CHAPTER 2: The Attitude Arrest
“Step out of the vehicle.” “For a traffic citation?” “Step out.” Sarah complied. She moved carefully, keeping her hands visible, her back straight beneath the brutal afternoon heat. Boyd ordered her to turn around and place her hands against the car.
“Sheriff Cleary,” she said in a quiet voice, “I strongly recommend that you reconsider what you are about to do.” He forced her wrist behind her back. “Are you threatening me?” “I am giving you a factual assessment.” The handcuffs clicked into place. “Resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and failure to comply,” he muttered.
“We’ll call it the attitude package.” Sarah did not cry. She did not plead. Instead, she looked directly at him with a cold, unreadable intelligence and said, “Very well, Sheriff.” At the Oak Haven Sheriff’s Department, Boyd marched her past the booking desk as if she were some kind of trophy. Deputy Toby Miller watched uneasily while Sarah emptied everything from her pockets.
Wallet. Lip balm. Rental car keys. And a matte-black secure communications device with no visible brand, no ordinary buttons, and a biometric security seal. Boyd lifted it from the counter. “What’s this supposed to be, a burner phone?”
“It is a secured government communications device,” Sarah answered. “I strongly advise you not to tamper with it.” Boyd laughed before tossing it carelessly into a plastic evidence tray. Thirty minutes later, Sarah requested her phone call. Boyd gave her a smug grin. “Calling your lawyer or your mama?”