The radio on the deputy’s shoulder crackles over the clink of dishes. Static thins, and a dispatcher’s clipped voice cuts through the diner’s coffee-scented quiet.
The Radio Dispatcher
Unit twelve, report from the Annex access road. Someone has entered the wreckage or disturbed the marked section. No vehicle description yet. Confirm response.
The deputy’s coffee stops halfway to his mouth. His eyes shift toward the dusty window, beyond it toward the highway and the distant country hiding the collapsed Annex.
Marla
That place again? Emil, you look like you just heard bad weather coming.
The Deputy
I need to check it. The question is whether Adam stays here as a witness, or comes with me so I do not leave him in the middle of this report.
The deputy sets the cup down carefully and touches the radio, not yet calling for a second unit. Marla looks between him and Adam, her concern contained but unmistakable.
The Deputy
Adam, I am asking before I decide. You can remain here with Marla, or accompany me to the Annex. Either way, I need your answer.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether the Annex disturbance creates a case against Adam