"I don't consent to a search."
He turned sharply.
"You got something to hide?"
"I have documents belonging to my firm."
"Then open the damn door."
She remained calm.
"You're welcome to contact your supervisor and clarify the purpose of the stop."
That was when he grabbed her arm.
Hard.
She winced.
"Deputy, let go."
He pushed her toward the side of the Rolls-Royce.
Her shoulder struck the upper portion of the passenger door.
The expensive fabric of her gown brushed against the paint.
She steadied herself.
"You're hurting me."
The deputy leaned closer.
"Then stop being difficult."
He looked toward the locked window.
Then toward the document case beyond it.
The woman noticed.
And suddenly understood.
He wasn't interested in the supposed traffic violation.
He wanted the case.
The realization frightened her more than his insults.
Because the case contained records connected to an investigation involving powerful local people.
And the deputy seemed to know exactly where they were.
She looked directly at him.
"Who sent you?"
His expression changed.
"What?"
"Who told you to look for that case?"
The deputy's face reddened.
"I don't take orders from you."
The woman swallowed.
Then asked quietly, "Was it the construction company?"
He froze.
Only for a second.
But she saw it.
The response was unmistakable.
Her suspicion had struck something real.
The deputy recovered quickly.
He tightened his grip.
"You're not going to accuse me of corruption on my own road."
She looked toward his hand.
Then toward his face.
"Release my arm."
He stepped back.
Then pulled the baton from his duty belt.
For an instant, the woman thought he intended to strike her.
She remained still.
The deputy pointed toward the passenger window.
"You want to play games?"
She shook her head.
"Don't do this."
He raised the baton.
"Last chance. Open the door."
The woman stared at him.
"No."
Then came the impact.
The glass shattered.
Fragments scattered across the gravel.
And the deputy smiled with the satisfaction of a man who believed he'd finally regained control.
But before he could reach through the broken window, the sirens began.
The state units had reached the bend.
The protective alert had brought them directly to the location.
And the deputy's final act of intimidation had taken place just as the people responsible for checking on the woman's safety arrived.
The investigation at the roadside took longer than the deputy expected.
At first, he tried to explain everything as a misunderstanding.
He told the troopers that the woman had been uncooperative.