Elena slowly turned her piercing gaze to Brenda. The older woman took a shaky step back, clutching her clipboard to her chest as if it could protect her. The smug arrogance had completely vanished, replaced by sheer terror as she realized she had just filed a false police report against the husband of the County Sheriff.
"Filing a false police report is a crime, Brenda," Elena stated coldly. "Using my deputies to intimidate my family is a mistake you will only make once. If you ever set foot on my property again, or if you ever misuse the 911 dispatch system to settle your petty landscaping disputes, you won't be speaking to a rookie deputy. You'll be speaking to me, in an interrogation room. Do we understand each other?"
Brenda was physically shaking. She couldn't form words. She just nodded frantically, her wide eyes darting between the Sheriff and David.
"Good. Now get off my porch," Elena ordered.
Brenda turned on her heels and practically sprinted down the driveway, her heels clicking wildly against the concrete. The young deputy gave one last, terrified salute to his boss.