He called a senior security manager into his office.
Then slammed Marcus's letter onto the desk.
“Make this stop.”
The manager looked down.
“Sir, the committee is reviewing the accounts.”
“I know what they're doing.”
The manager hesitated.
“What would you like us to do?”
The president leaned back.
For several seconds, he considered the question.
Then he smiled.
“Find out what frightens him.”
The manager stared.
The president continued.
“Everybody has a weakness.”
He looked toward a photograph of Marcus speaking at a town council meeting.
“Even men who think they're heroes.”
The manager looked uncomfortable.
Then nodded.
He would later tell investigators that he initially interpreted the instruction as a request to research Marcus's public positions and financial interests.
But subsequent messages would show that the president's intentions were far more aggressive.
The company began monitoring Marcus's public activities.
Employees reviewed his social media pages.
They identified his neighborhood.
And they noted that his daughter's seventh birthday was approaching.
A photograph of the backyard decorations appeared on a public community page after a neighbor posted about helping organize the party.
The company president saw it.
Pink balloons.
A princess cake.
A smiling child.
And Marcus standing beside the picnic table.
He studied the photograph for several seconds.
Then asked the manager whether the neighborhood had strict noise rules.
The manager looked surprised.
“Most residential areas do.”
The president smiled.
“Find out how complaints are handled.”
That was when the plan began taking shape.
He didn't need to prove Marcus had committed a serious offense.
He merely needed a confrontation.
Something stressful.
Something embarrassing.
Something that might make the single father reconsider whether continuing to challenge the security company was worth the trouble.
The president believed fear could accomplish what money had not.
He began contacting people who were willing to blur the boundary between private influence and public authority.
One of those people was Officer Travis Cole.
The thirty-three-year-old officer had worked for the Cedar Haven Police Department for nearly seven years.
His early performance reviews had been generally satisfactory, though several supervisors had raised concerns about his temperament.
He was physically confident, quick to challenge perceived disrespect, and sometimes struggled to de-escalate encounters involving people who questioned his authority.