DANIEL BROOKS: "I've already explained that I didn't put it there."
OFFICER MILLER: "You expect us to accept that without question?"
DANIEL BROOKS: "I expect you to investigate before deciding I'm guilty."
Miller shook his head as though Daniel had failed to understand something obvious.
OFFICER MILLER: "You seem to believe that saying you're innocent changes the situation."
DANIEL BROOKS: "No. I believe establishing the truth changes the situation."
For a moment, Miller appeared ready to respond with another accusation. Instead, he looked toward the growing number of passengers who had begun glancing in their direction.
The airport was still operating normally, but the confrontation was no longer entirely private. A few travelers had slowed down near the checkpoint, while a security employee at a nearby station looked over briefly before returning to work.
Miller noticed the attention.
OFFICER MILLER: "Keep your voice down."
DANIEL BROOKS: "I'm speaking at a normal volume."
OFFICER MILLER: "You don't need to make a scene."
DANIEL BROOKS: "I'm not the one who accused a passenger of carrying drugs."
Ryan looked away, and Miller's expression tightened.
The officer picked up Daniel's identification again, examining it more carefully than before. He turned the card slightly beneath the overhead lights, studying the photograph and the printed details.
OFFICER MILLER: "You said you're traveling to Washington."
DANIEL BROOKS: "Yes."
OFFICER MILLER: "What do you do for a living?"
Daniel paused briefly.
He understood that the question might be routine, but he also understood that Miller was looking for something that could be used to challenge his credibility.
DANIEL BROOKS: "I work in federal law enforcement."
Miller raised his eyebrows.
OFFICER MILLER: "Federal law enforcement?"
DANIEL BROOKS: "That's what I said."
OFFICER MILLER: "Which agency?"
Daniel held his gaze.
DANIEL BROOKS: "You've already decided what you think about me. Would my answer really change anything?"
OFFICER MILLER: "It might help explain why you're acting like you know more than everyone else."
DANIEL BROOKS: "I'm acting like someone who expects an honest investigation."
Miller gave a short laugh.
OFFICER MILLER: "Everyone says that when they're in trouble."
DANIEL BROOKS: "Then perhaps you should stop relying on what people say and start looking at what they do."
Ryan shifted uncomfortably.
The younger officer looked again at Daniel's identification, then at the evidence bag resting on the table. He seemed to be reconsidering the encounter from the beginning.
OFFICER RYAN: "Miller, maybe we should verify his information before making any decisions."
OFFICER MILLER: "We can do that after we process the incident."
OFFICER RYAN: "Wouldn't it be better to verify it now?"
OFFICER MILLER: "Are you questioning my judgment?"
OFFICER RYAN: "I'm asking whether verification should come first."
Miller stared at him.
OFFICER MILLER: "You have your instructions."
Ryan fell silent again, but his expression had changed. He no longer looked merely observant. He looked worried.
Daniel did not try to encourage him to speak.
He knew that if Ryan had concerns, those concerns needed to come from his own observations rather than from pressure applied by a stranger.
The younger officer would have to decide what kind of officer he wanted to be.
Miller turned back toward Daniel and held the identification between two fingers.
OFFICER MILLER: "You claim to work in federal law enforcement. Do you have credentials to support that claim?"
DANIEL BROOKS: "I do."
OFFICER MILLER: "Then produce them."
Daniel looked at the card in Miller's hand.
DANIEL BROOKS: "You have my identification. Return it, and I'll show you what you're asking for."
Miller hesitated before sliding the card across the table.
Daniel picked it up and returned it to his wallet. He then reached into an inner pocket of his jacket, which had been placed beside the suitcase earlier, and removed a slim identification wallet.
He did not wave it around or thrust it toward the officer.
He opened it carefully and held it at a distance where Miller could examine the credentials without taking them out of his hands.
For the first time since the evidence bag had appeared, Miller's expression changed in a way he could not immediately conceal.
His eyes moved from the identification to Daniel's face.
Then back to the identification.
OFFICER MILLER: "What is this supposed to be?"
DANIEL BROOKS: "My federal credentials."
OFFICER MILLER: "You're telling me you're a federal agent?"