Then an unmarked sedan entered the cul-de-sac.
Detective Holt Bramwell stepped out.
Hadley's expression changed.
“What does Major Crimes have to do with this?”
Holt looked directly at her.
“A great deal.”
He held out his hand.
“Mrs. Lockwood, who prepared this bill of sale?”
“My attorney.”
“Name?”
Hadley hesitated.
Holt waited.
Finally, she gave him the name.
He already knew it.
The attorney had denied preparing the document that morning.
Holt opened another evidence folder.
“Interesting.”
Hadley stared at him.
“What?”
“The notary listed here has been inactive for almost a year.”
Bryson's confidence disappeared.
Holt turned toward him.
“You signed this?”
Bryson swallowed.
“My mother told me—”
Hadley snapped.
“Don't say anything.”
Holt looked at her.
“That's probably the first good legal advice you've given him today.”
A few neighbors had begun gathering outside.
Phones were recording.
Hadley's voice rose.
“This is an abuse of police authority!”
Sterling remained silent.
Then he said quietly:
“That's why I'm not investigating you.”
Hadley stared at him.
“What?”
“I removed myself from the case.”
Her expression tightened.
“Then who is?”
Holt stepped forward.
“We are.”
Behind him, additional vehicles turned onto the street.
Sheriff's deputies.
Investigators.
And the first search warrant.
Hadley's confidence finally collapsed.
She looked at Sterling.
“You did this.”
Sterling shook his head.
“No.”
He glanced toward the Mustang.
“You did.”
The Search
The first warrant covered the Lockwood residence.
The second covered Whit Lockwood's development office.
Hadley watched deputies approach her house.
“What are they looking for?”
Holt answered calmly.
“Financial records. HOA documents. Electronic devices. Business records.”
“This is insane.”
“No.”
Holt looked at the bill of sale.
“This is an investigation.”
Hadley turned toward Sterling.
“You've been planning this.”
Sterling shook his head.
“I've been documenting.”
That distinction mattered.
The search lasted hours.
Investigators recovered HOA ledgers.
Vendor contracts.
Emails.
Violation lists.
Property records.
Vehicle purchase agreements.
Digital files.
And a folder labeled: