Story code: ST-001231
Part 2: The Subpoena and the Trap
Derek walked back toward the exit doors of the County Police Precinct, stopping just before the threshold to look back at me. “I’m leaving, Chloe. The car is running. You have about two minutes to decide if you want to walk home in the dark.”
I stayed exactly where I was, my hand still resting on the laminated card in my pocket.
Officer Bradley cleared his throat. “Ma’am?”
“Give me just a moment, Officer,” I said. “I’m trying to retrieve the secondary access portal.”
Derek laughed, a short, sharp sound that echoed off the cinderblock walls of the lobby. “You don’t have a portal, Chloe. I deactivated the recovery email and the phone link ten minutes ago. You’re locked out permanently unless I input the master override from my laptop at the apartment.”
He was lying about the permanency, of course, but he was completely confident in the leverage it gave him. He wanted me to beg him to unlock it. He wanted me to admit that I couldn’t survive without his permission, his car, and his approval.
But then his phone vibrated in his hand.
I watched his expression shift as he pulled the device from his pocket. The casual smirk vanished. He tapped the screen rapidly, his brow furrowing as he read whatever message had just arrived. He looked up at me, then back at his phone, his thumb flying across the keyboard.
At the same moment, Officer Bradley glanced down at his computer terminal. He typed something, then squinted at the monitor. “Mr. Miller?” he called out through the speaker system.
Derek stopped typing and looked toward the booth. “Yeah?”
“I’m looking at the registry system for your address,” Officer Bradley said, his voice flat. “Are you the Derek Miller associated with Miller Logistics?”
Derek’s posture stiffened. “Yes. Why?”
“There’s an administrative flag on your account from the county court. A subpoena was issued this morning for the digital transaction logs and photographic records associated with your business partner’s audit. It says here you’re required to upload those files to the secure court portal by five o’clock today, or face an automatic non-compliance charge.”
Derek took a step back toward the desk, his eyes darting to my phone, then back to the officer. “I… I have those files. They’re in my cloud archive.”
“Well, the system shows the archive is currently locked under an active security freeze,” Officer Bradley noted, tapping his screen. “If the files aren’t uploaded, the court considers it a willful withholding of evidence.”
The color drained from Derek’s face. He looked at me, his breathing visibly shallower. He finally realized what he had done. In his rush to lock me out of the database to hide his harassment, he had triggered a security protocol that locked the entire server-including the files he needed to save himself from a fraud charge.
“Chloe,” he muttered, stepping closer to the glass. “Open the app. Let me put the override code in.”
“I thought you said I was locked out permanently,” I replied, my voice steady.
“Chloe, stop playing. I need those business files right now. If I don’t upload them, the judge is going to issue a bench warrant.” He reached out, his hand open as if expecting me to hand him my phone.
I looked from his desperate face to Officer Bradley, who was now watching us both with sudden interest. The silence in the intake lobby grew heavy as Derek waited for me to hand over the lock he had built around himself.