"Nobody. That's the problem."
The line went dead.
Evelyn tried calling again.
His number had been disconnected.
Two days later, she found his apartment empty.
That was when she realized someone was watching her.
She changed her routine.
She stopped taking the same route to work.
She began keeping copies of every document outside her office.
She also contacted someone she trusted.
Not a police officer.
Not a prosecutor.
Not even another lawyer.
She contacted an investigator named Naomi Brooks.
Naomi had spent twenty-two years working in federal law enforcement before leaving government service. She had a reputation for patience and an almost obsessive attention to documentation.
Evelyn showed her the files.
Naomi read them without interruption.
When she finished, she looked up.
"Where did you get these?"
"Anonymous source."
"Do you know who?"
"No."
Naomi tapped the spreadsheet.
"Then you don't have a source."
"What do you mean?"
"You have someone who wants you to find something."
Evelyn frowned.
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"No."
Naomi closed the folder.
"A source gives you information. A trap gives you information and waits to see what you do with it."
That sentence stayed with Evelyn.
Because Naomi was right.
Someone had wanted her to investigate.
Someone had wanted her to discover the inconsistencies.
And someone had known exactly how she would respond.
The question was why.
Evelyn would eventually learn the answer.
But first, she had to survive the case being built against her.
The prosecutor placed another photograph on the evidence screen.
It showed Evelyn standing outside the municipal parking structure.
"Is that you?"
"Yes."
"And this was taken shortly before your arrest?"
"Yes."
"Did you meet anyone that evening?"
Evelyn looked at the photograph.
"No."
Mercer shifted in his chair.
The prosecutor noticed.
"Detective, did you observe Ms. Carter speaking to anyone?"
"No."
"Did you see her carrying anything?"
"Yes."
"The envelope?"
"Yes."
Evelyn finally looked at Mercer.
His eyes met hers.
For the first time that afternoon, his confidence disappeared.
Only for half a second.
But she saw it.
And she understood.
The photograph didn't show an envelope.
It showed Evelyn holding her umbrella.
That was all.
The prosecutor had another photograph.
But he didn't display it.
Because Evelyn's attorney had not yet introduced it.
Evelyn leaned toward her counsel.
"Ask him about the camera."
Her attorney nodded.
"Detective Mercer," she said, standing, "you testified that the defendant dropped an envelope at approximately 9:42 p.m.?"
"Yes."
"And you arrested her immediately afterward?"
"Yes."
"Was your body camera activated?"
Mercer hesitated.
"Yes."
"Was the parking structure monitored by municipal security cameras?"
"I believe so."
"You believe so?"
"I don't handle the cameras."
"Did you review the footage?"
"No."
"Did anyone from your department review it?"