Chapter 7
Sheriff Tom Miller sat behind his heavy oak desk in the main corner office, his posture rigid, his sunglasses resting once again on his forehead as he stared out the venetian blinds at the flashing blue lights of the state police cruisers filling the parking lot. He had not attempted to run. He knew the geography of Oak Ridge better than anyone, and he knew that escaping state jurisdiction across county lines was an illusion when the entire commonwealth police force had your name on their priority target list.
The heavy wooden door swung open without a knock. Captain Sarah Vance walked in first, followed closely by Maya and two armed tactical troopers who positioned themselves quietly on either side of the doorframe. Miller didn't look up immediately. He slowly picked up a heavy silver paperweight shaped like a police badge, turning it over in his calloused hands before finally raising his eyes to meet Sarah's cold, professional stare.
"Well, Captain Vance," Miller said, his voice remarkably steady, devoid of panic or remorse. "You certainly took your time getting down here from the capital. I assume you brought a search warrant, or are we just ignoring constitutional protocol entirely today?"
"We have a federal judge's signature authorizing a complete forensic audit and seizure of all department assets, Tom," Sarah replied, dropping a thick manila folder onto the center of his desk with a heavy thud. "And we have your deputy downstairs cooperating fully with the state attorney general's office regarding the systematic theft of over four million dollars in asset forfeiture funds."
Miller let out a low, humorless chuckle. He leaned back in his leather chair, the springs groaning under his weight. "Jim Harker doesn't know a damn thing about running a police department. He’s a kid who gets sick at the sight of blood. Whatever he told you down in that basement was coerced under extreme duress."
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"Duress?" Maya stepped forward, her voice ringing clear and sharp through the quiet office. "You assaulted a federal investigator on private property, locked her in a holding cell without charges, and tried to burn financial ledgers in the basement incinerator. That isn't duress, Tom. That's panic. You knew the house of cards was collapsing, and you tried to take down anyone who stood in your way."
Miller stood up slowly, towering over both sisters. He looked Maya dead in the eye, his expression hardening into one of absolute defiance. "I built this town, Maya. When nobody else gave a damn about the people living in these valleys, I kept the lights on. You think a shiny badge and a state pension makes you a hero? You're just a bureaucrat who reads numbers off a spreadsheet while real men do the dirty work to keep the wolves away from the door."
