Outside, unmarked SUVs turned in from Main Street. State police vehicles approached from the south. A tactical van stopped across the entrance to the parking lot, and personnel in marked protective equipment established a perimeter. The operation had been scheduled for another day. Now, because the local department had unlawfully detained members of the task force, the timing had changed, not the legal basis.
A command came through an external loudspeaker, identifying federal law enforcement and directing station personnel to remain inside with their hands visible until contact could be made.
Nash reached for the controls to the sallyport gate.
"Wait for instructions," Dominic said. "Do not surprise an entry team."
He spoke briefly to the operation leader by phone and arranged an orderly entrance. The outer gate opened. A small team entered first, weapons carried in a controlled low-ready position, followed by investigators and Alabama state personnel. Agent Bennett Lang, a tall man with a scar across his eyebrow, was at the front.
"Sir, ma'am," Lang said when he saw Dominic and Nyla, "medical personnel are outside. Do you need immediate assistance?"
"No emergency," Dominic replied. "We do need the injuries photographed. And I want the full camera system preserved."
Lang nodded to another agent, who began coordinating an evidence log with Nash.
Assistant Director Elise Thorne entered moments later. She wore a slate-gray suit with low heels and carried a thin folder. Her expression was controlled, but she paused when she saw the red marks on Nyla's wrists and the abrasion visible above Dominic's shoe.
"I've read the preliminary message," she said. "Tell me what is secure."
Dominic gave a concise account, separating what he had directly observed from what Nyla had seen and what required verification. He named Maddox, Walsh, Ellis, and Reeve. He pointed out the recording equipment and the recovered weapon case. Nyla supplied the exact wording of the strip-search threat.
Elise turned toward Chief Reeve. "We're executing federal search warrants relating to an ongoing public-corruption investigation. The Alabama state authorities are here to ensure continuity of local services. You will not interfere with the search."
"I am chief of police," Reeve said, trying to recover his voice. "There are procedures."
"Yes," Elise replied. "The warrants are part of them."
She handed him the relevant paperwork. Reeve skimmed it, saw names he recognized, and stopped reading. The judge who had authorized the warrants was not a friend of his. Neither was the prosecutor whose signature appeared on the cover memorandum.
Maddox rose from his chair. "I did nothing wrong. I stopped a suspicious vehicle."
Nyla turned toward him. "You told us we had no constitutional rights beyond the county line. You threatened my brother with a gun. You demanded an unlawful search. The stop is only where the record begins."