The message came from the construction company's operations director.
She's leaving the estate. Black Cullinan. East road toward the county line.
A second message followed.
Brown leather case on passenger seat.
The deputy stared at the screen.
Then looked toward the road.
He knew the route.
It was a quiet two-lane road that curved through a heavily wooded section of the county before connecting with the state highway.
There were few houses.
Limited traffic.
And several stretches where the trees formed a natural screen between the road and surrounding properties.
The deputy had patrolled it for years.
He knew exactly where a vehicle could be stopped without attracting attention.
For a moment, he considered ignoring the messages.
He wasn't comfortable with the request.
He had no report establishing that the woman possessed stolen property.
No witness statement describing a crime.
And no lawful reason to seize her documents merely because a contractor wanted them.
But the sheriff had asked him to watch her.
The operations director claimed the sheriff supported the concern.
And the deputy had spent years believing that personal loyalty could substitute for proper authority.
He started his patrol vehicle.
Then drove toward the wooded stretch.
A few minutes later, he saw the Rolls-Royce approaching from the opposite direction.
The vehicle was magnificent.
Its glossy black paint reflected the bright sky.
Its large chrome grille caught the sunlight.
And the elegant silhouette looked almost unreal against the rural Georgia landscape.
The deputy slowed.
He watched the car pass.
Then turned around when it was safe to do so.
He followed at a distance.
The Rolls-Royce maintained a steady speed.
It stayed within its lane.
Its turn signals operated normally.
And nothing about its movement suggested that the driver was impaired or behaving dangerously.
The deputy frowned.
He needed a reason to stop it.
He told himself he could simply ask questions.
Maybe the woman would cooperate.
Maybe she'd hand over the documents voluntarily.
Maybe the entire situation would resolve without a confrontation.
But those possibilities depended on his willingness to accept an answer he didn't like.
And the deputy had never been particularly good at that.
He activated his emergency lights.
The Rolls-Royce slowed smoothly.
Then pulled onto a wide gravel shoulder beside a line of pine trees.
The deputy followed.
He stopped behind the SUV.
For a moment, both vehicles remained still.
Then the driver's window lowered.
The deputy approached.
He saw the woman seated inside.
Her beautiful olive-green gown covered the lower half of the cream leather seat.