Chapter 3: The Name on the Screen
The name on Savannah's phone was Captain Dwight Rourke.
The first officer — the heavyset one who had pressed her against the car — his name tag read GREER.
And the moment he saw that name on her screen, something behind his eyes shifted.
Not fear exactly.
More like a man who had just watched a door lock from the outside.
Savannah watched his face.
"You know him," she said.
It was not a question.
Greer said nothing.
"Officer Greer." She kept her voice level.
"I'm going to ask you one more time to remove these handcuffs.
We can do this calmly, or we can wait for the three federal vehicles currently twelve minutes out.
Your choice."
The second officer — PRUITT, according to his tag — took another step back.
His hand went to his radio, then stopped.
"Don't," Greer said sharply.
To Pruitt, not to Savannah.
Pruitt froze.
Savannah looked at Pruitt directly.
"He just told you not to call for backup.
Think about why that is."
Pruitt's mouth opened.
Closed.
Greer stepped toward Savannah.
"You're bluffing.
You're alone on a back road.
If you were really federal, you wouldn't be—"
"Driving an unplated civilian vehicle?" she finished.
"Four months undercover, Officer Greer.
That's the point."
She nodded toward the tree line on the left side of the road.
Greer turned to look.
There was nothing there.
Just trees, afternoon light filtering through the branches.
He turned back.
Savannah's phone was already on speaker.
A voice came through — calm, authoritative, the kind of voice that had spent twenty years knowing it did not need to raise itself.
"Agent Cole.
Status."
"Subjects are on-scene.
I have been physically restrained without cause.
Full dashcam record intact.
Requesting removal of restraints and subject identification for the official record."
A pause.
Then: "Officers, this is Deputy Director Alan Marsh, Federal Oversight Division.
Your badge numbers are being logged as I speak.
I would strongly recommend you comply with Agent Cole's request immediately."
Greer did not move for three full seconds.
Then he reached for the handcuff key.
The metal bracelets came off.
Savannah rolled her wrists once, slowly, without looking away from Greer's face.
"Thank you," she said.
She picked up her documents from the roof of the car where Greer had thrown them.
She straightened them against her palm.
"Now." She looked at both men.
"I need you to stay exactly where you are.
I need your body cameras, your dashcam footage, and your personal cell phones placed on the hood of your vehicle.
Do not delete anything.
Do not make any calls."
Pruitt moved first.
He unclipped his body camera, set it on the hood carefully, like it might break.
His phone went next.
Greer did not move.
"Officer Greer," Savannah said.
"Captain Rourke's name appeared on my phone because he just sent me a message.
He has been cooperating with our investigation for the last six weeks.
Whatever you think he will do to protect you right now — I'd encourage you to reconsider that assumption."
The color drained from Greer's face a second time.
This time it did not come back.
His body camera went on the hood.
His phone went next.
He set it down hard enough that Pruitt flinched.
Savannah looked at the phone.
Then she looked at Greer.
"You called someone before you pulled me over," she said.
"Didn't you."
Greer's jaw tightened.
"I'm going to find out regardless.
It will be better for you if you tell me now."
Silence stretched across the empty road.
A crow somewhere in the trees.
The faint sound of wind moving through dry grass.
Then Pruitt said, quietly, almost to himself: "He called Harlan."
Greer turned on him.
"Shut your mouth."
"Who is Harlan?" Savannah asked.
Pruitt looked at the ground.
His shoulders dropped.
He already looked like a man who knew exactly how this was going to end for him.
Greer pointed a finger at Savannah.
"You have no idea what you've walked into."
"I've been walking into it for four months," she said.
"Tell me about Harlan."
Greer's finger stayed in the air for a moment.
Then it dropped.
He looked at the tree line.
Looked at the road.
Looked at the phone on the hood of his patrol car.
May you like
Then he looked at Savannah one last time.
"Harlan finds out you're federal," he said slowly, "and this road is going to get very quiet."
