Dominic came to the prison with an assistant U.S. attorney and an FBI case agent who had not participated in Maddox's arrest. The meeting had been arranged through legal channels. Maddox's lawyer was present, and a written notice made clear that any sentence reduction would require lawful procedures and judicial approval. No one could simply erase ten years because a powerful agent wanted it done.
Maddox entered the interview room expecting to hate Dominic on sight. Instead he was surprised by how ordinary the man looked in a dark suit and plain tie, seated beneath a fluorescent light with a folder in front of him. There was no medal, no visible weapon, and no satisfaction displayed on his face.
"You asked to provide information," the prosecutor said. "Your attorney has reviewed the conditions. We are here to determine whether what you know can be corroborated."
Maddox sat down. He looked at Dominic. "You really came."
"The investigation involves people you worked with," Dominic said. "You may have knowledge we can't get from records alone."
"You could have let this go. That day on the road."
"I could have said nothing after you threatened us," Dominic replied. "Then you would have stopped someone else. The evidence suggests you had already done so many times."
Maddox stared at his hands. The prosecutor allowed the silence to remain. At last he took four folded pages from his legal folder and placed them on the table.
"I made a list," he said. "It's not everything. It's what I remember."
He described envelope deliveries at the rear entrance to the law office, coded text messages from Reeve, and cash transfers arranged through a county contractor. He named Judge Alden Kerr and explained how officers received signed warrant documents before completing their supporting affidavits. He identified a locked filing cabinet in a private storage building where the original ledgers had been kept before the investigation began.
The attorney asked who controlled the key.
"Mayor Thorne had one. Reeve had another. Hargrove kept a spare hidden in a desk."
"Did you see the mayor receive money?"
"Yes. Twice, in the basement parking lot at city hall. He didn't touch the envelope at first. He told Hargrove to give it to his driver."
Maddox described dates, vehicles, and people present. When he guessed, the prosecutor stopped him and required him to distinguish memory from inference. When he tried to minimize his own part, Vale reminded him that the agreement required complete candor. After an hour, Maddox stopped saying that things had happened around him and began saying what he had done.
He admitted selecting people he believed could not easily defend themselves. He admitted writing reports to make lawful behavior appear suspicious. He admitted laughing when frightened drivers asked for reasons. He did not offer a psychological excuse that transformed his choices into an illness or a misunderstanding.
He had liked the power. He had liked the money. He had liked knowing that a person on the roadside was unlikely to be believed over him.