Page 67 of Foxy Filthy Omega

He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.

Was he actually self-conscious right now? It really was hard to tell with him, but if he was…that was kind of adorable.

“When the police secure the scene, they isolate it and ensure safety,” Soren went on, his deep voice low and soft just like when he’d read through the information Garcia sent over. “They’ll take photographs and notes. Then they’ll identify, label, and tag evidence. Once that’s done they’ll establish a chain of custody.”

Wow, he’s really done his reading.

I stopped a few feet away from the cops keeping people from entering the park and gave them my back so I could focus on Soren. “How do they establish a chain of custody?”

His one red eye glowed under the summer sun and the red fleck in his brown one was like a single rose petal settling on the water’s surface. It wasreallydistracting.

“They meticulously document every transfer of evidence from the moment it’s collected at the crime scene,” he explained, jerking me back to reality. “Every time it’s handled by a different individual to where it’ll be stored or analyzed is written down – who handled it, when and where, as well as the condition of the evidence so there’s a clear, unbroken record.”

“Exactly.” I patted his shoulder and smiled up at him, proud that he could remember all that already.

It was like he’d read it straight from the procedural handbook too. His explanation might even be verbatim. I’d have to check when we got back to the office because if Soren had a photographic memory, that would be incredibly helpful.

“The chain of custody maintains the integrity of that evidence,” I told him as I watched an unmarked police car pull up to the checkpoint. “The reason we need to know about that is because sometimes, we’re allowed to handle evidence that belongs to the police, and the last thing we want to do is mess with the integrity of it. That would cost us our job as well as our reputation.”

“Got it.” Soren nodded once and then moved to stand beside me, facing the approaching vehicle. “Has that happened before?”

I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched Garcia park his car. “Yeah, but it wasn’t our fault. Last year evidence from a case we were asked to consult on was tampered with and the cops in charge of that case put the blame on us. The only reason we didn’t get fucked sideways was because Lucy is insanely finicky about keeping separate records.”

“Should I do the same?”

I looked up Soren, wondering if he’d actually be helpful or if I’d end up doing all the work myself.

Well. I wouldn’t know until I tried.

“Sure.” I pulled out the second phone we used specifically for these situations. “This is one of Lucy’s backup phones we use solely for the cases we work on with the police. Record everything. Video and audio. Take pictures as well. You don’t need to tell everyone, just the officer in charge of the crime scene. Once we have permission, keep it running until we’re no longer in the presence of the police.”

He hesitated before taking the phone from me. “Are you sure you trust me to do that?”

No, of course not, but he didn’t need to know that. “It doesn’t matter. You have to learn either way.”

I’d keep my own recording and compare the two when we were done.

Soren took the phone from me and opened it by tapping the button at the bottom. “This is an old phone.”

“It still works great so why get rid of it?” I pulled my necklace out of my shirt and pressed the button on the flat side of the pendant to start my own recording. “Do you know how to use it?”

Soren gave me a look that asked if I was being serious right now and I quirked a smile at him. “You’re good at computers but phones aren’t necessarily the same thing.”

“I’m just surprised it has service,” he told me honestly. “It can get spotty out here.”

I checked my own phone to make sure I could make a call if I had to. There were only a few bars, but my necklace didn’t just record video and audio, it also had a tracker on it and the only person who had access to the data was Lucy.

If something happened to me, my father knew who to call.

“James.” Garcia reached out to shake my hand as he strode over. “You got it here before me. I hope you didn’t break any traffic laws to make that happen.”

“Me? I would never.” I grinned as I shook his hand. “I’m sorry about the confusion earlier. I never got your email or I would have replied immediately. I’ll have someone look into how the email was deleted so we can prevent anything like that from happening in the future.”

“I appreciate it.” Garcia pushed his glasses up his nose and looked up at Soren, his eyes widening. “I know Parker just had her bonding ceremony, but I honestly thought she’d be joining you. Who’s this?”

I didn’t let my smile falter as I slapped Soren on the back like the two of us got along great. “This is my rookie, Soren Hart. He’s a new recruit with the same skills as Parker. I’m training him while she’s on her honeymoon.”

Soren offered his hand and Garcia stared at it for a moment before reluctantly shaking it.

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