VICTOR HAYES:
“You can't be serious.”
JAMES CARTER:
“I'm serious.”
VICTOR HAYES:
“This is my operation.”
JAMES CARTER:
“And I'm responsible for reviewing what happened.”
Hayes stared at him, then looked around the diner.
He had expected Carter to support him. Instead, the lieutenant had begun asking questions in front of witnesses.
Natalie reached for her water.
Her cheek still hurt, but her voice remained calm.
NATALIE BROOKS:
“Lieutenant Carter, before anyone leaves, I want the names and badge numbers of every officer who has been involved.”
Carter nodded.
JAMES CARTER:
“I can provide those.”
NATALIE BROOKS:
“I also want the dispatch record preserved, including the original call information and any changes made afterward.”
Carter looked briefly at Hayes.
JAMES CARTER:
“We'll need to verify what records exist.”
NATALIE BROOKS:
“Then verify them. But preserve the original data first.”
Hayes folded his arms.
VICTOR HAYES:
“You're making this much bigger than it needs to be.”
Natalie turned toward him.
NATALIE BROOKS:
“You made it bigger when you decided that your authority gave you permission to strike someone who had done nothing to you.”
For the first time, Hayes looked genuinely uncertain.
He glanced at Carter, then at Ethan.
Outside, another vehicle pulled into the parking lot.
This one was not a county patrol car.
It was a black sedan with tinted windows.
A man stepped out, checked his phone, and looked toward the diner.
Carter noticed him through the glass.
His expression tightened.
JAMES CARTER:
“Sheriff, were you expecting anyone else?”
Hayes did not answer immediately.
He looked toward the black sedan, then back at Natalie.
VICTOR HAYES:
“No.”
The man outside opened the rear passenger door and removed a slim leather briefcase.
He walked toward the entrance.
Carter lowered his voice.
JAMES CARTER:
“Everyone stay where you are.”
Natalie watched the stranger approach.
Something about Carter's reaction suggested that the arrival was not part of the ordinary review process.
The diner door opened.
The man stepped inside, carrying the briefcase.
He looked first at Carter, then at Hayes.
Finally, his eyes settled on Natalie.
MAN IN BLACK SUIT:
“Judge Brooks. We need to speak privately.”
Natalie did not stand.
NATALIE BROOKS:
“Who are you?”
The man placed a business card on the table.
MAN IN BLACK SUIT:
“My name is Daniel Mercer. I'm with the federal oversight team.”
Natalie examined the card.
Then she looked at Carter.
NATALIE BROOKS:
“Lieutenant, did you contact federal oversight?”
Carter's face had gone pale.
JAMES CARTER:
“No, Your Honor.”
Daniel Mercer opened his briefcase.
Inside was a thick folder marked with a case reference number Natalie recognized immediately.
It was connected to the complaints she had been reviewing for months.
She looked at the folder, then at the sheriff.
NATALIE BROOKS:
“Where did you get that file?”
Daniel Mercer did not answer right away.
Instead, he glanced toward Hayes.
DANIEL MERCER:
“That's exactly what we need to establish.”
Hayes took a step backward.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that the incident in the diner might not remain an isolated complaint.
It might be the beginning of an investigation that reached far beyond the walls of the Kettle & Comb.
Daniel Mercer placed the leather briefcase on the table and opened it.
Inside were several folders, printed photographs, financial records, and copies of official complaints. Natalie recognized the case number immediately. It belonged to a federal review concerning allegations of misconduct within the Randolph County Sheriff's Department.
She looked at Mercer.
NATALIE BROOKS:
“Why is this file in your possession?”
DANIEL MERCER:
“Because we received information this morning suggesting that someone inside the department may have attempted to interfere with the investigation.”
Natalie glanced at Sheriff Victor Hayes.
The sheriff had stopped moving. His hands were clenched at his sides, and his eyes kept shifting between Mercer and Lieutenant Carter.
VICTOR HAYES:
“This is ridiculous. Nobody in my department has interfered with anything.”
DANIEL MERCER:
“Then you shouldn't have any problem answering a few questions.”
VICTOR HAYES:
“I've already answered enough questions for one day.”
DANIEL MERCER:
“I'm afraid that's not your decision.”
Hayes turned toward Lieutenant Carter.
VICTOR HAYES:
“Are you going to let him walk into my county and interrogate my officers?”
Carter remained silent.
Daniel Mercer removed a document from the folder and placed it in front of Natalie.
DANIEL MERCER: