"That's a no, then. So no car has ever been stolen from the lot? Or something that was in a car?"
Babyface frowned. "I think we've had a few incidents where criminals tried to steal incriminating evidence from a car, like drugs stashed in a secret compartment. But it's rare. I don't think many criminals have the balls to steal from the police department."
Bless his naïve little heart. And Coulson wasn't going to wake him up from that dream. Babyface would have his ugly confrontation with reality soon enough. "So in the time you've worked here, you can't recall a single time that a car disappeared or was stolen from the impound lot?"
Babyface opened his mouth, and Coulson could swear he was about to say no when his expression changed. "You know, there was an incident a few months ago. A car did get stolen, though I've only heard this through the grapevine."
"Can you remember any details?"
"They didn't tell me a lot, sir. All I know is that the owner of the car had been pulled over for a DWI, his second in a year. That meant we could impound his vehicle for ninety days. But during that time, he was arrested for something unrelated and incarcerated. Just before the ninety days were up, his girlfriend showed up to claim the car. She had all the papers and permission from the owner. That's when the cop on duty discovered the car wasn't in the lot."
"So no one had noticed that car was missing before she tried to claim it?"
"No, sir. That in itself isn't so strange. I mean, we have a lot of vehicles at any given time, and they constantly change. Without looking in the system, I wouldn't notice a car was missing either."
"Did you hear any speculation on how this theft was pulled off? You said it yourself this is a police impound lot. I would assume it's not that easy to access."
"No, sir. Nobody knew. I did ask, but…" He shuffled his feet. "I'm still a rookie, sir. There's only so much I can ask without getting snapped at."
Coulson smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hang in there, son. If you show you're serious about this, they will accept you. It's just going to take some time."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate you saying that. It's… It's not been easy. I had heard stories about the BPD, but…" His shoulders sagged. "It feels like navigating a minefield. The Police Academy didn't prepare me for that. So many unwritten rules, rituals, things no one told me about but I'm still supposed to know. I don't come from a family of cops, so finding how I fit in hasn't been easy." His cheeks flushed. "I apologize, sir. I didn't mean to complain to you."
Coulson had been that rookie once, even though things had been a little different for him. He did come from a family of cops. But even then, finding your footing in a department that was hostile to newbies was a challenge. "No worries, Officer Abramson. I completely understand. We've both been in your position," he said with a quick jerk of his head in Milan's direction.
"Thank you, sir. That gives me hope."
"Does this lot have camera surveillance?" Milan asked.
"Yes, sir. It's linked to the CCTV in the precinct."
"I assume all recordings are saved?"
"Yes. For a hundred and eighty days, if I'm not mistaken."
"Do you know if anyone looked at those recordings to find whoever stole that car?"
"No. But honestly, sir, I got the impression no one was trying very hard to solve that crime. If you can even call it that. After all, it wasn't a brand-new vehicle, and the owner was imprisoned. Not exactly a high priority."
"No, I can see that. I'd be concerned that if it's that easy to steal a car from the impound lot, you may have bigger issues. What's to say people can't steal evidence from cars, like you mentioned? I would think it's a security issue that needs to be fixed."
Babyface rubbed the back of his neck. "Good point, sir. I hadn't looked at it like that."
"That's okay, son," Milan said, who apparently had picked up on Coulson's strategy. "That's your inexperience. You'll get there."
"I could… I could try to find out?" Babyface offered.
Coulson and Milan shared a look. Would it be safe to enlist the assistance of this rookie cop? It wouldn't be without risks. Whoever was behind the attacks had tied up many loose ends through murder. At the same time, they needed the information. Quirk had to be involved, but they needed proof of that.
"Let me ask you another question. Have you ever come across any evidence of dirty cops in your precinct? Heard rumors about it? And just so you know, this is between you and us. We won't tell anyone else about this, and we'll leave your name out of it."
Even before Coulson was finished, Babyface's eyes had shifted downward, and his body tensed. Bingo.
"I can't… I don't want to become a rat. A snitch."
"I understand," Coulson said.
"And you're federal agents. That's skipping a few rungs on the ladder. Wouldn't I have to talk to Internal Affairs about this first?"
"Sure," Milan said easily. "If you trust them."
Babyface jerked his head up, and his eyes sprang wide. "Are you saying I can't trust them?"
"No, not at all. I'm assuming you can. All I'm saying is talking to us might be safer. First of all, no one will find out, and second, we're not part of your precinct. If it turns out you're wrong, we wouldn't hold it against you, and you wouldn't have to work with us, knowing what you told us. Doesn't that make it easier?"
Oh, Milan was good at this. Coulson could easily see him pull a routine like this with suspects. The kind, understanding tone. The friendly, paternal attitude. The nonthreatening body language. If Coulson didn't know the man better, he'd fall for it as well.
"There are… There are rumors. But that's all they are. Rumors."
"Rumors about what?" Coulson asked.
"About a small group of cops within the department who are protecting each other. Others talk, but they're scared because no one knows their names. You never know if the person you're talking to is part of that group. And they've gotten people demoted and even fired. They have power, apparently. So I've decided to keep my head down and not see anything, hear anything, say anything. I don't want to get involved in this."
"That sounds like a smart strategy," Milan said. "If what you're saying is true, you should stay far away from it."
Again with that warm, understanding tone. Babyface relaxed and dared to make eye contact now. "I'm just… I'm scared to do the wrong thing. I know about what happened before, about the Gun Trace Task Force, how those cops abused their positions to enrich themselves. People say that's in the past, but I don't know. I don't know if that much has changed."
"In my experience, the culture within a police department doesn't change that easily. I'm sure remnants of the very structure that enabled that group are still present."
"What do the rumors say about what that group is involved in?" Coulson wanted to know.
Babyface shuffled his feet again. "I'm not sure, but… I've heard stories about them roughing up suspects, especially nonwhite ones. And they're…" He let out a deep sigh. "From what I hear, they're not exactly inclusive, if that makes sense."