Chapter 9 - Broken Glass and Badges
|
Carter finally snapped out of his shock, his lawyerly instincts kicking in, though his voice shook uncontrollably.
“Hey! Stop right there!” Carter shouted, stepping toward the paramedics. “This is private property! You can’t just break into my home! Do you know who I am? My uncle is the—”
Before Carter could finish his threat, two tall men in tailored charcoal suits walked calmly into the kitchen behind the medics. One of them pulled a leather badge holder from his jacket pocket and thrust it directly into Carter’s face.
“Federal Marshal Service, Mr. Vance,” the agent said, his voice flat and completely devoid of emotion. “Step back immediately and keep your hands where we can see them.”
“Federal Marshals?” Eleanor gasped, clutching her chest. “For what? My son is an attorney! This is an outrage!”
“Your son is currently under federal investigation for treasonable obstruction, domestic terrorism, and felony assault,” the agent replied, not breaking eye contact with Carter. “And as for your uncle in the D.A.’s office? He was relieved of his duties fifteen minutes ago by order of the Department of Defense.”
Carter’s jaw dropped open. He looked as though he had been hit by a freight train. “What… my uncle? Relieved? You can’t do that!”
“We can, and we did,” the second agent said quietly, pulling a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from his belt. “General Miller’s authority in this jurisdiction is absolute.”
May you like
They lifted me carefully onto a specialized stretcher. As they wheeled me toward the front door, I looked back one last time.
Carter was pinned against his own kitchen counter, his hands being bound behind his back, while Eleanor sobbed hysterically against her expensive china cabinet.
