Chapter 109: The Counterfeit Bills

"Are you sure?" Angela's excitement mirrored Jack's; uncovering a massive counterfeiting operation through a murder case felt like hitting the jackpot.

"It's the most realistic counterfeit I've ever seen, but it's definitely fake," John affirmed. "Back when I worked as a construction contractor, I often handled cash, especially large denominations."

John was confident. "These bills are crafted incredibly well, but under UV light, the fluorescent security thread has the wrong color. On the 1996 series $100 bill, it should be red, not blue."

Jack pondered for a moment before reopening the interrogation room door. He peered in at Mickey. "The machines Joe saw—were they printers?"

"Yes," Mickey nodded.

"Tell us where the money was found."

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Split Line ---

"This isn't quite the counterfeit bust you painted for us," Hondo, the fully-armed SWAT team leader, quipped at Tim. They were at 214 Mill Street, standing in an empty warehouse with no signs of the alleged counterfeit bills or sophisticated printing machines Mickey had described.

Nyla, who had also been called to assist, scanned the area with her tactical flashlight, questioning Tim's intel. "Are you sure your military buddy was telling the truth?"

"Yes, I trust him," Tim replied resolutely.

Jack ran his fingers over the corner of a shelf and then rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, feeling the residue. "There were definitely a lot of paper products on these shelves. This isn't just dust; it's fine paper residue. I can't say for certain if it's acid-free, but forensics can easily verify that."

Tim nodded at Jack. "They must have moved everything after they killed Joe."

Hondo, holding his rifle, looked around. "Their cleanup must have been meticulous. There's no visible trace that this place was used for printing counterfeit money."

"Maybe not." John crouched near the door and picked up a small piece of paper.

"What did you find?" The group gathered around.

John showed the paper fragment to Lucy and Jack. "Does this logo look familiar?"

Jack immediately recognized the blue emblem. "That's from the uniform of the guy fixing the camera during our morning search. It was also on the van parked outside."

"Yes, right across from where Joe was killed," John said excitedly. "He mentioned that the camera had been broken for a week."

"Did you ask him his name?" Nyla pressed.

"No, I assumed the camera lead was a dead end," John admitted, frustration evident.

"Actually, my body camera might have caught him," Lucy interjected, excitedly pulling out her phone. She connected it to her body camera and found footage showing the repairman and the van with the blue logo.

"He wasn't really fixing the camera; he was stalling us. This guy is definitely connected to the case."

Tim nodded. "We should run a facial recognition scan on him, see if we can get any leads."

Before Tim could say more, his radio crackled to life with Captain Grey's urgent voice: "Bradford, you and your team need to leave the building and return to the station immediately."

Tim thought he misheard. "Captain?"

"Pack up and head back now. That's an order."

Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.

"What's going on?"

"We just got a call from the Chief of Police. Your search has triggered high-level federal interest," Grey explained as the team regrouped. Night had fallen by the time they returned to the Wilshire Police Station briefing room, where Zoe and Captain Grey were waiting.

"But this is a murder investigation. Are we just supposed to walk away?" John was bewildered.

Zoe shook her head. "No, but we can't continue through the counterfeit angle."

The team looked at each other in confusion. Tim seemed to have an inkling but was clearly frustrated. "But our only lead is tied to the counterfeit money. The evidence shows this is one case."

"What's the situation, Chief?" Nyla asked.

Zoe shrugged. "The Chief wouldn't disclose the source of the orders, only that it's from a very high level and non-negotiable."

Captain Grey sighed, looking equally frustrated. "Call it a night. We'll regroup in the morning. That's all for now."

"This isn't right," Angela grumbled, her usual soothing yogurt balls failing to lift her spirits. She had stayed at the station for safety while Nyla took her place in the field. Now, with the case stalling, her frustration was palpable.

"Of course it's not right, but it's an order," Captain Grey reiterated before leaving the room with Zoe.

"So, we're just going to let this go?" Jack was visibly annoyed, feeling the opportunity for substantial progress slipping away.

"If we want to be smart, yes," Nyla said, grabbing a yogurt ball from Angela's bag.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like a flat-out no."

Angela glared at Tim. "What do you think?"

Tim crossed his arms, carefully considering the situation. "This case clearly conflicts with a federal operation, but we lack enough information to proceed."

"Should I reach out to the FBI?" Jack held up his phone, suggesting contacting David Rossi, who had the necessary clearance, though he was less sure about involving Hannah, who was still an intern.

"It won't help," Tim interrupted. "If the FBI were handling the counterfeit operation, they would have openly taken over the case and had LAPD running in circles."

"So…" Jack drew out the word, waiting for Tim to elaborate.

"To figure out which federal agency is involved, we need to make some noise—show that we're not giving up. They'll come to us," Tim explained.

"How do we get their attention?" Lucy asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"I'll submit a facial recognition request to the federal database under the Captain's authority, using the image of the camera repair guy," Tim mused.

"And then what?" Lucy pressed.

"Then we play it by ear. They've blocked us from following the counterfeit trail, but they can't stop us from pursuing the murder investigation," Jack concluded, easing the team's doubts.

The man fixing the camera at the murder scene was either part of the counterfeit ring or a federal agent investigating the case. Either way, they could classify him as a suspect in the homicide.

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