SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Then perhaps you can explain why your name was mentioned during this encounter.”
Reeves looked at her.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“And you are?”
The federal operations officer stepped forward.
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“Director Simone Hartwell.”
Reeves stopped moving.
His eyes shifted toward the black tactical watch.
Then toward the federal personnel.
And finally toward Wade Kessler.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“Director Hartwell... I wasn't expecting you.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“That makes two of us.”
The captain tried to smile.
It did not last.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“I think there may have been a misunderstanding.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Then let's begin with the original reason this vehicle was stopped.”
Reeves looked toward Kessler.
Kessler looked back at him.
Neither man spoke.
The tactical team leader waited.
The federal operations officer opened her tablet.
And Simone stood beside her father, knowing that the arrival of Captain Reeves might finally reveal who had arranged the roadside encounter.
But before anyone could answer, the captain's phone began vibrating.
He looked down at the screen.
The name displayed there was not a member of his department.
It belonged to one of the developers who had been trying to acquire the Hartwell property.
Reeves quickly turned the screen away.
Simone noticed.
So did the federal operations officer.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Captain, I think we should all see who is calling you.”
Reeves froze.
The phone continued vibrating in his hand.
And for the first time, the man who had arrived expecting to control the situation appeared just as uncertain as the officer he supervised.
Captain Thomas Reeves stared at the phone in his hand.
The caller's name remained visible on the screen. It belonged to Richard Vance, the managing director of a development company that had been attempting to acquire the Hartwell family property for nearly a year.
Reeves quickly pressed the side button and silenced the call.
But it was too late.
Simone Hartwell had already seen the name.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Captain, why is a property developer calling you while you're standing at the scene of a questionable traffic stop involving the very family whose land his company wants to acquire?”
Reeves adjusted his uniform.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“Director Hartwell, I think you're drawing conclusions without understanding the circumstances.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Then help me understand them.”
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“Mr. Vance is a businessman in this county. I know several business owners. Receiving a phone call from him doesn't establish anything.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Agreed. A phone call alone establishes very little. That's why I want the communication records preserved.”
The federal operations officer beside Simone opened her tablet.
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“Captain Reeves, please confirm whether this number belongs to you.”
She displayed a record containing the incoming call information.
Reeves glanced at the screen.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“Yes, that's my number.”
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“Thank you. We will document the call and request the relevant records through the appropriate channels.”
Reeves looked irritated.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“You can't simply arrive here and start demanding private information.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“No one is asking you to hand over private information without proper authority. We are preserving evidence and establishing the facts.”
She looked toward Wade Kessler.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Let's return to the original question. Why was my father's vehicle stopped?”
Kessler remained silent.
Reeves answered instead.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“My understanding is that Officer Kessler received information about suspicious activity in the area.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“What information?”
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“I haven't reviewed the complete report.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Then how do you know the stop was justified?”
Reeves paused.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“I didn't say that it was justified. I said I understood there was information available.”
Simone nodded slowly.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“That's an important distinction.”
Marcus stood beside her, watching the exchange.
He had spent months trying to obtain answers from local officials. Every time he asked why his property was being targeted, someone referred him to another department or told him that the matter was being reviewed.
Now, for the first time, the people who had previously avoided his questions were standing in front of someone who refused to accept vague explanations.
MARCUS HARTWELL:
“Captain, I've tried to speak with your department before. I reported the damage to my truck. I reported the threats against my property. Nobody followed up.”
Reeves looked toward him.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“Mr. Hartwell, I don't personally handle every complaint submitted to the department.”
MARCUS HARTWELL:
“I understand that. But someone should have handled mine.”
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“If you have documentation, you can submit it again.”
Marcus shook his head.
MARCUS HARTWELL:
“I already submitted it. I kept the copies because I knew somebody might eventually ask.”
Simone turned toward her father.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Dad, do you still have the original photographs and repair records?”
MARCUS HARTWELL:
“Yes. They're at the farmhouse. I also have the report number from the day the brakes were damaged.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Good. Keep everything together. We'll make sure the documents are reviewed.”
Reeves crossed his arms.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES: