Dr. Reed throws a punch. Wade dodges it, but just barely, and then all hell breaks loose. Fists are flying, and Jared and Tommy rush in to pull them apart. My breath catches as I watch the scuffle, the sheer force of their anger sending the crowd into a frenzy of murmurs and gasps.
“Stop it!” I shout, but my voice is drowned out by the chaos.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ms. Langley heading toward the house. Something about her determined stridemakes my skin crawl. She’s not going to help break up the fight—that much is clear. I follow her.
She rounds the side of the house and grabs a gas can sitting by an old tractor. My stomach drops. “Ms. Langley! What are you doing?”
She doesn’t answer. Instead, she marches toward the front steps of the house, unscrewing the cap of the gas can. Panic surges through me, and I sprint after her.
“Stop!” I yell, but she’s already sloshing gasoline onto the wooden steps.
Sheriff Clark’s cruiser pulls up just as I reach her. He jumps out, yelling, “Everyone, stand down!” More deputies arrive, their vehicles kicking up clouds of dust as they screech to a halt.
A gunshot rings out, freezing everyone in place. My heart pounds as I see Ms. Langley pull a lighter from her pocket. Without thinking, I charge at her, tackling her to the ground. The lighter flies out of her hand, landing a few feet away. I pin her down, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
“What the hell kind of health officer tries to set a house on fire?” I snap, my voice shaking with adrenaline.
Two deputies rush over, pulling Ms. Langley to her feet and slapping handcuffs on her wrists. She struggles, shouting incoherent accusations, but they drag her toward one of the cruisers.
Sheriff Clark approaches, his face is a mix of anger and disbelief. He turns to Dr. Reed, who’s still being restrained by Jared and Tommy. “Dr. Reed, I’m going to need to see your credentials and any paperwork authorizing your actions here. Because as far as I know, no judge in this county has signed off on any of this.”
Dr. Reed glares at him, his face red and swollen. “I don’t need your approval to do my job.”
Sheriff Clark crosses his arms. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re trespassing on private property, inciting violence, and now you’re tied to an attempted arson. You’d better start talking, or you’re going to jail.”
Before Dr. Reed can respond, the sound of another vehicle draws everyone’s attention. A beat-up car rumbles down the driveway, its engine sputtering. The tension in the air is palpable as it comes to a stop, and a man I don’t recognize steps out, holding a briefcase.
“Who the hell is this now?” Wade mutters, wiping blood from his split lip as he steps closer to me.
The man adjusts his tie, looking entirely out of place amid the dust and chaos. “I’m here on behalf of the regional agriculture health office,” he announces, his voice calm and authoritative. “I am Doctor Michael Reed.”
My breath catches.
Is this for real?
Dr. Reed, the one we all know, laughs and shakes his head.
“Is this some kind of joke?”
“No, it’s not,” Sheriff Clark says. “I called him myself.”
“So, who is this asshole?” Wade interjects.
“Seems he’s with a company tied to Oakmont Holdings that we’ve already run out of town numerous times. Riq Pilly, Three Comma. They’re an entity from Oakmont. They pull Ponzi schemes, so to speak, to get people to believe they’re someone they’re not. He typically goes after vulnerable women to manipulate them out of money, but in this case, he went bigger. He’ll also go after those in financial trouble and leech whatever they can off them. In this case, it was more of an elaborate scheme as they involved the livestock auction place to sell sick cattle to the ranchers in hopes that people would be forced to sell at low prices.”
“He’s not with the ag office?” I repeat.
“No. He’s a con artist. All three of them are.”
“Who are all of these officers?” I ask.
“People they’ve hired, I assume,” Sheriff says with a shrug.
He gestures around to his deputies, and they all kick into action. Mr. Carter tries to run, but Benny knocks him to the ground. Mr. Reed, the fake one, and Ms. Langley are put into the back of the Hicks Creek Sheriff’s Department cars while my father’s cattle and other possessions are taken off the semi-trucks.
While they do that, I notice Jared running over to the house. He grabs a hose and starts washing the gasoline off the front steps.
I scrub my hands across my face as I shake my head.
