Chapter 6 - The Raid on Pine Ridge
"State police! Nobody move!"
The sharp command ricocheted down the pale green hallway as three uniformed officers rushed past the reception desk, their hands resting heavily on their holstered sidearms. Danny Porter threw his hands up in the air instantly, ducking behind his intake computer.
Director Cowell let out a hysterical sob of relief, pushing himself off the wall and stumbling toward the lead officer. "Thank God! Arrest them! Arrest all of them! That man is armed, and that girl let a dangerous, rabid animal out of containment!"
The lead officer, a weathered sergeant with graying temples and a badge reading K. Callahan, leveled a stern gaze down the corridor. His eyes swept over Vance, Miller, Tessa, and finally landed on the massive 140-pound Neapolitan Mastiff lying peacefully beside her boot.
Callahan's hand hovered near his holster, but he didn't draw. He had spent twenty years in rural law enforcement; he knew the difference between a charging beast and a resting guardian.
"Mr. Cowell," Sergeant Callahan said, his voice flat and authoritative. "We received an anonymous data dump routed directly to the state police barracks ten minutes ago. Comprehensive financial records linking Pine Ridge Animal Center to a private syndicate hush fund, alongside forged euthanasia warrants and unauthorized surgical logs."
Cowell’s face drained of every remaining drop of color. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out—only a pathetic, dry click in his throat.
Vance didn't flinch. He didn't reach for a weapon, nor did he attempt to run. He simply slid his hands into his tailored coat pockets, watching the police sergeant with cool, detached interest.
"I take it," Vance said smoothly, "that your data dump didn't come from a municipal computer, Sergeant."
Callahan ignored Vance, turning his attention directly to Tessa. He took two slow steps down the hall, his boots clicking rhythmically against the linoleum. He looked down at the massive mastiff, which lifted its heavy head just enough to track the officer's movements without a trace of aggression.
"You the delivery girl?" Callahan asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Tessa Rivera," she answered, standing tall beside the massive dog.
"Well, Miss Rivera," Callahan said, a dry, approving smirk touching his lips. "It appears your shipping company's internal communications network was used to transmit twenty gigabytes of encrypted evidence straight to my precinct's internal affairs server thirty minutes ago. Funny thing for a simple delivery driver to have access to."
May you like
Tessa didn't blink. "I have a very reliable routing system."
Callahan let out a short bark of laughter. He turned to his junior officers, gesturing toward the shaking director. "Cuff Cowell. Secure the administrative office, seize all physical servers, and pull every record from Dr. Hayes's terminal. Let's see how deep this rabbit hole goes."
