“This was a setup,” he said.
Claire turned to him.
“No.”
Her voice was quiet enough that everyone leaned into it.
“This was a record.”
He shook his head hard.
“You were baiting us.”
Claire took one step closer.
“You broke into my home.”
Another step.
“You planted evidence.”
Another.
“You denied counsel and tried to bury it before dawn.”
She stopped right in front of him.
“All I did was leave room for you to be exactly who you are.”
That hit harder than a yell ever could.
Hale closed his eyes.
He knew it too.
They had not been lured into goodness and then trapped by a trick.
They had been given a chance to behave lawfully and chosen otherwise on camera.
That was the thing dirty men hated most.
Not being accused.
Being accurately seen.
As federal teams spread through the building, drawers opened and secrets came out.
