Pause.
“Yes, I damaged it.”
Rachel slowly turned toward Mooney.
Cleary’s voice became defensive.
“Because I believed it was fraudulent.”
Another pause.
“How am I supposed to know—”
He stopped.
The person on the other end was speaking.
Longer this time.
Cleary’s face lost color.
“Yes.”
“No.”
“I understand.”
Pause.
“No, sir.”
His jaw tightened.
“Understood.”
Then came the question.
Isaiah could almost hear it from the silence that followed.
Cleary looked toward the holding cell.
His grip tightened around the receiver.
Finally he answered.
“Yes. Sergeant Brooks is here.”
Another pause.
“Yes.”
The sheriff looked smaller.
“We’ll wait.”
He hung up.
Nobody moved.
Mooney spoke first.
“Sheriff?”
Cleary did not answer.
Rachel asked quietly:
“What did they say?”
Cleary turned toward Isaiah.
For several seconds the two men looked at each other through the plexiglass.
Then Cleary said:
“Open the cell.”
Mooney did.
Isaiah stepped out.
The sheriff stood ten feet away.
His arrogance had not disappeared completely.
Pride rarely surrendered that quickly.
But fear had entered the room.
“You got people making threats on your behalf?”
Isaiah looked at him.
“No.”
“They said representatives are coming here.”
“Okay.”
“You arranged that?”
“I made one phone call.”
Cleary’s voice rose.
“You think bringing federal people into my county changes anything?”
Isaiah remained calm.
“I think the facts were always the facts.”
Cleary took one step forward.
Rachel immediately spoke.
“Sheriff.”
He stopped.
She had never interrupted him like that before.
Everyone noticed.
Cleary looked at her.
“What?”
Rachel swallowed.
“The call log.”
“What about it?”
“State communications automatically records the red line.”
Cleary stared.
“So?”
“So maybe we should wait.”
That was the first open resistance.
Small.
But visible.
Cleary’s eyes hardened.
“Everybody suddenly got a spine?”
Isaiah said quietly:
“Maybe they finally realized you don’t own them.”
Cleary turned.
“Careful.”
Isaiah met his stare.
“No.”
The word landed strangely.
The sheriff seemed almost shocked.
Isaiah continued.
“You’re done telling me to be careful.”
Cleary moved toward him.
Mooney stepped between them.
“Sheriff.”
For half a second, nobody breathed.
Cleary stared at his deputy.
“Move.”
Mooney did not.
“Caleb.”
“No, sir.”
Rachel stood too.