OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "And if I disagree with the way Agent Hayes described something?"
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "You may state your own recollection. Do not speculate about her motives, and do not omit your own actions."
Derek leaned back in the chair.
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "It feels like the decision has already been made."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "The evidence is being reviewed. You are being given an opportunity to provide your account. Those are the steps of the process, not a final decision."
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "You saw the footage."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Yes."
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "Then you know how it looks."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "I know what it shows. Your statement should explain your actions, not attempt to change what the camera recorded."
Derek looked back at the form.
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "When you finish, let me know. I'll review the form for completeness, not write it for you."
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "Understood."
She left him alone again.
Derek put the pen to the paper, but his thoughts kept returning to the same moment: Victoria standing at reception, asking him to call a supervisor, refusing to be intimidated by his dismissive remarks.
He had told himself that she was trying to undermine him. He had told himself that allowing her to dictate the conversation would make him look weak in front of Ethan and the other people in the lobby.
Yet he had not called a supervisor. He had not verified the appointment. He had not followed the process he now insisted he had been trying to protect.
Instead, he had turned a question about credentials into a confrontation about authority.
The realization did not immediately make him remorseful. His first reaction was still to think about the consequences to his career, the questions from the captain, and the possibility that colleagues would look at him differently.
But for the first time, he could not pretend that the incident had been caused entirely by Victoria's behavior.
He began writing again.
***
The formal review continued over the following days.
Sergeant Collins collected the witness statements and checked the appointment records against the information Victoria had provided. The two officers who had passed through the lobby were interviewed separately. Neither had witnessed the entire interaction, but their accounts helped establish the timing and the atmosphere in the reception area.
Ethan's statement was particularly important because he had been present from the beginning. He described Victoria presenting her credentials, asking for a supervisor, and remaining in the public lobby. He also described Derek's physical actions and the badge being thrown into the trash.
When Sergeant Collins asked whether Derek had attempted to verify Victoria's credentials before the confrontation, Ethan confirmed that he had not seen him make a call or request assistance from another supervisor.
OFFICER ETHAN BROOKS: "He could have called someone. The desk phone was right there."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Did Agent Hayes ask him to do so?"
OFFICER ETHAN BROOKS: "Several times."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Did she attempt to enter a restricted area?"
OFFICER ETHAN BROOKS: "No. She stayed by the counter."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Did you hear her threaten Officer Miller?"
OFFICER ETHAN BROOKS: "No."
Sergeant Collins recorded the answers and asked Ethan to review his statement for accuracy. He read it carefully, made one correction to the approximate time, and signed it.
Meanwhile, Derek's statement was reviewed for completeness. Where he had described the incident as a verbal disagreement, Sergeant Collins asked him to identify the physical actions he had taken. Where he had referred to security concerns, she asked him to specify what information had led him to believe there was a threat.
Derek could not identify a concrete threat beyond his own suspicion.
That fact became a central point in the review. Officers were expected to verify credentials and protect restricted areas, but suspicion alone did not authorize arbitrary treatment of a visitor, particularly when routine verification options were available.
The captain requested an assessment of the relevant procedures and asked the appropriate supervisory personnel to determine whether Derek's actions violated department policy. He also ensured that the incident record included the preserved footage, the witness accounts, the appointment confirmation, and the documentation concerning the badge.
No one announced a final decision while those steps were still underway.
For Victoria, the process was frustratingly slow, but she understood the importance of a complete record. She provided the additional information requested by the department and kept a copy of the incident reference. She did not use the incident to make public accusations, and she did not contact Derek directly.
She continued her professional work.
The meeting she had originally come to attend was rescheduled. When she eventually returned to Westbridge, another officer met her at reception, confirmed her appointment, and contacted the relevant office before directing her to the appropriate waiting area.