He withdrew it. She removed her credentials from an inside pocket, opened them at eye level, and allowed each deputy to see the identification while keeping hold of it.
"Special Agent Simone Carter. Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Keller removed his sunglasses. Mercer looked at her face as if expecting to discover that she was enjoying the moment. What he found was worse: she was studying him with the same care she had shown since the stop began.
"You should have said that earlier," he managed.
"Why did you force open my vehicle after I denied consent?"
"I had probable cause."
"Based on what specific facts?"
He looked at the equipment, then at the coat. "Your behavior. The way you were acting. The vehicle."
"My behavior was asking for the legal basis of a search. The vehicle was being driven lawfully. And you didn't know its contents until you damaged the lock."
Mercer drew himself up. "I am the sheriff of this county."
"I know exactly who you are," Simone replied. "That is why I want you to answer the question."
Mercer held Simone's gaze for a moment and then looked down at the broken liftgate. For the first time, he seemed to understand that the damage was not just a scratch on somebody's car. The forced entry had been made in daylight, within range of several cameras, after the driver had stated her objection repeatedly. It would be impossible to describe the search as a misunderstanding without also explaining what he had believed at the time he ordered it.
"Let me see that identification again," he said.
Simone kept it in her hand. "You have seen it. You can verify it through the Bureau's published contact procedures. You are not touching the equipment."
"You could be anybody."
"And that possibility is something you can check without forcing open a locked vehicle."
She pressed the call control on her phone. Reed answered immediately. "We saw the alert. Talk to me."
"County sheriff and two deputies conducted a forced entry into the transport vehicle after I explicitly refused consent. The liftgate lock has been damaged. Evidence remains sealed, but the cargo compartment is exposed. I have identified myself. I need the team here and the vehicle secured."
There was a short pause, then Reed said, "Ninety seconds. Do not let them handle the cases."
Mercer heard the last words through the phone speaker. "Who are you calling?"
"My supervisor."
"You don't need to make a federal case out of a traffic stop."
"I wasn't the person who forced it open."
Keller backed toward his cruiser. The movement was small, but Simone had been watching him since he arrived. "Deputy Keller," she said, "please stay available to explain what happened."
"I haven't done anything," he answered too quickly.
"I didn't say you had."
Mercer stepped toward her. "My deputy doesn't answer to you."
"Your deputy may have information relevant to a federal investigation. Whether he is required to remain will be determined by lawful process, not by you shouting on a residential street."