Jason looked at Eric.
Eric lowered his eyes toward the patio.
Michael slowly shook his head.
Nathan remained still.
He was beginning to understand that Victoria had not come because she had witnessed a fight or a threat.
She had come because she disapproved of what she saw and believed that the situation might justify intervention.
The officers were now trying to determine whether that belief was supported by any specific facts.
MALE OFFICER: "All right. We need to clarify a few more details."
He turned toward Nathan.
MALE OFFICER: "How long have you lived here?"
NATHAN: "About six months."
MALE OFFICER: "Do you own the property?"
NATHAN: "Yes."
MALE OFFICER: "And these gentlemen are your guests?"
NATHAN: "They're my friends."
MALE OFFICER: "Did you invite them over today?"
NATHAN: "Yes. We planned the barbecue earlier this week."
The officer nodded and wrote something in his notebook.
The female officer turned toward the table.
FEMALE OFFICER: "Has the grill been operating safely? Is it positioned away from the house and combustible materials?"
NATHAN: "Yes. It's on the paved patio, away from the house and fence."
She looked at the distance between the grill and the nearest structure.
FEMALE OFFICER: "All right."
Victoria shifted impatiently.
VICTORIA: "I don't understand why you're examining the grill. That's not the only issue."
MALE OFFICER: "Then please explain the other issue."
VICTORIA: "The way these men behave."
MALE OFFICER: "What behavior?"
VICTORIA: "Their attitude."
MALE OFFICER: "Can you describe a specific action?"
Victoria looked at the officers as if the questions themselves were unreasonable.
VICTORIA: "They talk back. They refuse to acknowledge that other people live here."
NATHAN: "We didn't know you had a concern until you came through the gate."
VICTORIA: "I shouldn't have to introduce myself every time someone creates a problem."
NATHAN: "You could have knocked and explained what bothered you."
VICTORIA: "And you would have argued with me anyway."
NATHAN: "You don't know that."
The male officer stepped between the two sides of the conversation without touching anyone.
MALE OFFICER: "Let's keep this focused. Ma'am, you have described a gathering and a disagreement. We still haven't identified a specific threat or dangerous act."
VICTORIA: "So you're just going to let them continue?"
MALE OFFICER: "We're going to make our assessment based on the information available."
The woman looked furious.
Her towel remained wrapped securely around her body, but she had stopped paying attention to the fact that she was standing in the middle of someone else's garden dressed for a private moment at home.
She was focused entirely on the outcome.
She had wanted the police to make the men stop.
Instead, the officers were asking whether there was any reason to stop them.
That difference was becoming increasingly difficult for her to ignore.
Nathan glanced toward the grill.
The food was still cooking, but the afternoon had already been interrupted.
He could smell the meat beginning to overcook.
He could see the confusion on his friends' faces.
And he could feel the tension that had replaced the easy atmosphere of the gathering.
He had spent years working toward a home where he could invite people over without feeling that every ordinary decision needed somebody else's approval.
Now, with two officers standing beside his patio table, he was being asked to explain an activity that had seemed completely unremarkable less than half an hour earlier.
He looked at the male officer.
NATHAN: "Officer, I want to cooperate. If there's a legitimate concern, I'll address it. But I need to know what the concern actually is."
MALE OFFICER: "That's reasonable. We'll finish speaking with everyone, then determine whether any further action is needed."
NATHAN: "Thank you."
Victoria let out a sharp breath.
VICTORIA: "This is unbelievable."
The female officer turned toward her.
FEMALE OFFICER: "Ma'am, we need you to allow us to complete the assessment."
Victoria looked away.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Then the male officer asked one more question.
MALE OFFICER: "Is there any additional information you haven't told us that would help explain why you believed this gathering required police attendance?"
Victoria looked toward the four men.
She looked at the grill.
She looked at the fence.
And for the first time, she seemed to realize how difficult it would be to explain her decision without returning to the same general complaint.
The men were cooking.
The officers were asking questions.