A woman carrying a stack of folders emerged from the administrative corridor. She slowed when she saw the group gathered around reception.
CAPTAIN RICHARD BENNETT: "Sergeant Collins, please join us for a moment."
Sergeant Laura Collins, a veteran supervisor with short brown hair and a dark uniform, approached the counter. Her gaze moved from the captain to Victoria, then to Derek. She noticed the open trash can and the badge inside it.
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "What happened?"
CAPTAIN RICHARD BENNETT: "We're establishing that now. I need you to assist with preserving the relevant records and identifying everyone who was present."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Understood."
She looked toward Victoria.
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Agent Hayes, I'm Sergeant Collins. I supervise the front desk operations on this shift. I'm sorry you were put in this position."
VICTORIA HAYES: "Thank you, Sergeant."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Would you be comfortable giving me a brief account of your arrival while the details are still fresh?"
VICTORIA HAYES: "Yes. I arrived for a scheduled meeting and presented my credentials. Officer Miller refused to verify them or contact a supervisor. The exchange escalated. He grabbed my braids, took my identification badge, and threw it into the trash."
Sergeant Collins listened without interrupting. When Victoria finished, she took a small notebook from her pocket.
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Did you know Officer Miller before today?"
VICTORIA HAYES: "No."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Had you spoken with him by phone or exchanged messages with him before you arrived?"
VICTORIA HAYES: "No. I had no prior contact with him."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "And the meeting you mentioned—was it arranged with someone at this precinct?"
VICTORIA HAYES: "Yes. I have the correspondence confirming the appointment."
She opened her bag and removed her phone. Rather than immediately handing it over, she navigated to the relevant message and showed the screen to Sergeant Collins.
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Thank you. I'll note that the correspondence is available. We can document it properly without taking possession of your personal device."
Derek gave a short, dismissive laugh.
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "An appointment doesn't mean someone gets to bypass security."
Sergeant Collins looked at him.
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "No one has suggested that it does."
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "I was doing my job."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Then the records should help us understand how you did it."
Derek's expression hardened again.
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "You're taking her side before you've even heard mine."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "I've heard enough to know that the badge should not have been thrown into a trash can. The rest of the account still needs to be documented."
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "It was a reaction to her behavior."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "A reaction is not an explanation."
Captain Bennett folded his arms, allowing Sergeant Collins to continue. The shift in authority was subtle but unmistakable. Derek could no longer turn the encounter into an argument with a visitor. Several members of his own department were now asking him direct questions, and every attempt to redirect the conversation only created more questions.
Sergeant Collins turned toward Ethan.
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Were there any other staff members in the lobby when this happened?"
OFFICER ETHAN BROOKS: "Two officers walked through toward the parking area. I don't know if they saw the whole thing."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Do you know their names?"
OFFICER ETHAN BROOKS: "I think one was Officer Grant. The other might have been Officer Lewis, but I would need to check the shift roster."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "Check it, and make a note of the times they passed through. We can determine whether they need to provide statements."
Ethan nodded and moved to the computer terminal.
Victoria stood quietly while the supervisors organized the next steps. She was accustomed to being assessed by strangers who assumed that a badge, a title, or a professional manner could be judged from appearance alone. What unsettled her was not simply that Derek had doubted her credentials. It was how quickly he had turned that doubt into permission to humiliate her.
She had entered the building expecting an ordinary professional meeting. Now every movement in the lobby seemed deliberate. People lowered their voices when they passed. Some looked at her with sympathy; others avoided meeting her eyes. She could feel the attention without needing to turn around.
Captain Bennett noticed her glance toward the discarded badge.
CAPTAIN RICHARD BENNETT: "We'll have it retrieved and documented properly."
VICTORIA HAYES: "I would like it photographed where it is before anyone moves it."
SERGEANT LAURA COLLINS: "That's sensible. We'll document its location and condition first."
Derek looked at the trash can with open frustration.
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "It's a badge, not evidence of a crime."
CAPTAIN RICHARD BENNETT: "You don't decide what is relevant to the review."
OFFICER DEREK MILLER: "I understand, sir."