Priya looked relieved.
“Would Captain Hale have recognized you anyway?”
“Yes.”
“So maybe it didn't.”
Maya shook head.
“Officer Malik.”
Priya looked up.
“Doing right thing doesn't become meaningless because someone else might have done it later.”
Priya absorbed that.
Maya continued:
“You challenged a supervisor in front of peers.”
“That matters.”
Priya looked down.
“I should have done it earlier.”
“Probably.”
Priya blinked.
Maya smiled slightly.
“You want comfort or truth?”
“Truth.”
“Then yes.”
“You saw patterns.”
“You stayed quiet sometimes.”
“Now decide what you do with that.”
Priya nodded.
Captain Hale remained on administrative leave during investigation.
He accepted it poorly but professionally.
Brennan entered cooperation agreement.
He would still face charges.
Maya insisted.
Whistleblowing did not erase participation.
But cooperation could matter at sentencing.
Reyes refused to speak for six days.
Then attorney showed him evidence.
He asked for proffer.
Maya attended.
Reyes entered federal conference room wearing county jail clothing rather than uniform.
Without vest, badge and belt, he looked smaller.
He stared at Maya's wrists first.
Marks had faded.
“Happy?”
he asked.
Maya sat across.
“No.”
“You got me.”
“You brought me in.”
His jaw tightened.
“You set me up.”
“I didn't make you ignore credentials.”
“You followed me.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted reaction.”
“I wanted evidence.”
Reyes leaned back.
“Same thing.”
“No.”
His lawyer touched his arm.
“Danny.”
Reyes exhaled.
“What do you want?”
Maya answered:
“Truth.”
He laughed.
“That all?”
“For today.”
Reyes looked toward prosecutor.
Then began.
Cole recruited him three years earlier.
At first, as Reyes described, it sounded almost innocent.
Unclaimed property.
Seized cash from cases likely to be dismissed.
“Dead money.”
Cole's phrase.
If defendant was criminal anyway, who got hurt?
Reyes took $500 from one seizure.