"Agent Bennett, I need to tell you something else."
"Of course."
"The person who drove the white pickup behind the utility truck wasn't Adrian Pike."
Cross frowned.
"You said you recognized Pike."
"I recognized the vehicle, not the driver. I thought it was him at first, but I saw the driver's face more clearly later."
"Who was it?"
Walter hesitated.
"Deputy Lane."
Bennett stopped writing.
"Which Deputy Lane?"
"Michael Lane. He used to work nights at the county station."
Cross sat back.
"Are you certain?"
Walter nodded.
"I knew his father. I saw Michael at the veterans' center last winter. I recognized him."
Bennett closed her notebook.
"That is important."
Tessa looked at her father.
"Why didn't you mention that yesterday?"
"Because I didn't know his name until I saw him again."
Bennett stood.
"We'll verify the vehicle and the driver's identity."
Walter nodded.
"But be careful."
Cross looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because if Lane was driving that truck, he may not be the person making decisions. He may simply be following instructions."
Bennett nodded.
"That's possible."
Walter looked toward the window.
"People like Mercer don't always know the whole story. They only know what they're told."
At the sheriff's station, Cole Mercer was beginning to panic.
He had spent the morning in his office, staring at his phone.
He had received three messages from Hollister.
The first instructed him not to discuss the interview.
The second told him to prepare a written statement.
The third simply said:
Do not make this worse.
Mercer opened the draft statement on his computer.
It said Walter Hayes had become verbally aggressive during questioning.
It said the deputy had used reasonable force to prevent the detainee from striking his head against the table.
It said the injuries were consistent with an accidental fall.
Mercer read the final paragraph.
Then he deleted it.
He could not bring himself to sign the statement.
He remembered the sound of Walter's head striking the wall.
He remembered the older man's face when he had asked whether this was an interview or an assault.
He remembered knowing that Walter was not resisting.
He had done it anyway.
A knock sounded at the door.
Mercer closed the document.
"Come in."
Deputy Michael Lane entered.
"You need to see this."
Mercer looked at him.
"What?"
Lane placed his phone on the desk.
A local news website had published a short article.
Federal Investigators Visit Pine Ridge Sheriff's Office After Veteran Injured During Questioning.
The article did not identify the full details, but it mentioned that an investigation was underway.
Mercer stared at the screen.
"Who leaked this?"
"Nobody knows."
"Does the sheriff know?"
"Probably."
Mercer stood.
"Then why are you here?"
Lane lowered his voice.
"Because I think we need to talk."
Mercer frowned.
"About what?"
"The warehouse."
Mercer looked at the door.
"Not here."
Lane nodded.
They walked into the corridor.
At the far end, the dispatcher's desk was occupied. A patrol officer was completing paperwork near the entrance.
Mercer led Lane into an empty storage room.
"What is it?" he asked.
Lane looked nervous.
"They're going to find the truck."
"Which truck?"
"The white pickup."
Mercer stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because Cross has the registration records."
"How do you know?"
"Someone called the company."
Mercer rubbed his face.
"Then tell Hollister."
"I already did."
"What did he say?"
Lane looked away.
"He said to deny everything."
Mercer was silent.
Then he asked, "Did you drive it?"
Lane nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Pike asked me to move it."
"Move what?"
"The equipment."
Mercer closed his eyes.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"I didn't know what was inside."
"You drove a vehicle containing missing government equipment?"
"I was told it was a routine transfer."
"Who told you?"
Lane hesitated.
"Hollister."
Mercer looked at him.
The two men stood in silence.
Finally, Mercer spoke.
"Then we're both finished."
Lane shook his head.
"Not if we tell them what happened."
Mercer laughed bitterly.
"You think they'll believe us?"
"They have the records."
"They have a recording of me assaulting a man."
Lane looked at him.
"Then maybe you should start telling the truth."
Mercer turned away.
For the first time, he realized that the sheriff's protection might not extend as far as he had believed.
That afternoon, Daniel Cross received authorization to obtain records from the sheriff's department relating to the missing equipment investigation.
The request included dispatch logs, vehicle records, evidence receipts, maintenance reports, and communications between county personnel and North Ridge Security Solutions.
The department was instructed to preserve the original files.
The order did not mean that every record could be seized immediately. Investigators still had to follow the applicable legal procedures, obtain warrants where necessary, and document the collection process.
Hollister knew that.
He also knew that the records might expose him.
At 2:46 p.m., he called Adrian Pike.
Pike answered on the fourth ring.
"What?"
"We have a problem."