He studied the patrol SUV's interior.
The divider.
The door panel.
And the small reflection of Cleary moving outside.
Then he thought about Grace.
He'd promised to call when he reached Alabama.
His daughter would be expecting the familiar conversation.
How was the drive?
Did he stop for food?
Was he tired?
Instead, his phone was inaccessible.
And he was sitting in a sheriff's vehicle because an officer had decided his military identification was fake.
Isaiah closed his eyes.
He remembered his father's advice.
The point is not becoming him.
Then he opened his eyes.
He wasn't going to give Cleary the confrontation he seemed to want.
At the federal investigative office in Mobile, Helena Ward stood beside a conference table covered with equipment records.
The room was small and functional.
A computer displayed a list of serial numbers.
Several folders contained properly obtained documents from the county's emergency preparedness program.
Two other investigators were reviewing supplier transactions.
Helena had expected Isaiah's check-in shortly after two-thirty.
When it didn't arrive, she initially assumed he was driving through an area with poor reception.
Then another fifteen minutes passed.
She called.
No answer.
She sent a message.
No response.
Normally, that wouldn't justify alarm.
People missed calls for ordinary reasons.
But Isaiah had already reported a suspicious warning about his route.
And the team's preliminary inquiries suggested that someone connected to the county's equipment program might be attempting to influence witnesses.
Helena contacted the relevant authorities to request a welfare check.
The county dispatch center confirmed Isaiah had been stopped.
Then the situation became more concerning.
The sheriff himself was involved.
And he was refusing to speak with the investigator.
Helena looked toward her colleague, Special Agent Marcus Dale.
"He's been detained for more than half an hour."
Marcus frowned.
"Reason?"
"Speeding and possible fraudulent ID."
He looked toward the equipment records.
"Isaiah Brooks?"
She nodded.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Marcus asked whether the local sheriff knew about the federal inquiry.
Helena considered the question.
"We haven't formally interviewed him yet."
Marcus looked toward her.
"But he's in several of the records."
"Yes."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Helena reached for her phone.
They needed to protect the integrity of the investigation without assuming that every action by local police was part of a conspiracy.
But they also couldn't ignore the possibility that a witness had been deliberately targeted.
Cleary opened the patrol SUV door shortly after three.
He looked down at Isaiah.
"You're going to the station."
Isaiah raised his head.
"Am I under arrest?"
Cleary smiled coldly.
"That's right."