The agent’s expression changed.
“Casing houses?”
“Yes.”
“Any theft reported in that subdivision?”
“No.”
“Any red motorcycle reported stolen countywide in preceding hour?”
“None.”
The supervisor said:
“Plate?”
“Caller gave none.”
The analyst opened another screen.
“Patrol sergeant was dispatched at 4:53.”
“Younger officer self-assigned at 4:54.”
The agent leaned forward.
“Self-assigned.”
“Yes.”
“Where was he before?”
“Parking lot at a shopping center 2.8 miles away.”
“Then?”
“His unit GPS shows rapid movement toward neighborhood.”
The supervisor asked:
“Any database queries?”
The analyst nodded.
“One.”
“By who?”
“Younger officer.”
The van went quiet.
“When?”
“4:49.”
The agent stared.
“Before 911 call.”
“Two minutes before.”
“What did he query?”
The analyst turned screen.
The bait motorcycle’s plate.
There it was.
The first piece of hard evidence.
Not enough for conspiracy.
Enough for questions.
The supervisor exhaled slowly.
“How could he have plate?”
The agent thought about the garage meeting.
The suspects had received a photograph of the motorcycle that afternoon.
Rear quarter visible.
Plate visible deliberately.
The undercover messaging channel had been monitored.
The suspected middleman received the photo at 4:42.
Seven minutes later, a local officer queried that exact plate.
Two minutes after that, an anonymous caller reported a stolen red motorcycle in the neighborhood.
Then the officer self-assigned before any plate had been broadcast.
The agent said:
“The middleman sent our photo to somebody.”
The supervisor nodded.
“Probably.”
“Could be the officer.”
“Could be someone who sent it to him.”
“Either way, leak.”
The analyst added:
“Officer has worked vehicle theft calls.”
The agent looked at him.
“How many?”
“Pulling history.”
Another analyst in the bureau office was already working it.
The task-force supervisor leaned back.
“We started this case because forty-three high-end motorcycles disappeared in eighteen months.”
The agent nodded.
“Twenty-one recovered locally.”
“Eleven from contract impounds.”
“Seven later sold through salvage channels.”
“And four disappeared after recovery.”
The agent looked at the map.
The blue dot remained inside the impound lot.
The supervisor continued:
“We assumed the tow company was laundering bikes after police recovery.”
“Maybe.”
The agent said:
“Or police recovery is how they’re selecting inventory.”
The supervisor looked at her.
Exactly.
The case had begun with garage burglaries.
Luxury apartments.
Dealership back lots.
Private homes.
Riders leaving bikes outside gyms.
Theft crews moved quickly.
Two men could load a motorcycle into a van in under forty seconds.
Sometimes thieves bypassed ignition.
Sometimes they simply lifted the bike.
High-end motorcycles disappeared at night and resurfaced weeks later with altered VIN plates in another state.
That was not unusual.
What was unusual was the recovery pattern.