Jonah continued.
“The server was signed out at 8:14 p.m. It arrived at the lab at 8:26.”
Ivory wrote the times down.
“Who transported it?”
“Detective Marcus Vale.”
“That's not unusual.”
“No.”
Jonah's voice became quieter.
“But there's something else.”
“What?”
“According to the lab's security footage, Vale didn't arrive at 8:26.”
“When did he arrive?”
“8:38.”
Twelve minutes later.
Ivory stared at the wall.
“Where was the server during those twelve minutes?”
“I don't know.”
“Find out.”
“I am.”
“And Jonah?”
“Yeah?”
“Don't tell anyone what you've found.”
“Wasn't planning to.”
The call ended.
Maya slowly stood.
“You know what this means.”
“I know what it could mean.”
“The evidence may have been altered while it was out of custody.”
“Possibly.”
“And Vale had it.”
“Yes.”
“Why would a detective fabricate evidence against Daniel Mercer?”
Ivory looked at the documents.
“Maybe he didn't.”
Maya frowned.
“What?”
“Maybe Daniel isn't the target.”
The room went silent.
Ivory looked at the prosecution's theory again.
Daniel had allegedly stolen $4.8 million.
But the money had not simply disappeared.
It had moved.
From Northbridge.
Through three shell companies.
Then into an account belonging to a consulting firm called Meridian Advisory.
Ivory had initially assumed Meridian was a laundering vehicle.
Now she wondered.
“What if the money was supposed to be found?”
Maya's expression changed.
“You think the entire case was constructed to hide something bigger?”
“I think we need to follow the money.”
That night, Ivory stayed at the office until nearly midnight.
Before leaving, she opened the digital evidence one more time.
The transaction record showed Daniel's credentials.
But the IP address was strange.
She copied it.
Then checked it against Northbridge's network.
The IP address wasn't from Northbridge.
It wasn't even from Daniel's home.
It belonged to a municipal network.
Specifically—
City Hall.
Ivory stared at the screen.
Then she whispered:
“Oh, this is much bigger than you.”
The Man Behind the Signature
The next morning, Ivory requested an emergency meeting with Daniel.
He was brought into the conference room at 9:30.
He looked exhausted.
“You found something.”
“I found an IP address.”
Daniel stared at her.
“What does that mean?”
“Someone accessed your financial system using your credentials from a municipal network.”
Daniel shook his head.
“I don't know anyone at City Hall.”
“Think carefully.”
“I don't.”
“Your company had city contracts.”
“Of course I knew people there. Project managers. Procurement officers. Engineers.”
“Anyone with access to your system?”
“No.”
Ivory slid a document across the table.
“This account received money connected to your alleged fraud.”
Daniel read the name.
“Meridian Advisory.”
“Do you recognize it?”
“No.”
“Never?”
“No.”
Ivory watched him.
He was telling the truth.
She could feel it.
“What happened on March 14?”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“I told you. I was at my mother's house.”
“Who was there?”
“My mother.”
“Anyone else?”
“My sister arrived around ten.”
“Can she confirm?”
“Yes.”
“Your mother is willing to testify?”
“My mother would testify against the president if she thought he was lying.”
Ivory smiled.
“Good.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Am I going to prison?”
Ivory didn't answer immediately.
“I don't know.”
“That isn't what lawyers are supposed to say.”
“It is when the evidence is complicated.”
Daniel leaned back.
“Do you believe me?”
Ivory looked directly at him.
“Yes.”
The answer surprised both of them.
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“Thank you.”
Ivory gathered her papers.
“But believing you isn't enough.”
“I know.”
“We need proof.”
That afternoon, Jonah arrived at the office with a folder.
He placed it on Ivory's desk.
“The twelve minutes.”
Ivory opened it.
Inside were photographs, security logs, and a handwritten timeline.
Jonah pointed.
“Vale leaves the evidence room at 8:14.”
“Then?”
“His vehicle doesn't appear on the main courthouse camera.”
“Why?”
“Because he doesn't drive toward the lab.”
Ivory looked up.
“Where does he go?”
“City Hall.”
Maya stood behind her.
“You're kidding.”
“No.”
Jonah pointed at another document.
“His car enters the underground parking garage at 8:18.”
“Four minutes after leaving the evidence room.”
“How long?”
“Eight minutes.”
Ivory stared at the clock records.
8:18.
8:26.
Then Vale's car disappears from the garage.
The official lab footage shows Vale arriving at 8:38.
Ivory felt a cold sensation in her chest.
“He had the server for twenty-four minutes.”
“Officially, twelve.”
“But twelve are unaccounted for.”
“Correct.”
“What's in the City Hall garage?”
“That's the problem.”
Jonah handed her another sheet.
“Camera footage from that section was deleted.”
Maya cursed softly.
“By whom?”
“City security says the system automatically overwrote it.”
“When?”
“The day after.”
Ivory sat back.
“That is too convenient.”
Jonah nodded.
“There's more.”
He opened another folder.
“Meridian Advisory isn't a normal consulting company.”
“What is it?”
“It's a shell company.”
“Who owns it?”
“That's difficult.”
“Meaning?”
“The registered owner is a retired accountant named Harold Pierce.”
“Can we find him?”
“Already did.”
“And?”
“He died two years ago.”
Silence.
Maya looked at Ivory.
“So a dead man owns the company that received stolen money.”
“Apparently.”
Jonah smiled grimly.
“Welcome to modern fraud.”
Ivory stood.
“I want the bank records.”
“We don't have subpoena authority for everything.”
“We'll use discovery.”
“Renner will fight it.”
“Then let him.”
They filed the request that afternoon.
Paul Renner responded within ninety minutes.
He objected to nearly every request.
Ivory wasn't surprised.
What surprised her was the language.
He called the requests “harassing,” “speculative,” and “designed to confuse the jury.”
Ivory read the response twice.
Then she noticed something.
Renner had objected specifically to financial records involving Meridian Advisory.
He knew about the company.
More importantly, he knew which records Ivory wanted.
She called Maya.
“Pull every filing connected to Meridian.”
“Already doing it.”
“And search Renner's previous cases.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to know how often Meridian appears.”
An hour later, Maya came into Ivory's office.
Her face was pale.
“I found it.”
“What?”
“Meridian Advisory appeared in three previous cases prosecuted by Renner.”
Ivory stared at her.
“Same company?”
“Different names on the paperwork. Same registration address.”
“Who was investigated?”
“Three executives.”
“Convicted?”
“All three.”
“Evidence?”
“Digital financial records.”
Ivory stood.
“Who testified as the forensic expert?”
Maya swallowed.
“Dr. Martin Hale.”
For several seconds, Ivory said nothing.
Then she walked to the window.
Three cases.
Three convictions.
Same shell-company structure.
Same forensic expert.
Same prosecutor.
Same kind of digital evidence.
And now Daniel Mercer.