Chapter 51 — "She's Going Back to Patrol"
Mid-Wilshire Division – Men's Locker Room – 3:17 p.m.
Gustavo walked into the police station's locker room with purposeful strides. His every move was precise, automatic. The sounds around him—locker doors slamming, the sound of station radios, the muffled voices of other officers—seemed distant, as if he were immersed in a bubble of absolute concentration.
Before the opaque metal mirror, he removed his police uniform with the same reverence he had put it on that morning. The tactical pants, the outer vest, the black shirt with the LAPD insignia embroidered on the arm all folded neatly.
On the wooden bench beside him rested a well-tailored navy suit, white shirt, and dark gray tie. Classic. Elegant. Professional.
He put on the suit with the same seriousness he had put on his uniform. He tightened the cuffs of his shirt. He buttoned his lapel with precision. Tying his leather shoes, he paused for a moment and took a deep breath.
Now he was not just Officer Gustavo Silva. He was also Attorney Gustavo Silva, a member of the California Bar Association and a Harvard Law School honors graduate. In the inside pocket of his jacket he tucked his Bar ID badge. In the other pocket, Captain Anderson's authorization to take over Officer Bishop's defense.
3:26 p.m. – Interrogation Room Corridor
Gustavo walked with a firm stance, but his heart was beating in a controlled manner not out of fear, but because of the seriousness of the situation. For the past two years he had handled national security cases at the DOD, but now…now it was different. It was personal.
On the other side of the mirrored glass, the Captain, the Sergeant, Angela, and Bradford watched in silence. The observation room was narrow, lit only by the dim light from the adjacent interrogation room. Talia sat with her arms crossed, her eyes red but without tears. She looked tired, demoralized... until the door opened.
The detective in charge of the IA investigation a tall, gray-haired man with a stern expression had just begun his barrage of questions when the door swung firmly open. All eyes turned to the entrance.
Gustavo walked in.
In a suit.
Impeccable posture.
Direct eyes.
"Good afternoon," he said, in a firm voice, placing the leather folder on the table. "My name is Gustavo Silva. I am Officer Talia Bishop's attorney. From this moment on, any and all questions must be directed in my presence, and my client will not answer any further questions in this interrogation."
The two detectives looked at each other, visibly taken aback.
"You're her attorney?" one of the investigators asked, frowning. "You're one of Mid-Wilshire's recruits. Isn't this a conflict of interest?"
Gustavo approached and took from his jacket a sheet of paper printed with the official symbol of the California Bar Association, with his registration number and Captain Anderson's electronic signature, authorizing his actions.
— "I have full right to represent any citizen of the State of California, including fellow police officers," he replied calmly but firmly. — "It's all registered with the Internal Affairs Department. Captain Anderson has already validated my presence."
Talia looked at him for the first time, and her hardened face softened for an instant. A spark of hope lit in her eyes.
— "Are you... are you serious?" she asked, surprised.
— "Talia," he said, looking directly at her, "you're not going to face this alone. I know your history, I know your character. And, most importantly, I know when a case is poorly put together. We're going to dismantle this."
One of the detectives stood up.
— "This is turning into a joke."
— "No, sir." — Gustavo said coldly. — "What is happening is a legal defense process that you will have to respect. Now, please leave. I need to talk to my client in confidence. We will meet with the prosecution in court if they decide to proceed with the accusation."
The two detectives looked at each other once more, visibly upset, but they picked up their documents and left the room without saying another word. Gustavo followed them with his eyes until the door closed.
On the other side of the mirror, Zoe Anderson crossed her arms.
— "He has presence. The kid is good."
Grey just shook his head with a discreet, almost proud smile.
— "He's better than good," Lopez said quietly.
— "He's what every recruit should aspire to be." — Bradford added.
Chapter 52 – "All Eyes Are Upon Us"
Meeting Room – Mid-Wilshire Division
5:47 p.m. – Monday
The silence was thick in the precinct's meeting room. Everyone present knew they were treading on delicate territory. The oval table was flanked by familiar faces, now tense: Captain Anderson at the head, Sergeant Grey at her side. Facing them, seated side by side, were Lopez, Bradford, and a visibly shaken but trying to maintain her composure Talia. And then, standing in front of the room's whiteboard, was Gustavo.
Now with his suit slightly wrinkled from the day's intense pace, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his tie loose, he held a blue marker. His eyes were fixed on the board as he wrote with surgical precision the next steps.
DEFENSE PLAN: OFFICER BISHOP
Detailed timeline
Gathering of camera footage
Analysis of forensic report
Testimony from colleagues and civilians
Review of victim's history
Conflict of interest in the prosecution
Review of patrol reports
He turned and looked at the group.
— "I'll be blunt. The prosecution is going after this because they want to make an example of this. A 'homicidal cop.' This makes headlines, gets a promotion for a young prosecutor, and tarnishes the name of the corporation. The only way to dismantle this is with surgical precision and a cohesive team."
Talia looked down. Zoe crossed her arms. Bradford leaned back in his chair.
— "Do you think they'll take this to trial?" he asked.
— "Pretty sure." Gustavo answered bluntly. — "The circumstantial evidence is weak, but the weight of the narrative will push the case forward. They're counting on the institutional fear that any mistake will be covered up. But here..." he pointed to the center of the table "we're not covering up anything. We're showing what really happened."
Angela crossed her legs, watching his every move. She'd known Gustavo since her first day on patrol, but now she saw him in a new light not just as a cop, but as a lawyer, a strategist, someone who spoke with absolute command of the situation.
— "So, where do we start?" Lopez asked.
Gustavo nodded and moved to the side of the board, pulling out a laminated printout: the map of the incident.
— "The case revolves around the shooting on Crenshaw Street, which occurred three nights ago, during a shootout with a suspect on a federal warrant. Talia was one of the first to respond. They said the suspect was surrendered, and she still fired. That's what they're alleging."
He turned to face everyone.
— "But there are three problems: first, there is no footage of the exact moment the shot was fired. The patrol car's camera was partially obstructed. Second, the victim's body was moved before the forensics team arrived, and third..." he paused, dramatic and precise "there is an inconsistency in the first responder's report about the position of the gun."
Talia looked up for the first time in a long time.
— "Did you see that?"
— "Yes. I went to the county coroner's office at lunchtime and asked for access to the preliminary report. The victim's gun was next to his left leg... but according to his action report, he had the gun in his right hand at the time of the shot. Someone moved the body. Or worse..." he took a deep breath "they planted that gun to justify the shooting."
Zoe Anderson leaned forward.
— "And why would they blame Talia?"
Gustavo looked directly at the Captain, eyes steady.
— "Because she's the officer who shot. Period. And no matter how complex the real narrative is, the system often prefers something simple. Easy target. Female, black, police officer, solid record. It's the perfect equation to make it seem like the prosecution is doing 'justice.'"
Grey let out a heavy sigh.
— "So what do you want from us?"
Gustavo took his tablet from his backpack and connected it to the projector. On the screen, he opened a folder full of files labeled with dates and names.
— "I need three main things from you. First: Lopez, you and I are going to go back to the scene with the body cameras. I want a 3D reconstruction of Talia's patrol car up until the moment of the shooting. We'll cross-reference it with the patrol car's GPS coordinates."
Angela nodded immediately.
— "Deal. I have access to the videos. I'll send them to you in thirty minutes."
— "Second: Bradford..." — Gustavo said, looking at Tim — "you have a contact in the evidence department, right? I need you to confirm that the weapon collected at the scene was actually the same one entered in the forensics inventory. Serial number. Ballistic trajectory. Everything."
— "Consider it done." — Tim replied, already taking out his cell phone. — "I'll need a favor with Grey's signature to pull the files, but I'll find a way."
The sergeant just nodded. They were all compromised now.
— "Lastly..." — Gustavo continued, looking at Zoe — "I need authorization to access the internal radio records from the night of the incident. I want to listen to every transmission. And if possible, get the recording of the emergency call. Something there doesn't match the times in the prosecutor's report."
Zoe crossed her arms. "You're in this up to your neck, aren't you?"
"I'm in this up to my neck, Captain," Gustavo replied sincerely. "She's my colleague. My friend. And I'm sworn to uphold the law. It doesn't matter if I'm in uniform or in a suit."
Talia took a deep breath. For the first time, her eyes were moist, but not from fear from gratitude. "Gustavo... thank you. I don't know how you do this."
He gave a half smile. "Harvard. DOD. LAPD. Three different worlds. But everything I learned there... was for this moment." He stood up, closing the laptop lid. "They want to take this to court? Then let's go all the way. But it's going to be our way. With evidence. With truth. And with all of you by my side."
Zoe looked at the group for a moment, then said, "Very well. Bishop, you're going to be placed on administrative leave until trial. That's protocol. But don't worry, we'll handle this discreetly."
"What about the prosecutor?" Bradford asked.
"The prosecutor is Connor Vale," Gustavo replied. "Ambitious. Cold-blooded. He'll try to paint Talia as out of control. But I know his style. We'll dismantle every argument. And we'll do it methodically."
Grey slammed his hand on the table in a gesture of decision. "Then let's get to work. A police officer's life is at stake."
Angela smiled and looked at Gustavo. "We're going to save your client, smartass. And make it look easy."
Gustavo smiled back, determined.
"Because when we play fair... no one can hold back the truth."
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