"Then let it expire."
There was a pause.
Then Mercer spoke again.
"Mr. Brooks, you'll want to think carefully about what happens next."
The recording stopped briefly.
The recovered data contained a damaged section.
Then another fragment began.
This time, the voices sounded farther away.
Mercer and Sloane appeared to be near the front of the office.
Sloane spoke first.
"He's never going to sell voluntarily."
Mercer answered.
"Then stop asking."
A long silence followed.
Then Sloane said, "What about the cameras?"
Mercer responded.
"If there's a lawful search, anything relevant can be seized."
Sloane asked, "And after that?"
Mercer's voice became lower.
"The property issue will become easier."
The recording ended.
For several seconds, nobody in the laboratory spoke.
I stared at the dark computer screen.
Then looked toward the examiner.
"Can we establish the original recording date?"
She nodded.
"The system records, metadata, and surrounding video segments are consistent with the date. We'll prepare a complete report and preserve the source data."
I looked toward Dana.
She was still staring at the screen.
"I heard it."
She took a slow breath.
"That's the missing reason."
I looked toward the folder on the table.
Not just money.
Not just a stolen recording device.
A business owner refused to sell his property.
A private developer used a senior police commander to pressure him.
Then the police raided the business.
Nearly two hundred thousand dollars disappeared from evidence.
The business nearly collapsed.
And the developer returned with a lower offer.
The audio did not prove every criminal element by itself.
But it gave the financial and property records a context we had been missing.
It showed Mercer participating in pressure against Isaac before the raid.
It showed Sloane discussing the possible seizure of security cameras.
And it supported the growing evidence that the search was being used for purposes unrelated to legitimate law enforcement.
I looked toward the examiner.
"Document every recoverable segment. Keep the original preserved. No enhancement that alters the underlying recording."
She nodded.
Then I turned toward Dana.
"Get this to the assigned prosecutor through the evidence process."
She reached for the file.
"And Marcus?"
"Isaac should know we found it."
I looked toward the computer.
Then slowly nodded.
"After the proper disclosure arrangements are made."
For a moment, I imagined the old mechanic sitting in his nearly empty garage.
Wondering whether anyone would ever believe him.
I thought of Elena.
Her son Isaiah.
The employees who lost their jobs.
The customers who stopped coming.
And the officers who apparently understood that destroying a man's reputation could accomplish what a fair purchase offer could not.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"We need the rest of the case."