Her voice tightened.
"Then they stopped returning my calls."
I nodded slowly.
"I understand why you'd be skeptical."
Elena looked down at her folder.
Then asked, "Do you?"
I considered.
"I understand you have reasons not to trust another investigator. I won't pretend I know exactly what the past eleven months have been like for you."
Her expression softened slightly.
I continued.
"What I can do is examine the records, document the evidence, and explain what I can and cannot establish."
She studied me for several seconds.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
She opened the folder.
The first document was the original seizure receipt.
The second was a bank deposit preparation sheet from the garage.
The third was a copy of the wholesale transaction agreement.
Then came photographs.
The secured cabinet.
The office before the search.
The damage left afterward.
And a still image showing one evidence bag with its identification number visible.
I examined the photograph.
"Who took this?"
"I did."
"During the search?"
"Before they took my phone."
I looked up.
"They seized your phone?"
She nodded.
"For almost three weeks."
"Did you receive a property receipt?"
"Eventually."
She handed me another document.
The receipt described one mobile telephone, black, no accessories.
The date was three days after the search.
I examined it.
"Was it returned in working condition?"
She hesitated.
"Mostly."
"Mostly?"
"Some recordings were missing."
I looked toward her.
"Which recordings?"
She swallowed.
"The ones from the raid."
For several seconds, I said nothing.
Then asked, "How do you know they were there?"
"Because I recorded them."
She leaned forward.
"And because one of the officers watched me do it."
I made a note.
Elena continued.
"He took my phone out of my hand. Said I was interfering."
"Do you remember which officer?"
She nodded.
"Blond. Tall. Young-looking. Maybe thirty-five."
I looked at her.
"Anything distinctive?"
She thought.
"Neat haircut. Blue eyes. He smiled when he was angry."
I wrote that down.
At the time, I did not know whether the officer was Evan Rourke.
I would learn soon enough.
Elena continued.
"My father kept saying we had receipts for the money."
Her voice trembled.
"They didn't care."
I looked up.
"Where is your father now?"
"At home."
"Has he been charged?"
"The charges were dropped."
"What happened to the business?"
She looked down.
For the first time during the interview, her expression crumpled.
"We're trying to keep it open."
She swallowed.