PART 2 — THE SECRET BEHIND THE TRAFFIC STOP
“DEREK, GET YOUR HAND AWAY FROM THAT WEAPON!” Officer Shaw’s scream cut through the morning traffic. Reigns froze with his fingers wrapped around his holster. Sergeant Voss still had one hand gripping my credentials. I twisted free and stepped backward. “Both of you, hands where I can see them!” I commanded. Reigns laughed nervously. “You aren’t officially our captain until eight.” I checked my watch. “It’s eight-oh-three.” The smile disappeared from his face. Voss released my badge. “There’s been a misunderstanding, Captain.” “A misunderstanding?” I demanded. “Your officer demanded five hundred dollars, threatened an unlawful search, and reached for his weapon after discovering my identity.” Shaw stepped beside me. “Captain, I witnessed the entire thing.” Voss glared at her. “You didn’t witness anything.” She lifted her chin. “Yes, Sergeant. I did.”
I called Deputy Chief Rebecca Sterling directly. “I need Internal Affairs at Jefferson Avenue. Two officers involved. Preserve all dispatch recordings, cruiser footage, and body-camera records immediately.” Voss lunged toward Reigns’s radio. “Don’t transmit anything!” I stepped between them. “Hands off that equipment.” He shoved my shoulder. I caught his wrist and forced it away. Reigns charged forward, but Shaw intercepted him. “Back up, Derek!” she shouted. He knocked her sideways against the Tahoe. I grabbed his uniform sleeve and pulled him away. “Touch her again,” I warned, “and you’ll answer for that too.” Reigns stared at me, breathing hard.
Twenty minutes later, Internal Affairs Lieutenant Daniel Kim arrived with two investigators. Reigns and Voss surrendered their weapons and were separated pending investigation. At headquarters, I played my audio recording. Reigns’s voice filled the conference room: “Five hundred, and you drive away.” Kim looked up sharply. “That’s enough to begin a criminal investigation.” “Begin with every complaint against him,” I said. What appeared on Kim’s screen made my stomach tighten. Twelve complaints over three years. Nearly identical accusations. Disabled cameras. Threatened towing. Demands for cash. Every complaint dismissed by Sergeant Calvin Voss.
Kim opened another file. “Look at the towing records.” One company appeared repeatedly: Westside Recovery Services. Eleven contested impoundments, all tied to Reigns’s patrol unit. I leaned closer. “Who owns it?” “A man named Patrick Danner.” Kim stopped scrolling. “Captain, Danner’s company paid consulting fees to Voss’s wife’s business.” “How much?” “Forty-eight thousand dollars over eighteen months.” Before I could respond, Officer Shaw burst through the door. “Captain! Sergeant Voss just called someone from a restricted department terminal.” Kim checked the security system. “That terminal should be locked.” Suddenly, my personnel file opened on his screen. Someone was changing my access records.
A red alert flashed across the monitor. UNAUTHORIZED EVIDENCE ACCESS—CAPTAIN MARCUS ELLISON. Kim stared. “Impossible. You’ve been with me the entire time.” Then another notification appeared: Evidence Locker B opened using my credentials. “They’re framing me,” I said. Sterling called seconds later. “Marcus, Internal Affairs just received an allegation that you stole confidential evidence.” “Rebecca, I’m standing next to Kim. Someone copied my access token.” Her voice sharpened. “Don’t leave that office. I’m coming.”
The conference-room door suddenly swung open. Voss entered with two uniformed officers. He wasn’t wearing his duty belt, but his expression was triumphant. “Captain Ellison, you’re under administrative investigation. Step away from the computer.” Kim stood. “Who authorized you to enter?” Voss ignored him. “Your credentials were used to access protected files.” “You know perfectly well I didn’t touch those files,” I said. Voss smiled. “Prove it.” Behind him, Reigns appeared carrying a sealed evidence envelope. Shaw pointed at it. “That’s not the envelope they collected from his vehicle!” Reigns shoved her aside. I caught her before she fell.
Kim reached for his phone, but Voss slammed his hand onto the table. “Nobody calls anybody!” A gunshot suddenly echoed from the hallway. Everyone froze. Then a terrified voice screamed, “OFFICER DOWN!” Voss looked toward the doorway, his face turning white. Reigns whispered something that made my blood run cold. “The witness wasn’t supposed to get here yet.”
PART 3 — THE FINAL BETRAYAL
“EVERYBODY STAY WHERE YOU ARE!” I shouted, rushing toward the hallway. Officer Shaw followed me as Lieutenant Kim called for emergency medical assistance. Near the evidence-room entrance, a uniformed officer lay bleeding from his shoulder. Beside him stood a frightened middle-aged woman holding a purse against her chest. “He tried to protect me!” she cried. “That man in the gray jacket fired at us!” Through the emergency exit, I caught sight of someone running toward the parking garage. “Kim, get medical help here. Shaw, stay with the witness!” I ordered. Then I ran.
