Immediate start date.
Outside appointment.
Not promoted from within.
Sarah's mind raced.
Wilson's arrest.
The phone call.
The Monday timeline.
Pieces connecting.
Pattern emerging.
Plan revealing itself.
Williams and Hayes worked the weekend shift.
Joking about Friday's arrest.
"Crazy old man thought he knew police work," Williams laughed.
"Probably watched too many cop shows," Hayes added.
They had no idea what was coming.
No sense of the timing.
No awareness of the countdown.
Miller texted his father.
Updates on the arrest.
Pride in his police work.
Lieutenant Thomas Miller had retired years ago, but he still had connections.
Still knew the system.
He texted back:
Good work. Keep the streets clean.
None of them remembered Wilson's face.
His voice.
His significance.
10 years erases details.
Softens memories.
Creates false security.
But some records never fade.
Some systems never forget.
Wilson's employment file sat in archives.
Badge number 347.
Service record intact.
Commendations.
Awards.
Performance reviews.
Termination documents.
Conviction records.
Disgrace documentation.
All waiting for Monday morning, when everything became relevant again.
Sarah worked through the weekend.
Compiling evidence.
Building files.
Preparing documentation.
Wilson's old investigation.
Her father's murder.
Current corruption.
All connected.
All documented.
All ready for revelation.
The phone call hadn't been to a lawyer.
Sarah checked the calendar again.
Monday was 3 days away.
Wilson's evidence request wasn't random.
Sunday night.
7:00 p.m.
25 hours until the announcement.
Wilson sat in his cell.
Calm.
Patient.
Ready.
Sarah sat at her desk.
Files organized.
Evidence prepared.
Allies identified.
The countdown continued.
Hour by hour.
Minute by minute.
Until Monday morning changed everything.
There was a bail hearing Saturday morning.
Public defender appointed.
Standard procedure.
Wilson appeared via video link.
Orange jumpsuit.
Calm demeanor.
Judge Harrison presided.
Routine docket.
Minor offenses.
"State versus Wilson. Possession charges."
The prosecutor requested high bail.
Flight risk.
Out-of-town defendant.
Wilson's public defender argued for release.
First offense.
Community ties.
But before the judge ruled, there was an interruption.
"Your Honor, private counsel entering appearance."
A woman in an expensive suit approached the bench.
Filed paperwork.
"Katherine Morrison, representing Mr. Wilson."
Morrison was a name everyone recognized.
High-profile defense attorney.
Major cases.
Serious money.
How did a possession defendant afford Katherine Morrison?
"Bail is set at $50,000," Judge Harrison announced.
Morrison didn't hesitate.
"Bail will be posted immediately, Your Honor."
Cashier's check.
Pre-prepared.
Pre-signed.
Someone had been expecting this hearing.