And photographs.
Dozens.
Police officers.
Prosecutors.
Judges.
Contractors.
Some compromising.
Most ordinary surveillance.
Leverage files.
Cole’s system had not survived through money alone.
He collected weakness.
Brennan’s stolen pills.
An officer’s affair.
Another’s gambling debt.
A prosecutor drinking with defense attorney.
Some things embarrassing but legal.
Some illegal.
Enough to pressure.
Maya looked through images late into night.
Then found Captain Hale.
Photograph of him entering addiction-treatment center.
Date four years earlier.
Maya stared.
Laura looked over shoulder.
“His?”
“No idea.”
They asked.
Hale did not lie.
“My daughter.”
He said.
“She was addicted to opioids after surgery.”
“Cole knew?”
“Apparently.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“Once.”
“When?”
“After I pushed Kemp audit.”
“What did he say?”
Hale looked toward window.
“He said it would be unfortunate if department learned my household had ‘drug issues.’”
Maya felt disgust.
“What did you do?”
“Kept pushing.”
“Then?”
“My daughter overdosed.”
Maya's expression softened.
“I'm sorry.”
“She survived.”
“She's five years sober.”
Hale smiled faintly.
“Cole never got to use it.”
“Why didn't you report threat?”
“I thought it was just cruelty.”
Maya shook head.
“It was reconnaissance.”
Hale nodded.
“Now I know.”
That still left the person who placed Maya's phone near Hale's office.
Reyes denied it.
Brennan denied.
Cole had not been in building.
Vane absent.
Who had tried framing captain?
Maya returned to station records.
Access logs.
Movement.
Who had been near property drawer after phone seized?
Officer Chen.
Desk clerk.
Sergeant Reyes.
Lieutenant Brennan.
And Priya Malik.
Maya stared.
No.