Then said, “That's a rich person's car.”
The sergeant nodded.
“Very rich.”
The veteran smiled faintly.
“Should be interesting.”
The sergeant leaned closer.
“We're looking for a small storage device. Probably in the cabin.”
The veteran frowned.
“What kind?”
“Encrypted.”
“Evidence?”
“Potentially.”
The veteran studied him.
“Are we authorized to seize it?”
The sergeant hesitated.
“We'll establish grounds.”
The veteran should have stopped there.
He knew better.
Instead, he looked away.
For nearly twenty years, he'd told himself that loyalty was the foundation of good policing.
Now that belief was about to lead him into an investigation from which he would never recover.
The CEO learned that someone was watching her movements nine days before the supercar search.
The first warning came from her head of corporate security.
A former federal investigator with extensive experience in financial crime and executive protection, he was a Black American man in his late forties who rarely brought problems to her attention without first verifying the available facts.
He entered her office carrying a short report.
“I want you to look at this.”
She glanced up.
“What is it?”
“An unusual request for your travel schedule.”
She frowned.
“From who?”
“A person claiming to represent a municipal review office.”
The CEO leaned forward.
“Did they identify themselves?”
“They provided a name and department.”
“Were the credentials verified?”
“No.”
She looked toward the document.
Her security director continued.
“The person asked which vehicle you'd be driving to next week's awards event.”
The CEO raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“That's what concerns me.”
She read the report.
The inquiry seemed oddly specific.
It referenced a private event celebrating women in technology and engineering.
It asked whether she would arrive in a company vehicle or her personal white-and-black supercar.
It also asked which entrance she intended to use.
She looked toward her security director.
“Did anyone answer?”
“No.”
“Good.”
He nodded.
Then continued.
“There's something else.”
He placed a second document on her desk.
It contained a summary of two unidentified vehicles observed near her company's offices during the previous week.
Neither sighting, by itself, proved surveillance.
Vehicles stopped near office buildings constantly.
But the timing and repeated presence warranted attention.
The CEO studied the information.
“Have we notified counsel?”
“Yes.”
“Any specific threat?”
“Not yet.”
She looked toward the windows.
Manhattan stretched beneath them.
Then she asked, “Does this connect to the vehicle-disposal audit?”
The security director paused.
“Possibly.”
She nodded.