"I understand that," Sam said carefully.
"The syndicate Cooper was investigating—they've been operating in this region for over a decade. Which means some of their activities may have touched cases your department handled in the past." Keller opened the folder and handed Sam a formal request form. "I'm asking for access to your archived case files. Ten years back."
Sam took the form, scanning it. His jaw tightened slightly. "That's a lot of files, Agent. Hundreds of cases."
"I know." Keller's voice was quiet. "And I know how this looks—federal agent walking in, demanding access to everything. But I'm not trying to dig through your department's dirty laundry. I'm trying to find the thread that got my partner killed."
Sam set the form down, studying Keller's face. The man looked exhausted. Not slick, not calculating—just tired and grieving and desperate for answers.
"What specifically are you looking for?" Sam asked.
"Honestly? I'm not sure yet." Keller spread his hands. "Cooper mentioned connections to old cases in this area. Witnesses who disappeared. Investigations that went cold. He thought there might be a pattern, but he didn't get a chance to show me what he'd found." His voice roughened. "If I had something specific, I'd tell you. But right now I'm working blind."
Sam was quiet for a long moment. He understood the request—understood the grief driving it. But ten years of files included some cases he'd rather not have federal eyes on. Cases where the lines had gotten blurry, where he and the team had made calls that wouldn't look clean under a microscope.
"I can't give you blanket access," Sam said finally. "But I can work with you. You tell me what patterns you're looking for—missing witnesses, cold cases, anything connected to organized crime—and I'll pull what's relevant myself."
Keller nodded slowly. It wasn't everything he'd asked for, but it was something. "That's fair. I appreciate you working with me on this, Chief."
"Cooper deserves answers," Sam said. "We'll find them. Just... through proper channels."
"Understood." Keller stood, tucking the folder under his arm, gave him a tired nod and walked out.
Shaw was stillat Wyatt’s desk, pointing out patterns in the search results, when Keller emerged from Sam’s office.
She noticed immediately. Wyatt saw her eyes track Keller as he crossed the squad room and headed for the exit, folder tucked under his arm.
“He was in there a while,” Shaw said quietly. Her tone was casual, but something underneath it wasn’t.
Jo got up from her desk and headed into Sam’s office. A minute later, she came back out.
Shaw straightened in her chair. “What was that about?”
Jo glanced toward the door Keller had just walked through. “He wants access to the archives. Ten years of case files. Thinks there might be connections to Cooper’s murder in old local cases.”
“Ten years?” Kevin looked up from his desk. “That’s a lot of fishing.”
“Sam’s not giving him blanket access,” Jo said. “They’ll work together, pull specific files.”
Shaw’s expression didn’t change, but Wyatt caught something flicker across her face. Displeasure? Suspicion? Whatever it was, she covered it quickly.
“Interesting,” Shaw said. She stood, pushing back from Wyatt’s desk. “I should get going. Follow up on some things.”
She was gone before anyone could respond, Shadow falling into step beside her.
Wyatt watched her leave, then turned back to his screen. His hands weren’t moving on the keyboard anymore.
Ten years. That window included the case numbers his father had sent him. The files he was supposed to modify.
“You okay?” Jo was watching him now.
“Yeah.” He forced his hands to start typing again. “Just thinking.”
The pressure was tightening from both sides. His father pushing him to destroy evidence. The FBI pushing to access it. Sam standing in the middle, not knowing he was the only thing keeping both wolves at bay.
Lucy padded over and pressed her nose against his leg. He reached down automatically, scratching behind her ears, but his hand was shaking.
If Sam gave Keller access, the FBI would find whatever his father was trying to hide.