The leather document case.
It remained inside the vehicle.
Visible through the shattered window.
The investigator approached.
"Do you want us to arrange secure transportation for those records?"
The woman nodded.
"Yes."
She looked toward the case.
"Copies of the engineering materials are already preserved through appropriate channels, but I'd like the physical documents secured."
The investigator nodded.
Then asked, "Did the deputy say anything that suggested he knew what you were carrying?"
The woman looked toward him.
"Yes."
She explained the specific questions.
The way he'd looked toward the passenger seat.
And his reaction when she mentioned the construction company.
The investigator listened.
Then turned toward the senior trooper.
They exchanged a quiet look.
The trooper nodded.
For the first time, the woman understood that the protective alert had done more than bring help.
It had interrupted an encounter that might have resulted in important evidence being taken from her vehicle.
She looked down at the gravel.
A large fragment of glass reflected the afternoon sky.
Then she looked toward the deputy.
He was standing beside his patrol vehicle, speaking urgently into his phone.
His expression was no longer arrogant.
He looked frightened.
And for reasons she couldn't yet prove, she suspected that the person on the other end of the call frightened him far more than the arriving state investigators.
The deputy called the sheriff three times.
The first call went unanswered.
The second went to voicemail.
On the third attempt, the sheriff finally picked up.
"What's going on?"
The deputy turned away from the state vehicles.
"Sir, we've got a problem."
The sheriff sighed.
"What kind of problem?"
"That engineer."
A pause.
"What about her?"
"I stopped her."
The sheriff became quiet.
The deputy swallowed.
"State police showed up."
The sheriff's voice sharpened.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"What did you do?"
The deputy looked toward the shattered window.
Then closed his eyes.
"I had to get into her vehicle."
A long silence followed.
The sheriff spoke slowly.
"Tell me you didn't do something stupid."
The deputy stared toward the road.
"She wouldn't open the passenger door."
The sheriff didn't respond.
The deputy continued.
"I broke the window."
For several seconds, the only sound was the deputy's breathing.
Then the sheriff said something that made his stomach drop.
"Are you out of your mind?"
The older officer looked stunned.
"Sir?"
"Why would you break a civilian's window?"
The deputy's face reddened.
"You told me to watch her!"
The sheriff's voice became cold.
"I told you to keep your eyes open."
The deputy froze.
The sheriff continued.