Chapter 12 - The Storage Unit
By late afternoon, Chief Mercer obtained an emergency warrant.
Two unmarked police vehicles stopped outside an aging self-storage facility on the industrial edge of the city.
Arthur remained inside the lead vehicle.
"I'll stay here," he said.
Mercer agreed.
"You've done enough today."
But Arthur's eyes never left the rows of storage buildings stretching into the distance.
Something about the place felt familiar.
Inside the office, the manager examined the recovered key.
"I know this lock."
He checked his records.
"Unit C-47."
Minutes later, investigators unlocked the metal door.
The smell of old paper drifted into the hallway.
The unit was surprisingly organized.
Shelves lined every wall.
Plastic containers.
Document boxes.
Labeled binders.
Several desktop computers covered beneath protective sheets.
"This isn't stolen property," one detective whispered.
"It's an archive."
Forensic specialists carefully opened the first container.
Inside were financial ledgers.
The second held burner phones.
The third contained surveillance photographs from different neighborhoods across the city.
Every item had been cataloged.
Every payment recorded.
Every meeting dated.
Mercer slowly turned another page.
A detailed chart connected local criminals with business owners, tow truck operators, nightclub managers, and several public employees.
Near the center of the chart appeared another police name.
Lieutenant Harold Briggs.
Not alone.
Beneath Briggs were arrows leading to three additional supervisors.
"This keeps growing," Reeves muttered.
Mercer's phone suddenly rang.
It was Internal Affairs.
"We've got a problem," the investigator said.
"What happened?"
"Miller's attorney arrived."
"So?"
"He isn't asking for bail."
Mercer frowned.
"Then what does he want?"
"He requested federal representation."
Mercer stopped walking.
"Federal?"
"Yes."
"And someone from Washington already called asking about Arthur Hale."
Mercer slowly lowered the phone.
Arthur had insisted he was only a retired investigator.
May you like
Yet people hundreds of miles away already knew his name.
The chief began wondering whether Arthur's past was even larger than anyone inside the department had imagined.
