That was dangerous to Miller's sense of authority.
He had always believed that a supervisor's confidence created confidence in everyone below him. He had rarely considered the possibility that visible overconfidence could produce the opposite effect.
"Fine," he said at last. "Do it carefully."
The younger officer approached Hayes and checked that the agent understood what was happening before beginning the process of examining the identification. Hayes remained still, allowing the officer to work without resistance.
The sergeant watched closely.
He expected the identification to reveal some discrepancy. Perhaps the photograph would not match. Perhaps the document would be incomplete. Perhaps a number would fail to correspond with an official record.
Any of those possibilities would support his original judgment.
But the first information the officer examined did not provide the obvious contradiction Miller seemed to expect.
The officer studied the identification, then looked at Hayes's face.
He examined it again.
His expression changed slightly.
Miller noticed immediately.
"What?" he asked.
The officer did not answer at once.
"I need to verify the details."
"Then verify them."
The younger man returned to the desk with the information and began working at the computer. He entered the available details carefully, checking the spelling and numbers before proceeding. The monitor's glow reflected faintly against his face as he compared the information in front of him with the records available through the department's systems.
Hayes watched without speaking.
Marcus Reed remained behind him.
Miller stood near the desk, arms folded, waiting for the computer to confirm what he believed he already knew.
Several seconds passed.
Then several more.
The officer leaned closer to the monitor.
He checked one field, returned to another, and entered the information again.
Miller's patience began to disappear.
"How difficult is it to check an identification?"
"I am checking it, Sergeant."
"Then tell me what you have."
"I am still reviewing the information."
Miller leaned over the officer's shoulder.
"What does it say?"
The younger officer looked uncomfortable.
"The details appear consistent with the information provided."
Miller stared at him.
"Appear consistent?"
"I have not completed every verification step."
"Then do not tell me anything until you have."
The officer returned to the computer.
Hayes remained still, but his eyes moved briefly toward the monitor. He had expected the process to require some time. Official identification could involve several separate checks, and a local department might not have immediate access to every federal record needed to establish an individual's status.
That was not the problem.
The problem was that Miller had treated the absence of completed verification as proof of deception.
Now that the first available information did not support his accusation, the sergeant seemed reluctant to allow the process to continue on its own terms.
He wanted a result that would settle the dispute in his favor.
The computer could not provide that result simply because he demanded it.
Miller stepped away from the desk and returned to Hayes.
"You are making this much more complicated than it needs to be."
Hayes raised his eyes.
"I have not made any part of this complicated."
"You could have cooperated from the beginning."
"I have been cooperating."
"Then why are we still standing here?"
Hayes looked briefly at the handcuffs around his wrists.
"That is a question you should be able to answer."
The sergeant's face reddened.
For a moment, it appeared that he might raise his voice again. Instead, he held Hayes's gaze and forced himself to remain still.
The restraint was temporary, but it was noticeable.
Miller was beginning to understand that he could not easily provoke the agent into behaving in a way that justified the treatment he had already received. Every calm response left the sergeant with fewer explanations for his own conduct.
He turned toward Marcus Reed.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
Reed met his gaze without changing his posture.
"My name is Marcus Reed."
"I did not ask for your name. I asked who you are."
"I am the person standing behind him."
The answer was straightforward, but Miller interpreted it as another attempt to embarrass him.
"Do you think this is a joke?"
"No."
"Then start giving me useful answers."
Reed remained calm.
"I have answered the question you asked."
Miller took a step in his direction, then stopped.