Vance looked at her.
VANCE: "I understand."
Angela did not respond.
She had seen enough during the examination to know that this was not a minor disagreement between two men.
The medical report would become another independent record of what Walter had experienced.
Vance understood that too.
He returned to his desk and opened the incident report.
He now had two versions of the morning.
One was his own.
The other was a medical assessment that described injuries requiring further care.
He could no longer pretend that Walter had simply walked into the station without a mark.
He could still argue about how the injuries occurred, but the photographs would remain.
A knock sounded at the office door.
DEPUTY COLE: "Sheriff, the county oversight office is requesting the video files."
Vance looked up.
VANCE: "Which files?"
DEPUTY COLE: "The interview-room footage, corridor recordings, and booking area."
VANCE: "Have they requested the diner footage?"
DEPUTY COLE: "Not through us."
Vance leaned back.
VANCE: "Preserve the station footage."
DEPUTY COLE: "All of it?"
Vance stared at him.
VANCE: "Yes. All of it."
Cole nodded.
DEPUTY COLE: "The system has already marked the relevant time periods."
VANCE: "Good."
Cole hesitated.
DEPUTY COLE: "Sheriff, there's something else."
VANCE: "What now?"
DEPUTY COLE: "The oversight office says they want statements from every officer who had contact with Walter."
Vance slowly stood.
VANCE: "Every officer?"
DEPUTY COLE: "Yes, sir."
VANCE: "Who authorized that?"
DEPUTY COLE: "The county administrator's office."
Vance walked toward the window.
He had never liked outside investigators asking questions about his department. He believed local matters should remain local, and he had spent years ensuring that his officers understood that their first responsibility was to the sheriff.
Now the county was asking those officers to give separate accounts.
That was dangerous.
Not because the accounts would necessarily contradict each other, but because each person would have to decide whether to repeat the version Vance had prepared.
VANCE: "Tell the officers to stick to what they know."
DEPUTY COLE: "Of course."
VANCE: "And remind them that they are not to discuss internal matters with civilians."
Cole nodded.
Vance looked at him.
VANCE: "You understand?"
DEPUTY COLE: "Yes, sir."
But Cole did not look entirely comfortable.
He had been present when Walter was brought into the station. He had heard the veteran ask for medical attention. He had seen the sheriff grab his jacket and pull him forward.
He also knew that the corridor camera would show the deputy's hands around Walter's throat.
He had been following orders, but that did not mean he had forgotten what he had done.
When Cole left the office, he returned to his desk and opened the internal report system.
He began writing a statement.
He described the events at the station as accurately as he could remember them.
He wrote that Walter had been restrained when he entered the building.
He wrote that the deputy had placed his hands around the veteran's neck.
He wrote that Sheriff Hollister had intervened and pulled the deputy away.
He also wrote that the sheriff later grabbed Walter by the collar and shouted at him.
Cole stopped typing.
His finger hovered over the keyboard.
He knew that once the statement was submitted, he could not easily take it back.
He looked toward the sheriff's office.
Then he continued.
Across the county, Walter was being prepared for transport to the hospital.
His handcuffs had been removed, and a paramedic helped him into a wheelchair. He looked tired, but his expression remained composed.
Before leaving, he asked for his phone.
A deputy retrieved it from the property locker.
The elastic band around the battery compartment was still in place.
Walter opened the phone and checked the screen.
There were two missed calls.
Both were from Tessa.
He called her back.
She answered almost immediately.
TESSA: "Dad?"
WALTER: "I'm here."
TESSA: "Are you all right?"
WALTER: "I've been better."
Tessa closed her eyes briefly.
TESSA: "They told me you're going to the hospital."
WALTER: "That's right."
TESSA: "Have they examined your neck?"
WALTER: "Yes. They took photographs."
TESSA: "Good. Please follow the medical team's instructions."
WALTER: "I will."
TESSA: "Did anyone ask you to sign anything?"
WALTER: "They tried."
TESSA: "Did you sign?"
WALTER: "No."
TESSA: "Good."
Walter looked toward the ambulance entrance.
WALTER: "Tessa, I don't want you doing anything that could create a problem for yourself."
TESSA: "I'm not doing anything outside the proper process."
WALTER: "I know."
TESSA: "Dad, listen to me. This isn't about my position or who I know. It's about what happened to you. You deserve medical care, and the incident deserves an independent review."
Walter was quiet.
TESSA: "I want you to tell the truth. That's all."
WALTER: "That's what I've been doing."
TESSA: "I know."
He could hear the emotion in her voice now.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Walter smiled faintly.
WALTER: "You sound like your mother."
Tessa let out a small breath.
TESSA: "And you sound like yourself."
WALTER: "That's probably not a compliment."
TESSA: "It wasn't meant to be."