As it turned out, regional prejudice was the perfect fuse for escalating a conflict, no matter the era.
Joey had come up with this tactic in his panic.
Ever since these people arrived in Lia, they had acted as though they were above everyone else. Given their status, everyone could only put up with it.
People were already seething, and Joey's outburst immediately struck a chord.
"Exactly! Does coming from Feren make you better than everyone else?"
"What gives you the right to bully people?"
The Deputy Director stood between them, doing his best to calm everyone down.
"Everyone, calm down. Please, calm down."
The biggest difference between him and the others was that he had been to Feren and seen the world beyond their town.
He knew what could happen if the conflict escalated.
What Joey considered a few provocative words looked very different to him: one wrong move could turn this into bloodshed.
Joey had built up quite a presence lately by following Director Benny Hoyland around, and plenty of people chimed in to support him.
Creating a disturbance was precisely what Joey wanted.
He made an unabashed scene to give Annie a chance to slip back inside and dismantle the explosives.
"Oww..." He lay on the floor, groaning nonstop. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was seriously injured.
The investigators from Feren were surrounded by the Sheriff's Office personnel.
Joey gave Annie a discreet look. She understood and was about to leave.
Before she had taken two steps, a furious shout stopped her.
"All of you, shut up!"
The speaker was the man who had kicked Joey.
His face bristled with menace, and his sinister gaze swept across the crowd. Everyone who met his eyes quietly lowered their heads.
Joey immediately realized this