Kessler looked away.
The tactical team leader noticed the exchange.
TACTICAL TEAM LEADER:
“Is Captain Reeves involved in the original report?”
Kessler hesitated.
WADE KESSLER:
“He oversees the department.”
TACTICAL TEAM LEADER:
“That wasn't my question.”
Kessler remained silent.
The team leader turned to Simone.
TACTICAL TEAM LEADER:
“Do you recognize the name?”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Yes. I have seen it in material related to the land dispute.”
Marcus looked alarmed.
MARCUS HARTWELL:
“You think Reeves was involved?”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“I think we need to find out why his name keeps appearing.”
The older man looked down the road.
A second dark vehicle was approaching.
This one was not part of the tactical convoy.
It was a black government-style SUV with a small official identification plate near the windshield.
The driver slowed as it reached the scene.
The tactical team leader turned toward it.
TACTICAL TEAM LEADER:
“Hold positions. Additional personnel approaching.”
The vehicle stopped behind the armored SUV.
A woman in a dark business suit stepped out, carrying a secure tablet.
She walked toward the team leader and spoke quietly.
The operator listened, then nodded.
He turned toward Simone.
TACTICAL TEAM LEADER:
“Director Hartwell, the operations center has requested confirmation of your status.”
Kessler's eyes widened.
Director?
He looked at Simone.
Then at the operator.
WADE KESSLER:
“What did you just call her?”
Simone did not answer.
The woman with the tablet approached.
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“Director Hartwell, we've confirmed the emergency transmission. Your equipment successfully delivered the recorded data package.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Good. Was the original file preserved?”
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“Yes. The recording, location data, and device diagnostics have been secured.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Have you identified the source of the original alert?”
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“Not completely. The initial report came through a local law enforcement channel, but there are inconsistencies in the submission.”
Simone looked toward Kessler.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Then we need the original dispatch records.”
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“Already requested.”
Kessler's face had changed completely.
He was no longer looking at Simone as an ordinary driver.
He was looking at someone whose position he could not immediately understand.
WADE KESSLER:
“Director of what?”
The federal operations officer turned toward him.
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“That's not a question you need to ask at this moment.”
Kessler shook his head.
WADE KESSLER:
“She was driving an old pickup truck. She never told me anything about being a director.”
Simone looked at him.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“You never gave me an opportunity to explain anything.”
Kessler looked down at her watch.
The small black device suddenly seemed far more significant than it had a few minutes earlier.
WADE KESSLER:
“That watch...”
The federal operations officer noticed his attention.
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“The device is protected government equipment. Its recorded data has already been secured.”
Kessler stared.
WADE KESSLER:
“You mean it recorded everything?”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Everything you said while you were standing here.”
The officer looked as though he had just realized how many of his own statements could be reviewed.
He glanced toward the road again.
His supervisor was still on the way.
But now Kessler was beginning to wonder whether Captain Reeves would arrive to help him.
Or whether the captain would be just as interested in keeping his distance.
The federal operations officer turned to Simone.
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“Director, there's one more issue.”
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“What is it?”
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“The emergency data contains a reference to an external communication made shortly before your vehicle was stopped.”
Simone's expression became more serious.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“From whom?”
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“We're still tracing it. But the message appears to have originated from a local government network.”
Marcus looked at his daughter.
MARCUS HARTWELL:
“Does that mean someone knew where we were going?”
Simone looked toward the approaching highway.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Possibly.”
The federal operations officer lowered her voice.
FEDERAL OPERATIONS OFFICER:
“We also found a reference to the Hartwell property in the same communication chain.”
Simone was silent for a moment.
Then she looked at Kessler.
SIMONE HARTWELL:
“Now we know this may be more than a traffic stop.”
Kessler swallowed.
WADE KESSLER:
“I don't know anything about that.”
Simone did not respond.
The tactical team leader moved closer.
TACTICAL TEAM LEADER:
“Director, Captain Reeves has arrived.”
A second vehicle stopped near the edge of the perimeter.
A man in a dark uniform stepped out.
He was in his late fifties, with neatly combed gray hair and a broad face. His uniform carried the insignia of a senior local law enforcement officer.
Captain Thomas Reeves.
He looked toward the tactical vehicles first.
Then toward Kessler.
Finally, his eyes settled on Simone.
For a moment, he appeared unable to decide how to react.
But the hesitation disappeared quickly.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“What's going on here?”
The tactical team leader turned toward him.
TACTICAL TEAM LEADER:
“Captain Reeves, we need you to identify your role in the original traffic stop.”
Reeves frowned.
CAPTAIN THOMAS REEVES:
“I supervise the department. I don't know what you're suggesting.”