"You answer every question with another argument."
"Because you keep asking me to defend a claim you could verify independently."
Vanessa's face flushed.
"Do you have any idea how insulting that is?"
Daniel looked at her steadily.
"To ask you to check a badge?"
"To imply that I don't know what I'm doing."
"I haven't said that you don't know what you're doing."
"You don't have to say it. You keep implying it."
"Lieutenant, I don't know you well enough to judge your entire career. I know what has happened in this room."
She stared at him.
"And what exactly has happened in this room?"
"You questioned my identity. I presented my credentials. You refused to verify them. I asked again. You interpreted the request as disrespect. Now we're arguing about whether you should make a phone call."
Vanessa's grip tightened around the pen.
"You're leaving out the fact that you've been difficult from the beginning."
"What did I do that prevented you from verifying the badge?"
"You refused to accept my instructions."
"Which instruction?"
"The instruction to cooperate."
"I have cooperated with your questions."
"You have challenged me at every turn."
"I have asked you to establish the facts."
Vanessa placed the pen down.
"Enough."
Daniel fell silent.
She looked at Ethan and Renee.
"Both of you, I want to speak with him privately."
Renee glanced at Daniel's handcuffs.
"Do you want us to leave the room, ma'am?"
"That is what privately means."
Ethan hesitated.
"Lieutenant, should we wait outside with the door open?"
Vanessa turned toward him.
"Why would the door need to be open?"
"Because we have an unresolved identification issue, and I think it would be better if the interaction remained observable."
Vanessa stared at him.
"You think I need witnesses to speak to someone I've detained?"
"I think having another officer present protects everyone involved."
"Protects everyone from what?"
Ethan chose his words carefully.
"From misunderstandings. From disagreements about what was said. From anything that might happen while we're still trying to establish the facts."
Vanessa's voice dropped.
"Are you accusing me of something?"
"No, ma'am."
"Then stop behaving as if you are."
"I'm trying to follow good procedure."
"Good procedure is following the instructions of your supervisor."
"Yes, ma'am. Within the rules that apply to the situation."
Vanessa looked toward Renee, apparently hoping the second officer would support her.
Renee did not look away.
"I agree that another officer should remain present until the identification issue is resolved."
The lieutenant's face became rigid.
"So that's where we are now. Both of you believe you need to supervise me."
"No," Renee said. "We believe the situation needs to be handled carefully."
"You keep saying that as though I'm being careless."
Renee paused.
"I think we should have verified the badge earlier."
The statement was direct, but not disrespectful.
Vanessa looked at her for several seconds.
Then she turned toward Daniel.
"Is this what you wanted? To get my officers questioning me?"
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
"Because that's exactly what's happening."
"They're making their own observations."
"You've put them in an impossible position."
"I didn't handcuff myself."
Vanessa's expression hardened.
"Careful."
Daniel lowered his voice slightly.
"I am being careful. I have been careful since I arrived."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The sentence carried a weight that was difficult to ignore. Daniel had not threatened Vanessa, attempted to escape, or used physical force. He had remained seated and repeatedly requested the same verification check. Yet he had been treated as though his insistence on a factual answer were a personal attack.
Vanessa looked toward the desk.
The telephone was still there.
She could make the call. She could ask for the information, record the result, and allow the situation to move forward.
But the longer she delayed, the more the call seemed to represent an admission that she had been wrong to resist it.
She picked up the receiver again.
Ethan and Renee watched her.
Daniel said nothing.
Vanessa began dialing, then stopped after entering only a few digits.
"What is the exact agency name?" she asked.
Daniel provided it.
She repeated the name quietly, then asked for the relevant office and identification details. Daniel answered each question without hesitation.
Vanessa looked at him.
"You seem to have all the information ready."
"I knew you might need it."
"Or you memorized a convincing story."
"That possibility can be checked."
She glared at him.
"Do you ever get tired of saying that?"
"Would you prefer I make something up?"