No one had asked whether she was all right.
No one had asked why she was being arrested.
She could hardly blame them for not knowing what to do. Most people had little experience with situations like this, and many were afraid that intervening might bring unwanted attention upon themselves.
But their silence reminded her how easily a person could become isolated when an authority figure controlled the story.
Grant shifted the cruiser into gear.
OFFICER GRANT: "We're going to the station. You can explain yourself there."
Tessa turned toward the partition separating the rear seat from the front.
TESSA BROOKS: "You already had the opportunity to verify everything."
Grant kept his eyes on the road.
OFFICER GRANT: "I don't need a lecture."
TESSA BROOKS: "Then stop treating evidence like an inconvenience."
For the first time, Grant looked at her through the rearview mirror.
His expression hardened.
OFFICER GRANT: "You'd better watch your attitude."
Tessa looked back at him without raising her voice.
TESSA BROOKS: "My attitude has nothing to do with who owns that vehicle."
Grant said nothing.
The cruiser rolled out of the parking space and joined the traffic moving along Westbridge Avenue.
Storefronts and office buildings passed beyond the windows.
Tessa's hands remained secured behind her back, and the metal cuffs pressed against her wrists whenever the vehicle turned.
She adjusted her shoulders as much as she could.
Her mind moved quickly through the possibilities.
She could request that another officer verify her identity.
She could ask to speak with the station supervisor.
She could contact a colleague as soon as she was permitted to use a phone.
But beneath those practical considerations, another thought continued to grow.
How many people had sat in the back of this same vehicle without knowing what to ask for?
How many had been frightened into silence because they believed an officer's accusation was the same thing as proof?
How many had been unable to explain themselves because they lacked the education, the resources, or the confidence to challenge someone wearing a badge?
Tessa had spent years working within the legal system.
She knew that rights existed on paper, but she also knew that exercising them could become difficult when someone else controlled the immediate circumstances.
A person could know the law and still be vulnerable to an officer who refused to listen.
A person could tell the truth and still be treated as though every word were a lie.
And a person could possess all the documents necessary to prove innocence, yet remain powerless if no one bothered to examine them.
She turned her face toward the window.
The city continued moving around her, indifferent to the fact that an ordinary afternoon had become something far more serious.
Tessa did not yet know how long the encounter would last, how many people would become involved, or how far Grant's refusal to acknowledge the evidence would reach.
She knew only that she had been arrested beside her own vehicle without a proper verification of the facts.
She also knew that she would remember the moment when Grant looked at her registration and put it away without acting on what it showed.
That decision revealed more than any insult he had spoken.
It revealed that the truth had been available to him.
He had simply chosen not to follow it.
As the cruiser approached the intersection leading toward Westbridge Central Precinct, Tessa drew a slow breath and forced herself to think clearly.
She would not allow anger to cloud her judgment.
She would not give Grant an excuse to misrepresent her behavior.
And she would not forget what had happened in that parking lot.
Because the next time she had an opportunity to speak, she intended to make certain that the facts could no longer be ignored.
The police cruiser turned through the gates of Westbridge Central Precinct and rolled into a small parking area reserved for patrol vehicles.
Tessa watched the building through the window.
It was a rectangular structure of gray concrete and dark glass, with a flagpole near the entrance and several security cameras mounted above the doors. Officers moved between the parking area and the building, carrying folders, speaking into radios, and going about their ordinary duties.
To them, this was another afternoon at work.
To Tessa, it was the beginning of a situation that should never have happened.
Officer Grant switched off the engine but did not immediately open the rear door.
OFFICER GRANT: "When we get inside, you'll follow instructions. No arguments, no attitude. Understand?"
Tessa turned toward him.
TESSA BROOKS: "I understand that you're asking me to follow instructions. I also expect you to follow the proper procedure."
Grant gave a humorless laugh.