.M. says the issue will be handled.
I stared at it.
Then looked toward the former employee.
"Who is H.M.?"
He swallowed.
"Harold Mercer."
I waited.
He continued.
"That's what everybody called him in the office."
Dana leaned forward.
"Who sent the message?"
The man looked at the screen.
"Graham Sloane."
I nodded slowly.
For the first time, the investigation had a documented path connecting the redevelopment pressure to the police command structure.
Still, the questions remained.
How much did Mercer know?
Did he order unlawful enforcement actions?
Were individual officers aware of the financial arrangement?
And where did the missing evidence money fit into the scheme?
The former employee gave us one more lead before leaving.
"Sloane kept certain files outside the main office."
I looked up.
"Where?"
"A storage suite in Westbridge."
"What kind of files?"
He hesitated.
"Old project records. Contracts. Sometimes electronics."
My pulse quickened.
"Electronics?"
He nodded.
"Laptops. Drives. Security equipment."
I thought immediately of the missing recording device.
"Did you ever see a black security recorder from South Harbor Auto Exchange?"
The man frowned.
"I don't know."
He considered.
"But there was a box with a police property label."
I felt the room become very quiet.
"Where?"
He looked directly at me.
"Westbridge storage. Back office. Locked cabinet."
I exchanged a glance with Dana.
Then made another note.
The original recording device might still exist.
And if it did, it might contain footage that no one had managed to erase.
The next major development involved Officer Lena Ortiz.
She requested a meeting away from the Fourteenth Precinct.
When she arrived, she was wearing ordinary clothes.
A navy sweater.
Dark jeans.
Flat shoes.
Without her uniform, she looked younger.
She sat across from me, carefully placing her phone on the table.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she spoke.
"They've been asking about me."
I leaned forward.
"Who?"
"Sergeant Keller."
"What did he say?"
She swallowed.
"He wanted to know why I told you my body camera was recording."
I nodded.
"How did you respond?"
"I told him because it was."
She looked down.
"He said I should've let the supervisors handle it."
I studied her.
"Did he threaten you?"
She hesitated.
"Not directly."
"Tell me exactly what happened."
Ortiz took a breath.
"He said new officers sometimes make mistakes that follow them for the rest of their careers."
I made a note.
She continued.
"He said I should remember who writes my evaluations."
I looked toward her.
"And who does?"