“I told you,” Claire said, stepping forward as tactical agents swarmed the corrupt officers, kicking their legs apart and throwing them into the dirt. “Six months. I know every move you make before you even think to make it.”
She walked past a stunned Chief Miller and grabbed Vance by the collar, slamming him against the hood of his own cruiser. She wrenched his arms behind his back and snapped her steel cuffs onto his wrists with a satisfying click.
“You have the right to remain silent,” Claire whispered into Vance’s ear as he began to sob quietly against the warm metal of the hood. “I highly suggest you start using it.”
By sunrise, the dust in Oakhaven was finally settling. The local precinct was cordoned off with federal tape. Agents carried out endless boxes of files, hard drives, and illegal narcotics from evidence lockers. The town woke up to a new reality—the heavy, suffocating shadow that had controlled them for a decade had evaporated over night.
Claire sat in her usual corner booth at Rosa’s Diner. The morning sun streamed through the grease-stained window, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.
Rosa walked over, holding a fresh pot of coffee. Her hands were shaking, but she was smiling—a real, genuine smile—for the first time in years. “They’re really gone?” Rosa asked, her voice thick with emotion, glancing out the window at the federal vans rolling through town.
“They’re gone, Rosa,” Claire said gently, taking a sip from her mug. It still tasted horribly burnt, but this morning, it was the best thing she had ever tasted. “You don’t have to pay rent to ghosts anymore.”
Claire stood up, dropped a crisp twenty-dollar bill on the table, and walked out into the cool morning air. She climbed into her Lexus, tossing the thick, red-stamped dossier onto the passenger seat. The Oakhaven file was closed.
She turned the key in the ignition. The encrypted radio on her dashboard crackled to life.
“Agent Murray. We have a situation developing in Chicago. Local syndicate, possible judicial ties. Briefing file is in your secure inbox.”
Claire adjusted her sunglasses, shifting the car into drive and merging onto the interstate. “Copy that, Command. I’m on my way.”