A customer near the window stood halfway out of his seat.
Martha gasped.
Deputy Miller took a small step forward.
Natalie slowly turned her face back toward the sheriff.
Her eyes were wide.
She touched her cheek.
For a moment, she could not believe that the officer had actually struck her.
NATALIE: "You just slapped me."
SHERIFF HAYES: "And I can do a lot worse if you keep pushing me."
NATALIE: "You assaulted me in front of everyone."
SHERIFF HAYES: "You should have shown some respect."
Natalie looked directly into his eyes.
NATALIE: "Respect is not something you can demand while treating people like this."
The sheriff pointed toward her face.
SHERIFF HAYES: "You better remember who you're talking to."
Natalie did not respond immediately.
She took a slow breath.
Her cheek was beginning to redden.
Her clothing was still covered in noodles and broth.
The room remained silent.
But the atmosphere had changed.
Several customers were now openly watching.
One man quietly reached for his phone.
Martha looked toward him, then toward the sheriff.
She knew that the incident was becoming impossible to ignore.
Hayes noticed the movement.
SHERIFF HAYES: "Put that phone away."
The customer froze.
NATALIE: "Leave him alone."
Hayes turned back toward Natalie.
SHERIFF HAYES: "You really want to make this worse?"
NATALIE: "You already made it worse."
The sheriff looked at her handbag.
It rested beside her on the red leather seat.
He pointed toward it.
SHERIFF HAYES: "What's in that bag?"
NATALIE: "My personal belongings."
SHERIFF HAYES: "Open it."
NATALIE: "No."
Hayes's expression hardened.
SHERIFF HAYES: "What did you say?"
NATALIE: "I said no. You haven't given me a reason to allow you to search my personal property."
SHERIFF HAYES: "You don't get to decide what I investigate."
NATALIE: "And you don't get to search whatever you want simply because you're wearing a badge."
Deputy Miller looked toward the bag.
He then looked at the sheriff.
DEPUTY MILLER: "Sheriff, perhaps we should verify her identity first."
SHERIFF HAYES: "I know what I'm doing."
Natalie remained still.
She was beginning to understand that the sheriff had no intention of ending the confrontation peacefully.
He had already humiliated her.
He had struck her.
And now he was trying to gain access to her belongings.
She glanced toward the front entrance.
There were several people outside, but none appeared to be paying attention.
Her phone was inside her handbag.
Her wallet was there too.
And inside that wallet was something that could completely change the way the sheriff viewed her.
But Natalie did not want to reveal her identity simply to force him to behave properly.
She believed that the law should protect everyone, not only people with impressive titles.
She looked at Hayes.
NATALIE: "You should stop now."
The sheriff laughed.
SHERIFF HAYES: "You keep telling me what I should do."
NATALIE: "Because you're making a serious mistake."
SHERIFF HAYES: "I'm the one who decides that."
Natalie slowly reached for a napkin.
She wiped the remaining broth from her chin.
Hayes watched her.
Then he pointed toward the handbag again.
SHERIFF HAYES: "Deputy, check the bag."
Deputy Miller hesitated.
DEPUTY MILLER: "Sir, are we authorized to search it?"
Hayes turned toward him.
SHERIFF HAYES: "Did you just question my instruction?"
DEPUTY MILLER: "I'm asking what the basis is."
SHERIFF HAYES: "I gave you an order."
The deputy looked uncomfortable.
Natalie watched the exchange.
NATALIE: "Deputy, you should think carefully before doing something you cannot justify."
Hayes stepped closer to the younger officer.
SHERIFF HAYES: "Don't listen to her."
The deputy lowered his eyes.
He was caught between his supervisor's command and his own understanding of what was happening.
The sheriff turned back toward Natalie.
SHERIFF HAYES: "You wanted to make this difficult. Now we're going to find out what you're carrying."
Natalie looked at the handbag.
She knew that the wallet inside contained her federal identification.
She also knew that once the sheriff saw it, the atmosphere in the room might change dramatically.
But she was not certain that the badge alone would be enough to stop him.
There were deeper problems in Randolph County.
Problems that had existed long before she entered the diner.
And the sheriff might have just made himself the center of an investigation he could no longer control.
At the back of the restaurant, Martha quietly reached beneath the counter and checked the security system.