Hughes was assigned to find infected cow parts at meat processing plants in Washington. He remembers the sad look on some owners’ faces when he flashed his badge. If there was a chance that any of their meat might have mad cow, they’d have to throw it all away.

"The business they built from scratch was destroyed—through no fault of their own. And there was nothing they could do about it," Hughes says.

The tone in this passage most suggests that Hughes is

caring.
dedicated.
tense.
worried.