Page 82 of Twice Missing
Noah leaned forward, his gaze locked onto Oates. "They all belonged to him?"
Oates nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "He'd upgraded his phone from the older model and kept a spare just in case. Never used though," he added with an air of certainty that only confirmed their earlier suspicions of hisinvolvement. Proving it, however, would come with complications.
"So what's happened to Marcus?" Noah asked, shifting the conversation.
"Held until he has his bail hearing on Monday," Oates replied.
Noah nodded, acutely aware of the vast differences between reservation policing and state procedures. "And how do you see that playing out?" he probed, knowing that availability of local detention facilities and cultural factors could significantly influence bail decisions.
Oates shrugged. "I'm not the judge. He might release him with conditions."
"Conditions?" McKenzie balked.
"Yes," Oates continued, unfazed. "A no-contact order with Jessica, restrictions on alcohol and drug use, a requirement to report to us, and restriction on weapon possession."
McKenzie's face reddened. "Just like that? But he beat that woman, kept her captive!"
"Allegedly," Oates corrected, his tone maddeningly calm.
"Then on top of that, there's the matter of the fire," Noah added, trying to keep his own frustration in check.
Oates sighed, as if explaining to children. "There are no witnesses. Listen, when we arrived, Jessica wasn't bound. I don't know how it works off the reservation, but here in our community, domestic violence is prevalent due to drug and alcohol use. Things get out of hand. Accusations get made all the time. We do our best to get to the truth andbring those who offend to justice, but without witnesses, the fire at Jacob's place and the accusation made against him by Jessica are just that — accusations, nothing more."
Noah's eyes narrowed. "Have you taken Jessica's statement?"
"She declined to give one," Oates replied.
"I wonder why," McKenzie muttered, running a hand over his face, exasperated by the way it was all being handled.
"Declined?" Noah pressed. "So you sent someone to speak to her at the hospital?"
"I went and spoke to her myself," Oates said, a hint of defensiveness creeping into his voice.
Noah's brow furrowed. "But she stated at the scene that?—"
Oates cut him off. "Surely, detective, you have seen people retract what they said. In the heat of an argument with a boyfriend, people will say anything just to get some space. Once they have that space, they decide differently. We can't force anyone to give us a statement or press charges, even if we think it will help the case. What we can do is arrest with probable cause to believe domestic violence occurred, and the decision to prosecute lies with the prosecutor, not the victim."
Noah nodded, his jaw tight. "I get that victims can't drop the charges themselves, but their cooperation or lack thereof can significantly influence the prosecutor's decision."
"I already explained that to her," Oates said, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Again, my job is not toreason why, it's to follow protocol. To ensure an alleged victim?—"
"Alleged," McKenzie snorted, earning another glare from Oates.
"To ensure an alleged victim knows their options and see that a suspect is brought before a judge. The rest is in their hands. There is a strong possibility that he does get charged, however..."
"He could be let go," Noah finished, the realization settling heavily in his stomach.
Oates nodded, and Noah could see the game being played out before his eyes. On the surface, Oates would make it look like he was doing his job, following everything by the book. But behind the scenes, he was pulling the strings — had he paid off the judge? Was the judge his brother or cousin?
It was becoming painfully clear that missing and murdered cases on and off reservations remained unsolved not only because of jurisdictional issues but because of deep-rooted corruption. It was easier to brush it under the rug, make it go away. It saved on resources and kept those who needed to be on the outside generating cash flow in a place known for poverty.
As Noah and McKenzie left the station, the weight of what they were up against settled heavily on their shoulders. They weren't just fighting against criminals; they were battling an entire system designed to protect its own interests at the expense of justice.
"What now?" McKenzie said.
"We find out where we stand with that video footage,"Noah said as they climbed into their car. "I'm almost certain there can be exceptions to the warrant requirement if it's for the preservation of evidence. You know — if we think they are going to flush drugs down the toilet. If anything, the data taken at least proves that those phones were tampered with by tribal police, and shows without a shadow of a doubt Sunrise Systems and Nathan Carter's involvement."
McKenzie nodded grimly. "Aye, but this is the reservation, different rules and laws, and how do you fight a system that's rigged from top to bottom?"
