Ethan looked away to hide his reaction.
Renee's expression remained serious, but she had to fight the impulse to interrupt.
Vanessa slowly placed the receiver down.
"You think you're funny."
"No."
"You think you're winning."
"This isn't a contest."
"Then why do you keep trying to get the last word?"
Daniel paused.
"Because every time I stop talking, you continue making claims about my identity without checking them."
Vanessa stepped away from the desk.
"Fine. You want a phone call? You'll get one."
She picked up the receiver again and dialed a number from the information Daniel had provided. She listened to the ringing tone, then frowned when the call was not immediately answered.
After several seconds, she ended the attempt.
"No answer."
Daniel nodded.
"Try the official verification line."
"Do you think I don't know how to find a telephone number?"
"I think the number you called may not be the correct one for this request."
Vanessa stared at him.
"You gave me the information."
"I gave you the agency name and my identification details. I didn't tell you that the number you selected was the official verification channel."
"So now you're saying I called the wrong place?"
"I'm saying the verification hasn't been completed."
Renee stepped forward.
"Lieutenant, we can use the department directory to locate the appropriate contact."
Vanessa turned toward her.
"I can manage a telephone call."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm only offering to help."
"I don't need help."
Renee nodded and stepped back.
Vanessa looked at the phone again.
The failed call had not established anything about Daniel's identity. It had only demonstrated that the person she contacted had not answered. Yet she seemed tempted to treat the result as another reason to distrust him.
Daniel recognized the danger.
"An unanswered call doesn't establish whether my badge is valid."
Vanessa looked up sharply.
"I know that."
"Then we should continue with the correct channel."
"I said I know that."
"All right."
"Don't patronize me."
"I'm not."
"You keep speaking as though you're explaining the obvious to a child."
Daniel held her gaze.
"Then let's stop discussing the obvious and complete the verification."
Vanessa's face tightened.
For a few seconds, she seemed ready to abandon the phone entirely. Then she pulled the department directory toward her and began searching for the appropriate contact.
Ethan moved closer to the desk.
"May I help you locate the number?"
Vanessa did not look up.
"No."
He stepped back.
Renee checked the wall clock.
The afternoon was moving toward evening, and the office had become quieter as officers finished their reports and moved between shifts. The light through the blinds had changed from pale white to a warmer shade of gold.
Daniel noticed the change but remained focused on the discussion.
He had no desire to spend the rest of the day in handcuffs because a lieutenant had become unwilling to reconsider an assumption.
He also understood that an aggressive demand might make the situation worse.
He chose a different approach.
"Lieutenant Cole, may I ask you something?"
Vanessa continued searching the directory.
"You've asked me plenty of things."
"This is a different question."
She looked up.
"What?"
"If the verification confirms that my badge is genuine, what will you do?"
Vanessa's eyes narrowed.
"Why are you asking that?"
"Because I want to understand what happens next."
"If it's genuine, we'll deal with that."
"What does that mean?"
"It means we'll deal with it."
Daniel waited.
Vanessa placed the directory on the desk.
"What do you expect me to say? That I'll apologize? That I'll admit I was wrong? Is that what you want?"
"I want the situation handled correctly."
"You're avoiding my question now."
"No. I'm telling you that the outcome should determine the next step."
"And if the badge is fake?"
"Then you should act on the evidence."
"And if it's genuine?"
"Then you should act on the evidence."
Vanessa shook her head.
"You always return to the same answer."
"Because the principle doesn't change depending on which result we receive."
Ethan looked toward Renee.
The statement was simple, but it exposed the real problem. Vanessa wanted the result to confirm her judgment. Daniel wanted the result to establish the facts, regardless of whether they supported his position.
The verification process was not supposed to reward one person and humiliate another. It was supposed to answer a question.
Vanessa picked up the directory again.
"All right," she said. "Let's find the correct number."
For the first time in several minutes, her voice sounded less like a command and more like a decision.