They were asking for evidence.
That was what she should have wanted from the beginning.
She placed the reference number on the desk beside the incident paperwork.
"Fine. We wait."
Daniel nodded.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet."
"I wasn't thanking you for the result. I was thanking you for making the call."
Vanessa looked at him for a moment, then turned away.
The room settled into an uneasy silence.
Ethan returned to his place beside the desk. Renee saved the contact information and recorded the reference number. Vanessa remained near the telephone, glancing at it every few minutes as though she expected the verification office to call back immediately.
Daniel continued sitting in the chair.
His hands were still cuffed.
The central question had finally entered the proper process, but the result had not yet arrived. Vanessa had not apologized, and the disagreement over her decisions remained unresolved.
The call had changed the direction of the encounter, but it had not yet determined its outcome.
Several minutes passed.
Then the telephone rang.
Vanessa reached for it immediately.
She answered, identified herself, and supplied the reference number. The person on the other end confirmed the details of the request and asked her to verify that Daniel was still present.
Vanessa looked toward him.
"Yes. He's still here."
The representative explained that the request had progressed, but one additional confirmation was required before the result could be released.
Vanessa's shoulders tightened.
"Another confirmation? What exactly is holding this up?"
The representative explained the process.
Vanessa listened, then asked whether the additional step could be completed while she remained on the line.
The answer was not immediate.
She waited, tapping her fingers against the desk.
Daniel watched her face.
Ethan looked toward Renee, who had begun writing down the time of the call.
Finally, Vanessa spoke again.
"All right. I'll remain available."
She ended the call and placed the receiver down.
Renee approached the desk.
"Did they give you another reference number?"
Vanessa checked her notes.
"Yes."
"Should I add it to the record?"
"Yes. Add the time and the number."
Renee did so.
Ethan glanced at Daniel.
"At least the process is moving now."
Daniel nodded.
"That's what matters."
Vanessa heard the exchange.
"What matters is that we establish the truth."
Daniel looked at her.
"Agreed."
She appeared frustrated by how easily he accepted the statement.
"You really don't want to argue about anything else?"
"Not if we can avoid it."
Vanessa folded her arms.
"You could have made this easier."
Daniel paused.
"I did try to make it easier. I asked for verification at the beginning."
"And you could have been more respectful."
"I have been respectful."
"You've challenged every decision I've made."
"I have questioned decisions that affected my detention."
"That's what I mean."
Daniel looked at her steadily.
"Lieutenant, respect does not require me to agree with every decision you make. And disagreement does not automatically mean disrespect."
Vanessa looked away.
Ethan lowered his gaze.
Renee finished writing the reference number and returned to the computer.
The conversation had reached a point where every argument seemed to circle back to the same fundamental disagreement. Vanessa believed that her position required Daniel to accept her decisions without repeated questioning. Daniel believed that her position required her to explain and verify those decisions when the facts were uncertain.
The verification process was now underway, but neither person had yet persuaded the other to accept that distinction.
Then Vanessa's phone vibrated against the desk.
She glanced at the screen.
A message had arrived from an internal supervisor asking for an update on the identification issue.
Vanessa read it twice.
Ethan noticed her expression.
"Everything all right, Lieutenant?"
She locked the phone.
"It's an administrative message."
"Do they need anything from us?"
"No."
Renee looked up from the computer.
"Should we inform Lieutenant Mercer that the verification request is still pending?"
Vanessa hesitated.
"Why would we need to involve another supervisor before the result arrives?"
"Because the detention has continued while the identification check is pending, and the situation has already become complicated."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
"You think I'm unable to handle it?"
"No, ma'am."
"Then why do you keep suggesting that someone else needs to be involved?"
Renee took a breath.
"Because asking for supervisory guidance is an ordinary way to resolve uncertainty. It doesn't have to mean anyone has failed."
Vanessa stared at her.
Daniel remained silent.