His expression hardened.
“Stay out of this.”
“This is my vehicle.”
He leaned closer.
“Not for much longer.”
The words settled between them.
The CEO remained still.
Then she asked, “What do you mean by that?”
The sergeant looked away.
For a moment, he seemed to regret speaking.
Then he said, “Vehicles involved in investigations get impounded.”
The CEO nodded slowly.
“And where would you send it?”
He glared.
“That's not your business.”
She looked toward the police cruiser.
Then toward the registration forms in his hand.
“Actually, Sergeant, it is.”
The security director had been watching from a vehicle parked farther down the block.
He couldn't hear every word.
But he saw the officers open the supercar.
He saw the lead sergeant take the handbag.
And he saw the woman stumble slightly when the officer pulled at her belongings.
He immediately updated the Internal Affairs investigator through the established contact channel.
The investigator was nearby.
Her team had already been monitoring a possible approach connected to the earlier threats against the CEO.
They hadn't arranged the traffic stop.
They hadn't instructed the sergeant to search the car.
And they certainly hadn't wanted anyone assaulted.
But their investigation had identified a credible possibility that people connected to Harborline Recovery would attempt to intercept the audit evidence.
The team had placed observers near the CEO's planned route after coordinating with the appropriate authorities and her security personnel.
When the police stop began, the investigators initially needed to establish whether it was an ordinary enforcement encounter.
Then the search started.
The CEO's vehicle security system preserved the relevant camera views.
Her security director provided a contemporaneous account.
And the investigators moved to intervene.
The lead Internal Affairs investigator watched the feed available from the vehicle's exterior camera.
She saw the sergeant searching the handbag.
Then throwing it.
Her expression hardened.
“Move.”
One of her colleagues reached for the vehicle radio.
The two unmarked SUVs pulled toward the intersection.
Meanwhile, the CEO remained beside the supercar.
She had no idea exactly how close the investigators were.
She knew only that her security director had reported the stop and that the vehicle's recording system was operating.
Her phone displayed the secure communication session.
She looked toward the sergeant.
Then toward the passenger compartment.
The youngest officer had pulled a leather trim panel away from its mounting.
It came loose with a sharp snapping sound.
The CEO flinched.