Daniel straightened slightly.
"All right, Colonel. What seems to be the problem?"
COLONEL HAYES: "I'm trying to establish the location and status of Major General Maya Bennett. Our office has been unable to reach her, and her scheduled briefing has already begun."
Daniel looked toward the booking area.
"She's here."
COLONEL HAYES: "Why is she at your station?"
"She was involved in a traffic incident and was brought in for processing."
COLONEL HAYES: "What kind of traffic incident?"
Daniel shifted his weight.
"Disorderly conduct. Failure to cooperate with an officer."
COLONEL HAYES: "Was she informed of the reason for her detention?"
Daniel glanced toward Claire.
"Of course she was."
COLONEL HAYES: "Was she allowed to contact legal counsel?"
Daniel paused.
"We're handling the normal booking procedures."
COLONEL HAYES: "That wasn't my question, Sheriff."
The tone was controlled, but there was no friendliness in it.
Daniel looked increasingly uncomfortable.
"Look, Colonel, I understand you're concerned about one of your officers, but this is a county law enforcement matter. We have procedures."
COLONEL HAYES: "And we have procedures as well. I need you to understand that Major General Bennett is a senior United States military officer. Her disappearance from a scheduled secure briefing has triggered an immediate accountability inquiry."
Daniel remained silent.
COLONEL HAYES: "I want you to preserve every recording associated with her detention. That includes dispatch calls, booking footage, surveillance cameras, vehicle recordings, body-camera footage, radio communications, and all written reports."
Daniel looked down at the telephone.
"That's a lot of material, Colonel."
COLONEL HAYES: "Then I suggest you begin preserving it."
The call ended a moment later.
Daniel slowly lowered the receiver.
For the first time that afternoon, he looked uncertain.
Claire watched him carefully.
"Sir?"
Daniel did not answer immediately.
He placed the receiver back into its cradle.
Then he turned toward Jared.
"Did you hear that?"
Jared nodded.
"Yes, Sheriff."
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"How could she be a general?"
Jared remained quiet.
The sheriff walked away from the dispatch desk.
He returned to the booking counter and picked up the arrest paperwork.
He read the name again.
MAYA BENNETT.
Then he looked at the property inventory.
The black equipment case.
The government identification markings.
The details he had ignored earlier suddenly seemed much more important.
Daniel turned toward Claire.
"Did that colonel actually identify himself?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you get his name?"
"Colonel Michael Hayes."
Daniel looked at the clock.
It was now 4:26 p.m.
The military officer had been missing from her scheduled briefing for more than twenty minutes.
He had a growing suspicion that the situation was no longer something he could control simply by issuing instructions.
But instead of immediately correcting his actions, he made another decision.
One that would later become central to the investigation.
He called Jared over.
"Come into my office."
Jared followed him.
The door closed behind them.
For several seconds, Daniel stood behind his desk without speaking.
He placed the arrest report on the wooden surface and tapped it with one finger.
"Tell me exactly what happened on that road."
Jared looked at the report.
"I stopped her because I thought she crossed the center line."
"Did she?"
"I thought she might have."
Daniel raised his eyes.
"That's not what I asked."
Jared took a breath.
"She didn't appear to cross it deliberately. She said she hadn't."
The sheriff leaned back in his chair.
"Did she refuse an order?"
"She asked why she was being detained."
"Did she argue?"
"She questioned the stop."
Daniel stared at him.
"You're making this sound like I arrested somebody for asking questions."
Jared did not answer.
The sheriff picked up a pen.
"Listen carefully. We need the report to be consistent. She was uncooperative. She refused instructions. She created a disturbance."
Jared looked uncomfortable.
"Sir, my body camera recorded the stop."
Daniel placed the pen down.
"I know."
"Then the footage will show what happened."
The sheriff leaned forward.
"Your job is to write an accurate report, Deputy. Not to interpret every little thing that happened."
Jared nodded slowly.
Daniel continued.
"And don't start making this more complicated than it needs to be."
The younger officer looked toward the closed office door.
He had spent several months working under Daniel Cross.
He knew the sheriff had a reputation for being difficult.
Some deputies admired his confidence.
Others believed he was too aggressive and too concerned with protecting his authority.