THOMAS MCALLISTER: "No."
SPECIAL AGENT REBECCA SHAW: "Did Sheriff Mercer tell you he had detained a woman whose identity had been confirmed by a federal judicial badge?"
Thomas did not answer immediately.
SPECIAL AGENT REBECCA SHAW: "Mr. McAllister?"
THOMAS MCALLISTER: "He called me about a situation. I told him to handle it according to procedure."
Rebecca looked at him.
SPECIAL AGENT REBECCA SHAW: "Did you tell him not to mention Northbridge?"
Thomas's eyes moved toward the door.
THOMAS MCALLISTER: "I don't recall."
SPECIAL AGENT REBECCA SHAW: "We have not yet asked you to recall a specific conversation. We are asking whether you have discussed Northbridge with Sheriff Mercer."
THOMAS MCALLISTER: "I want a lawyer."
Rebecca closed the folder.
SPECIAL AGENT REBECCA SHAW: "That's your right. We'll arrange the appropriate process."
Across town, Samuel Carter was sitting at his kitchen table when he received a telephone call.
It was Laura Bennett.
She explained that investigators were reviewing complaints involving land transfers and local law enforcement.
Samuel was silent for several seconds.
Then he asked the question he had wanted to ask for months.
SAMUEL CARTER: "Are you actually going to investigate this?"
INVESTIGATOR LAURA BENNETT: "Yes."
SAMUEL CARTER: "Because the last time I complained, I was told to stop making trouble."
INVESTIGATOR LAURA BENNETT: "We have your previous complaint. We'd like to hear your account and review the documents you kept."
Samuel looked toward the window.
Beyond the glass stood the small piece of land his family had owned for more than forty years.
The property was not particularly valuable to anyone who did not understand its history. His father had built the house himself. His children had grown up there. His wife had planted flowers along the fence.
Northbridge had offered to buy it.
When he refused, the visits began.
First came letters.
Then came calls.
Then a county official appeared with documents Samuel had never seen before, claiming that part of his property had been included in a development corridor.
When he questioned it, the sheriff had warned him that resisting the project would create unnecessary legal trouble.
Samuel had filed a complaint.
It had disappeared.
Now someone was finally asking to see his records.
SAMUEL CARTER: "I still have everything."
INVESTIGATOR LAURA BENNETT: "That's exactly what we need."
SAMUEL CARTER: "I'll bring it in."
Within the next few days, more residents came forward.
Denise Walker provided copies of letters she had received from Northbridge. One letter suggested that her family would face "significant administrative complications" if they refused to cooperate.
Another resident, a retired mechanic named Peter Lang, brought a folder containing photographs of survey markers that had been placed on his property without his permission.
Several people described the same pattern.
A property owner questioned a proposed sale.
A complaint was filed.
The sheriff's office became involved.
The complaint was closed or redirected.
Soon afterward, the owner received another demand to sell.
Not every allegation could be verified. Some disputes involved complicated property boundaries, old contracts, or misunderstandings between residents and developers.
But investigators were beginning to see a pattern that demanded a closer examination.
And the pattern had one recurring name.
Grant Mercer.
At the courthouse, Elena returned to work after receiving medical clearance and completing the necessary statements.
Her cheek was still slightly bruised.
She wore a dark tailored suit instead of the cream blouse and beige blazer from the diner. Her hair was neatly arranged, and the gold necklace she usually wore rested above the collar of her jacket.
Daniel met her outside her chambers.
DANIEL PRICE: "The records have been secured."
ELENA HAYES: "All of them?"
DANIEL PRICE: "The original county filings, the complaint logs, and the transfer documents. We also found a list of cases that were closed unusually quickly."
ELENA HAYES: "Good. Have the investigators received everything?"
DANIEL PRICE: "Yes. They asked us not to draw conclusions before they finish reviewing the material."
ELENA HAYES: "That's reasonable."
Daniel looked at her cheek.
DANIEL PRICE: "You shouldn't have had to go through that."
Elena opened the door to her chambers.
ELENA HAYES: "No one should."
She placed her files on the desk.
For a moment, she looked at the stack of documents she had been reviewing before the incident.
Then she turned toward Daniel.