"That recorder goes upstairs. It doesn't belong in general property."
I stared.
She continued.
"Rourke says Keller handed the device to Whitaker, who carried it toward the command offices."
I looked toward the timeline on the wall.
The final recorded transfer.
The missing ledger page.
The device discovered in the private developer's storage suite.
Now we had a witness describing an intermediate movement of the evidence.
It did not establish every step.
But it narrowed the gap.
Dana continued.
"Rourke also says Keller instructed officers not to discuss the second currency bag."
I looked toward her.
"What did he think happened to it?"
"He says he assumed command staff were handling a separate seizure."
I raised an eyebrow.
Dana gave a small, tired smile.
"Yes. The investigators pressed him on that."
"And?"
"He admitted he stopped asking questions because he knew the answer might make him responsible."
For several seconds, I said nothing.
Then I looked toward the folder.
"Did he explain the breakroom incident?"
Dana nodded.
"He said he thought you were a new administrative employee and wanted to embarrass you."
I stared.
She continued.
"He claims he wasn't acting under orders."
I nodded slowly.
"That may be true."
Dana looked toward me.
"He says he regrets it."
I considered.
Then answered.
"Regret matters most when it changes what someone is willing to admit."
She nodded.
Rourke's statement would need corroboration.
His credibility was damaged by his own admitted misconduct.
His cooperation did not erase the assault.
And any agreement offered by prosecutors would require careful consideration.
But he had provided information that could be tested against independent records.
That made it useful.
I looked toward Dana.
"What about Keller?"
She closed the folder.
"He's requested counsel."
I nodded.
"And Whitaker?"
"Same."
I looked toward the timeline.
Then whispered, "Good."
Not because asking for legal counsel suggested guilt.
It did not.
But because the investigation had reached the point where senior officers understood the questions would no longer disappear through informal conversations.
The evidence against Mercer grew stronger after investigators obtained additional records connecting the police command office to Harbor Strategic Advisors.
Financial analysts identified payments routed through consulting accounts associated with the deputy chief's family connection.
Bank records showed unusual deposits and transfers inconsistent with the limited services documented by the consulting firm.
Several payments occurred near the dates of enforcement actions involving redevelopment properties.
Investigators also identified a private communications channel used by Mercer and Sloane to exchange information about target properties.
The messages did not contain one convenient confession.