“Anything else?”
“No.”
Maya zoomed.
“Do you recognize envelope?”
Hale leaned.
“No.”
Priya did.
Her face changed.
Maya noticed.
“Officer Malik?”
Priya hesitated.
Hale looked at her.
“Say it.”
She swallowed.
“We use those for temporary narcotics intake.”
Maya stared.
“Explain.”
“Before sealed evidence bags go to central property, sometimes field supervisors use padded transfer envelopes for small cash bundles, cards, keys, things that haven't been fully packaged yet.”
“Are they serialized?”
“Not the envelope.”
“Inner form is.”
Maya looked toward Hale.
“The anonymous source was right.”
“The loss happens before intake.”
Hale sat slowly.
Priya continued.
“If Reyes had one…”
“He could have taken it from a scene.”
“Or somebody gave it.”
Maya asked:
“Who controls blank forms?”
“Desk sergeant.”
“Who tonight?”
Hale's jaw tightened.
“Reyes.”
Maya looked through glass partition toward booking area.
Reyes sat beside another sergeant.
He could not hear them.
His eyes were fixed on the conference room.
Maya asked:
“Captain, have you ever sent information to federal authorities anonymously?”
Hale did not react.
Priya looked sharply at him.
Brennan frowned.
Hale answered:
“No.”
Maya waited.
He held her eyes.
“No.”
“Have you ever suspected evidence theft?”
“Yes.”
Priya looked surprised.
“How long?”
“Two years.”
“And you didn't tell us?”
“I told Internal Affairs.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Did you confront Reyes?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn't know it was Reyes.”
Maya leaned back.
“Who did you suspect?”
Hale's face closed.
“That conversation needs counsel.”
Maya almost smiled.
“That's sensible.”
Brennan said:
“Captain, what exactly is happening?”
Hale looked at him.
“I don't know yet.”
Maya corrected:
“We know enough.”