also knew Austin and Katia. A little. Some said Austin was the wealthiest man in town. He owned the antique car museum, and, according to Isabelle, he’d been a recluse for years until he married Katia. Violet had worked a couple charity events with Katia.
How did this guy know Austin?
She heard the deputies snickering at her, so she pressed on. “It doesn’t matter who you know in town. I need your driver’s license and registration.” She held out her hand.
At that point the deputies broke into guffaws.
This was too much. She took a step away from the car and shot a laser look at the tallest of the four deputies. “What?”
He broke from the barricade as the other deputies walked back to their cars hooting to themselves. “You don’t know who this is, do you, Officer...?”
“Hawks,” she replied officially. “I’m about to find out once I get his driver’s...”
“Josh Stevens,” the deputy sheriff said. “He’s just about the most famous race car driver to come out of Indiana. I saw him race.”
Violet felt herself flush. She imagined she’d gone from red to crimson to deep purple. Of course she knew who he was. You couldn’t grow up in the Hawks house and not know names like Danica Patrick, Fernando Alonso and Josh Stevens. Violet’s brothers had spent nearly every Memorial Day weekend in college seated in the bleachers in Speedway, Indiana, watching the Indianapolis 500.
All she could do was follow through with her job. If she didn’t, the deputy would report it to the county sheriff, who would report her to the chief. She may have egg on her face, but she was in the right and she knew the law. Violet wrote Josh’s name on the top of the ticket.
“I still need your license.”
Josh looked at the sheriff, who shrugged.
“Apparently, you don’t need us anymore, Officer Hawks.”
“No. I don’t.”
Josh pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “I don’t believe this.” He pulled the license out along with the car’s registration.
It was all Violet could do to keep her hands from shaking as she finished writing the ticket. “Court is two weeks from Friday. Be there.”
“I will not. I’m in training.”
“Excuse me?”
He waved the ticket at her. “This is ridiculous and so are you for giving it to me. I’m not a criminal, and I won’t be treated like one.”
Violet felt her ire sail to the top of her skull.
“You broke the law,” she countered.
“You don’t want to take me on, Officer Hawks. I’ll have your job for this.”
“Is that a threat?”
“A promise.”
“You’re under arrest.”
“I refuse.”
“I’ll gladly add resisting arrest to the charges.”
“This isn’t happening,” he spat.
“It is,” she replied, feeling that same rage she’d once felt when she was bullied at school, the day Billy Pope had knocked her to the ground. Violet had vowed never to look up into the face of an assailant and feel powerless again. “You have the right to remain silent...” She began reciting his Miranda rights.
Before Josh could say another word, Violet had flipped handcuffs around his right wrist and had spun him around to clasp his hands behind his back. She tightened the handcuffs.
“You can’t do this to me!” he snarled. “This is ridiculous. I won’t let you arrest me. My lawyer will tear you apart.”
She continued reciting. “...and if you have no lawyer, the court will appoint one to represent you.”
“Trust me, I have the best.” Josh cracked a harsh chuckle. His smile spread across his face, but his eyes glinted icily.
The remaining deputy sheriff had stopped walking and was recording the scene on his iPhone. He stopped, lowered the phone and asked, “You need help?”
“I got this,” Violet said.
Josh shook his head and laughed. He turned his back to the deputy sheriff and flipped his keys onto the pavement at the man’s feet.
Josh was still laughing as he said, “Drive my Bugatti back to town, will ya?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” the deputy said with a grin, then picked up the keys and gave Josh a little salute.
Violet rolled her eyes. The admiration she saw in the deputy’s eyes was killing her. She steered Josh toward her Taurus, putting her hand on the top of his head. “Watch your head. And those long legs of yours are going to smash up against my seat.”
Josh spun to face her. They were nearly nose to nose as his angry eyes bored into hers. “You have no idea what you’ve just done. You’re going to regret this till your dying day.”
“I doubt that seriously. The way I see it, you’re a danger to others.” Violet somehow managed to keep her voice steady, despite her rage. She’d come out here today to gather information on a drug lord. She despised drug dealers, pushers and the traffickers who preyed on kids.
So Josh wasn’t a drug dealer, but he had been a danger. It wasn’t merely the fact that Josh Stevens had been speeding, it was his attitude that he could get away with his infraction that kicked up her ire. People like Josh Stevens felt they could wheedle, bully, intimidate and charm their way through all their actions, legal and otherwise.
Violet was just one cop, and she knew that sometimes, all it took was one person to make a difference.
JOSH INSPECTED THE ink on the pads of his fingers. When he was photographed, he was wise enough to drop his indignation and flash his celebrated smile for the camera. As he was escorted from area to area, desk to desk, he watched Officer Hawks carry out her duties with by-the-book efficiency.
She typed her report like a demon and asked him only requisite questions. He thought of dozens of smart-mouthed barbs he could shoot her with, but she appeared impervious to his taunts. She treated him like a bug. He was a perp. A wrongdoer.
“I get a phone call,” he said.
“You’re entitled to several calls, actually. However, the station cannot allow you to tie up our phone lines talking to your, er, ‘people.’” She kept her eyes on the computer screen as she typed.
“I’ll use my cell.”
“Not
