“Alive?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Brennan continued.
“When I wrote ‘woman in red loses her purse,’ I meant watch who handles personal property during detention.”
“Reyes has taken phones before.”
“To delete?”
“Sometimes copy.”
Maya glanced at her confiscated first phone.
“Mine?”
“Probably.”
“Where is it?”
Brennan stared.
“Reyes put it in drawer.”
They opened drawer.
Phone was gone.
Building locked.
Nobody had left.
Someone inside had it.
At 3:00 a.m., search based on consent and departmental authority located the phone inside shred bin outside Captain Hale's office.
Not shredded.
Placed visibly.
Too visibly.
Hale stared.
“They’re framing me.”
Maya looked at him.
“Maybe.”
Hale almost laughed.
“You love that word.”
“Because certainty gets investigators in trouble.”
Phone had Hale’s fingerprints.
Of course.
He had handled Maya's property earlier when Reyes surrendered items.
Now the device being near his office meant little.
Still, optics mattered.
Laura said:
“Captain, you should step away from command decisions.”
Hale nodded immediately.
That response helped Maya more than any denial.
He handed building authority to night commander.
“Do it right.”
he said.
By dawn, FBI had warrants in progress for Reyes's devices, Brennan's communications, Metro Asset Recovery financial records, and certain city servers.
Deputy Chief Warren Cole learned of operation at 6:12 a.m.
At 6:19, he called Captain Hale.
Hale did not answer.
At 6:23, Cole arrived personally.
Maya watched him enter lobby from upstairs monitor.
Fifty-seven.
White.
Silver hair.
Tailored overcoat.
Command presence polished over decades.
He entered like man coming to restore order.
“Where's Hale?”
Desk officer answered carefully.
“Temporarily relieved of command.”
Cole's eyes narrowed.
“By whom?”
Maya came down stairs.
“By circumstance.”
Cole looked at her.
His expression showed no recognition.
That surprised Maya.
“You are?”
She held credentials.
“Special Agent Maya Brooks.”
Cole looked at badge.
Then smiled.
Not mockery.
Professional courtesy.
“Agent.”
“What brings FBI into my district?”
Maya almost admired performance.