"Is the body camera footage available?"
Rebecca paused.
"It should be."
"Good. Make sure it's uploaded."
"Of course."
"Any witnesses?"
Rebecca hesitated again.
"There was a woman recording from a vehicle."
Reynolds looked at her.
"She recorded the arrest?"
"Yes."
"Did you identify her?"
"No."
"Did you obtain her information?"
"She was interfering with the scene."
Reynolds frowned.
"Did you ask her to identify herself?"
"Not successfully."
He sighed.
"Rebecca, if there's independent footage, we need to preserve it."
"I know."
"Then make sure the report is accurate."
Rebecca nodded.
But inside, she was already thinking about the recording.
She had seen the woman holding her phone.
She knew the footage might show more than she wanted anyone to see.
And she knew that if the recording contradicted her official report, the situation could become much bigger than a routine arrest.
For the first time that night, Rebecca felt something close to fear.
Not fear of Daniel.
Fear of being exposed.
CHAPTER 4: THE CALL THAT NEVER CAME
At 12:03 a.m., Daniel was finally allowed to use a telephone.
He dialed his mother's number.
Margaret answered almost immediately.
"Daniel?"
"Mom."
Her voice changed.
"Where are you? What's happening?"
"I'm at the police station."
Silence.
Then she spoke.
"What?"
"I've been arrested."
Margaret stood up so quickly that the blanket on her lap fell to the floor.
"Arrested? For what?"
Daniel closed his eyes.
"That's what I'm trying to understand."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing, Mom. I was walking home from the pharmacy."
"Are you hurt?"
"My shoulder hurts a little."
"Why are you at the police station?"
"An officer stopped me. She said I was suspicious. Then she started questioning me, and things got out of control."
Margaret's voice trembled.
"Have they told you what you're charged with?"
"Resisting arrest. Something else about obstruction."
Margaret could barely believe what she was hearing.
"Daniel, you don't resist police officers."
"I didn't."
"I know."
"Mom, I need you to call a lawyer."
"Of course."
"And please don't tell Sophie everything yet."
Margaret looked toward the hallway.
Sophie was asleep on the couch, still holding her stuffed rabbit.
"What should I tell her?"
"Tell her I had an unexpected problem at work."
Margaret swallowed.
"All right."
"Tell her I love her."
"I will."
Daniel looked down at the floor.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry."
Margaret began crying.
"Don't apologize for something you didn't do."
The call ended shortly afterward.
Daniel returned the telephone and sat down on a hard bench.
He had no idea how long he would remain there.
He had no idea what would happen the next morning.
But he knew that his daughter would wake up expecting him.
And he would not be there.
That thought hurt more than his shoulder.
Across town, Margaret called her attorney.
His name was Robert Hayes, a fifty-eight-year-old criminal defense lawyer who had represented several residents of Westbridge over the previous twenty years.
Robert answered on the fourth ring.
"Margaret?"
"I'm sorry to call this late."
"What's happened?"
"It's Daniel."
Robert immediately became attentive.
"What about him?"
"He's been arrested."
"For what?"
"Resisting arrest, apparently."
Robert paused.
"Did he hurt someone?"
"No. He says he didn't do anything."
"Where is he?"
"Westbridge Central."
"Has he been charged formally?"
"I don't know."
"All right. Listen carefully. Don't let anyone speculate about the case. We need the arrest paperwork, the charges, and the available recordings."
Margaret wiped her eyes.
"Can you help him?"
"Not completely."
"Was she committing an offense?"
"I believed she was interfering with traffic control."
"Did she interfere with traffic control?"
"She questioned my instructions."
Mitchell looked at her.
"That's not the same thing."
Rebecca shifted in her chair.
"Sir, I was trying to maintain order."
"Then explain why you grabbed her."
"She pulled away."
"After you grabbed her?"
Rebecca said nothing.
Mitchell opened a folder.
"We have three independent videos. We have witness statements. We have preliminary information indicating that the sidewalk was not closed."
He paused.
"We also have a report you submitted after the incident."
Rebecca nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"In that report, you stated that Commander Hayes repeatedly attempted to obstruct police activity and physically resisted a lawful detention."
"That's what happened from my perspective."
Mitchell closed the folder.
"Your perspective does not permit you to invent facts."
Rebecca looked offended.
"I didn't invent anything."
"Then why does your report say she pushed you?"
Rebecca blinked.
"She moved her arm."