Three suspects on site. Treat them as dangerous.”

Wyatt let out a thin, nervous laugh. “Captain? What the hell are you talking about?”

I rose to my full height and stepped out of the shed to face them. For years they’d mistaken my quiet for weakness.

I smiled, without a trace of warmth. “You really should have asked what kind of government job I do.”

Part 2 — The Crimson Badge

The sirens were still distant when my mother found her voice, her face twisting into denial. “She’s bluffing! Peyton’s always spun stories to make herself feel important.”

I reached into my jacket, drew my credentials, and flipped open the gold shield she’d never once bothered to ask about: State Bureau of Investigation, Major Crimes Division.