👉 Previous Decision: You chose Option B – Refuse to trust Julian’s lawyer and demand Deputy O’Donnell arrest Evelyn for serving fraudulent court papers on duty.
“Deputy O’Donnell!” I called out, my voice echoing in the dispatch room. “Arrest this woman. She’s serving fraudulent court papers.”
O’Donnell, startled, looked at Evelyn, then at me. “Ma’am, is this true?”
Evelyn, her face paling, tried to back away. “This is a misunderstanding. These are valid corporate filings.”
“No, they’re not,” I countered. “The appraisal is post-dated. It’s an attempt to commit fraud.”
O’Donnell stepped forward, placing a hand on Evelyn’s arm. “I’ll need to detain you, ma’am, until we can verify these claims.”
He led a protesting Evelyn towards the breakroom, her briefcase still clutched tightly. The delay, however, proved costly.
My dispatch screen flickered. A stark red message blazed across the monitor: “EMPLOYEE ACCESS CODES FROZEN – COUNTY LEGAL COUNSEL.”
“What’s happening?” I whispered, my heart pounding.
Silas Lawson, his eyes narrowed, was already moving. “Julian,” he grunted. “He’s fast. He’s filed an emergency receivership motion with a late-night duty judge.”
He slammed his hand on his console, pulling out a small, worn key from a chain around his neck. “He’s trying to cut you off from everything.”
Silas inserted the key into a hidden slot beneath his desk. The lights on his console flared, and a different screen popped up, bypassing the county’s network lock.
“Master override,” he explained, his fingers flying across the keyboard. “Twenty-eight years on this shift, they don’t block everything.”
He quickly navigated to the municipal property register, his eyes scanning the data. “I’m keeping you logged in here, Maeve. Just in case he manages to shut down the whole system.”
As he spoke, my screen flickered again. This time, a complete system shutdown message appeared, blanking out my entire dispatch console.
“He got it,” I said, a cold dread washing over me. “He froze me out.”
Silas pointed to his screen. “Not entirely. You still have access to the property register through my terminal. It’s a loophole.”
He leaned in, his voice grave. “But it won’t last. He’ll find this back door. You need to work fast.”
➡️ Read CHAPTER 8 to continue the story
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