CHAPTER 13: The Bribe Inside the Polished Briefcase

Agent Cole asked for Adrian's briefcase.
He refused with an offended laugh that lasted only until she produced the warrant.
Inside the polished leather were documents cleaner than anything honest ever needed to be. Consulting agreements with shell companies. A draft statement describing Elara as emotionally unstable before she had entered the room. A payment schedule marked outreach security that matched the dates of Holt's visits to tenant buildings.
The crowd did not gasp this time.
They were past shock. They were watching the language of their own fear become paperwork.
Mayor Rusk stood behind the front table as if remaining upright might count as innocence.
Agent Cole read one line, then another, then looked at him.
Would you like counsel present before you explain why a city officer received private payment through a redevelopment contractor?
The mayor's mouth opened and closed once.
Elara looked at Holt, who had finally managed to sit against the divider with his cap in his lap.
He would not meet her eyes.
A badge, she thought, was a terrible thing to rent. It always came due in public.