Chapter 8 - THE SHADOW OF THE LAW
Voss stood frozen as Amara turned and walked out through the double glass doors, flanked by the two federal agents. The bright Georgia sunlight caught her blonde-brown hair as she stepped out into the humid air, her denim jacket neat and unwrinkled.
She slid into the rear seat of the lead black Chevrolet Suburban. The heavy door closed with a solid, airtight THUD, instantly sealing her away from the dusty streets of Oakhaven.
Inside the station, the lead agent remained standing in the lobby. He pulled a thick, leather-bound document folder from his jacket and placed it flat on the laminate booking desk.
"Sheriff Dalton Voss," the agent said, his voice cold and precise. "Effective at zero-eight-twenty hours, all federal funding, inter-agency task force cooperation, and state tactical equipment grants assigned to Oakhaven County are suspended indefinitely under Title 10 authority, pending a federal civil rights investigation into unlawful arrest under color of law."
Voss’s breath hitched. "You... you can't do that! I have a county to run!"
"You had a county to run," the agent corrected him flatly. "As of three minutes ago, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia has issued a preservation order for all records, communications, and video footage associated with this office for the past forty-eight hours."
The agent turned his attention to Deputy Carter.
"Deputy Carter."
"Sir!" Carter responded instantly, standing at attention.
"You are currently the senior ranking officer in this building who is not under federal investigation," the agent said. "Secure the perimeter. Ensure no files are deleted. A federal team will arrive in twenty minutes to take custody of the server drives."
"Understood, sir," Carter said, his jaw set firm.
Voss took a step toward the agent, his voice rising in a desperate, cracked plea. "Listen to me! She was a stranger in a diner! She didn't have any rank on her jacket! How was I supposed to know she was a colonel?!"
The agent stopped at the door, turning his head slightly to look back at the broken sheriff.
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"That's the point, Sheriff," the agent said softly. "You thought she was just an ordinary citizen. And you treated her like trash anyway."
The front glass doors swung shut as the agent exited the building.
