The first officer stared at it.
“You’ve been carrying an investigation file?”
“Not exactly.”
Victoria opened the folder.
Inside were photographs.
Vehicle records.
Phone logs.
Bank transactions.
And photographs of several police officers meeting secretly with a local businessman.
The first inspector recognized the businessman immediately.
His face went white.
“That’s Victor Hale.”
Victoria nodded.
“Correct.”
Hale owned several companies in the county.
He also had contracts with the police department.
For years, complaints against him had mysteriously disappeared.
Witnesses changed their statements.
Evidence went missing.
Investigations were closed.
Victoria had been sent to discover why.
But three weeks earlier, someone inside the department had discovered her identity.
She had gone undercover.
Until that morning, nobody was supposed to know.
Except someone had known.
And that person had arranged for the two officers to stop her.
The first officer stared at the photographs.
“You’re saying we were sent to stop you?”
“No.”
Victoria closed the folder.
“I’m saying someone wanted to see what you’d do if you thought you had an ordinary young woman completely under your control.”
The second officer looked sick.
“So this was a test?”
“No.”
Victoria looked toward the road.
“It was a trap.”
One Comment on “PART 5 — THE MAN BEHIND THE OPERATION Victoria returned to her vehicle. She opened the trunk and removed a thin folder.”