Chapter 3
Marcus felt the blood drain from his face, though he forced his shoulders to remain relaxed. The mention of Miller knowing his name before arriving changed the entire dynamic of the encounter. This wasn’t just an instance of neighborhood profiling; it was a targeted hit, masked as a routine stop.
"Who gave her my name?" Marcus asked, stepping closer to Vance, ignoring the protocol of police-civilian distance.
Vance stepped back instinctively, his hand drifting toward his holster again, not out of aggression, but out of defensive instinct. "I don't know. All I know is the briefing this morning at shift change featured a photo of this house. Not you—the house. They said a stolen asset was tracked to this zip code, but the address was supposedly classified."
"Classified by who?" Marcus demanded, his voice rising just enough to carry across the quiet suburban lawn.
Before Vance could reply, the cruiser’s front passenger door swung open. Officer Miller didn't get out; instead, she leaned across the console, her face illuminated by the harsh blue glow of the laptop screen. She wasn't looking at them anymore. She was typing furiously, her fingers flying over the keyboard with mechanical precision.
"Vance!" Miller called out, her voice amplified slightly by the cruiser’s external PA system. "Back away from him. Federal marshals are two minutes out."
Vance cursed under his breath, his eyes darting back to Marcus. "You’ve got two minutes. Whatever is in that garage, whatever you're hiding in that black bag—if it involves the federal inquiry into the precinct missing evidence lockers, you need to run right now."
Marcus didn't move. He looked down at the green trash can, then back at Vance. "Run where? You guys have the whole block surrounded."
"Not the back alley behind the oak tree," Vance whispered quickly, stepping aside and breaking protocol entirely. "The drainage culvert connects to the old storm system. My locker key is on the front tire of my cruiser. Take it. There's a file inside the station with Miller's name on it."
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Marcus stared at the older officer, weighing the trap against the lifeline. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because Miller's partner didn't retire," Vance said grimly, his face pale in the flashing lights. "He was found in the river three days ago, and I signed the report calling it an accident. I won't do it twice."
