Amelia sat back slowly.
The waitress came by with coffee. Neither of them touched it.
Mitchell handed her the evidence log.
“Reed signed the original evidence transfer,” he said. “I don’t understand why. He wasn’t assigned to the police department. He wasn’t an evidence technician. He wasn’t part of the prosecution team.”
Amelia scanned the page.
Her eyes stopped on the signature.
“Who had access after this?” she asked.
“According to the chain, items went to the county evidence room, then to the lab.”
“According to the chain,” Amelia repeated.
Mitchell heard what she did not say.
According to paper.
The same paper that had nearly helped kill Gavin.
Amelia tapped the table lightly with her pen. “Who gave you the photograph?”
“I don’t know. It was on my desk. No postage. No return address.”
“Someone inside the prison?”
“Likely.”
“Someone who can access your office.”
Mitchell’s jaw tightened. “That narrows it to too many people.”
Amelia looked back at the photograph. “Reed knew Keller. Reed signed the evidence transfer. Danton and Avery were tied to Keller. The tape suggests Gavin was framed. And now someone wants us looking at Reed.”
“Could this be a trap?”
“Possibly.”
“To distract from Danton?”
“Possibly.”
“To make me suspect my own deputy?”
“Also possibly.”
Mitchell let out a tired breath.
Amelia’s expression softened, but only a little. “You’re not responsible for what he may have done.”
“I’m responsible for what happens under my roof.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“To me it is.”
The words came out heavier than he intended.
Amelia watched him for a moment. “You gave Gavin’s daughter the chance to speak. Without that, he would be dead.”
Mitchell looked through the rain-streaked window. “I almost didn’t.”
“But you did.”
He turned back to her. “What now?”
“Now we verify. Quietly. We find out why Reed’s name is there. We find out how he knew Keller. We find out whether he had any connection to the missing recorder.”
“And Gavin?”
Amelia closed the folder gently. “Gavin needs to be kept safe.”
Mitchell’s eyes sharpened.
“You think Reed would harm him?”
“I think Gavin is alive because a secret escaped. People who protect secrets don’t always stop politely when the first one gets out.”
The sentence sat between them like a cold draft.
Mitchell nodded once. “I can move him.”
“Can you do it without Reed approving?”
Mitchell did not answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
By morning, the prison seemed unchanged.
The same gray walls caught the early light. The same gates groaned open and shut. The same voices echoed down the corridors. But to Mitchell, every familiar sound now carried a second meaning.
He watched Reed during the morning briefing.
Deputy Warden Thomas Reed stood near the end of the conference table, hands folded, listening as shift supervisors discussed staffing, maintenance, and inmate transport. He wore his uniform neatly pressed. His hair, more silver than brown now, was combed back with care. Nothing in his expression suggested anxiety.
Mitchell wondered how many times he had mistaken calm for innocence.
“Any updates on Cole?” Reed asked near the end.
The room quieted.
Mitchell kept his gaze on the clipboard before him. “Legal review continues.”
“Media’s not letting it go.”
“No.”
Reed gave a small sigh. “Shame. These cases get dragged into the court of public opinion, and suddenly everyone forgets twelve jurors heard the evidence.”
