Chapter 49: No Case Number

The written reprimand was four pages long and contained no adjectives. Su considered that restraint. Lieutenant Vega sat behind her desk with the last page turned toward Su and a blue pen laid across the signature line. Morning filled Major Crimes with ringing phones, burnt coffee, and the stale electrical smell of equipment that had run all night. "You failed to disclose a material relationship with a confidential source," Vega said. "You removed evidence copies without authorization. You allowed a source access beyond the terms of his designation." "He was also a suspect, witness, victim, and thousand-year-old institutional problem." Vega's eyes lifted. Su picked up the pen. "That was not for the response box." "No, it was not." The reprimand stayed in her permanent file. Internal Affairs had sustained the disclosure and evidence-handling findings and nothing else. Her full reinstatement took effect when she signed, so Su wrote her name.…