The oversized police officer got up, looking down at them and sneering. "Yeah?"

"Hello, I'm Agent Nicky Lyons," Nicky said, showing her badge as she walked up to his desk. "This is my partner, Agent Ken Walker."

"I'm Sheriff Corbin. Feds, huh?" he said, his voice hostile. "What brings you here?"

"We're here to talk to you about a man named Rawley," Ken said.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to." Corbin sat on his desk, crossing his arms over his barrel chest.

"We need to talk about a certain missing person's case. A woman named Sarah Mills," Nicky said. On the way over here, Nicky had asked Ken to dig into the alleged missing woman Darren was talking about, and he had come up with Sarah Mills. However, there wasnt much information on the case in the database, according to Ken.

"What about it?"

"We would like to know the details of the case. Based on our intel, it was in your jurisdiction. An officer named Rawley was on the case before he was discharged.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Corbin said.

Nicky's jaw clenched. Why was he being so stubborn? "We know your precinct was working on a case involving Sarah Mills. Why did it go nowhere?

The sheriff leaned back and laughed, his belly jiggling. "Now, why would I do that, darlin'? The Feds are just a bunch of pencil pushers anyway."

Nicky's blood boiled. She and Ken knew this was the kind of cop that never would have passed the FBI training. The kind of cop that would have been thrown out the first day. She took a deep breath.

"Sheriff Corbin, I don't appreciate your attitude," she said.

"You need to watch yourself, little girl," Corbin said. "I don't take to smart talkin' from women and I sure as hell don't take to Feds messin' around in my police station."

Nicky's blood was burning. She was about to bite back when Ken stepped in.

"If you aren't willing to cooperate with the FBI, we can bring the man upstairs down here to deal with you," Ken said, "and expose this station of yours for its corruption."

The sheriff didn't even blink. "I don't see any cameras in here."

Nicky glanced around. He was right. There were no cameras in sight.

But then the sheriff let out a belly laugh. "Relax. You stiffs always take everything so seriously. I'm messing with ya."

Nicky wasn't laughing, and neither was Ken.

"Sheriff Corbin," Nicky said, "why don't we go down to the station's archives and look at Sarah Mills's case file."

Corbin didn't move. "I don't think so."

Nicky's fists clenched. "Why not?"

"It's not in there," Corbin said. "You're barking up the wrong tree."

"If you don't show us that case file," Ken said, "we'll go upstairs and your superiors will hear about all the corrupt things that go on in this station."