David adjusted his cuffs, took a breath, and completely dismantled their world.
Chapter 3: The State Attorney Steps In
“Sergeant Miller,” David said, his tone entirely transforming from a casual homeowner to the sharp, commanding cadence of a prosecuting attorney in a courtroom.
Miller turned, holding Susan’s sworn statement. “Yes, sir?”
“I’d like you to review that statement and compare it to the body-camera footage you’ve been recording for the last ten minutes,” David instructed.
Susan let out a loud, mocking laugh. “He’s a renter! Why are you listening to him? Put the cuffs on the trespasser!”
David ignored her entirely. He reached into his back pocket and produced a sleek, leather badge wallet. He flipped it open. The bright gold shield of the County State Attorney caught the afternoon sun. Next to it was his official State ID.
He held it out so Miller could read it clearly.
“My name is David Sterling,” David said smoothly. “I am the newly elected State Attorney for this district. This is my property, which I closed on three days ago. And the man you are currently investigating, Marcus Reed, is the Chief Investigator for my office.”
The silence that fell over the driveway was absolute.
Sergeant Miller’s posture instantly snapped to rigid attention. The two younger officers behind him physically flinched, their eyes darting to the badge and then up to David’s face.
“Mr. State Attorney,” Miller said, his voice dropping all pretense of customer service. “My apologies, sir. I didn’t recognize you in casual attire.”
Susan’s mouth was open, but no sound came out. Her arm, which had been aggressively pointing at me a second ago, slowly fell to her side. The color completely drained from her face, leaving her pale and trembling for real this time.
Tyler dropped his phone. It hit the asphalt with a sharp crack, the screen shattering. He didn’t even bend down to pick it up. He was staring at my truck, realizing he hadn’t been demanding keys from a random guy—he had been trying to steal from the Chief Investigator of the State Attorney’s Office.
Underneath the front bumper of my truck, Vince the tow driver froze. He slowly pulled his head out from under the chassis, looking at the gold badge in David’s hand.