Ryan leaned back in his chair and covered his face with both hands.
A few minutes later, the door opened.
Captain Carter entered with a folder.
"Officer Pierce?"
Ryan immediately stood.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Please sit down. We need to discuss the incident outside the main entrance."
Ryan sat again.
Carter placed the folder on the desk.
"This interview is part of an internal review. You will have an opportunity to explain your actions and provide any relevant information."
Ryan nodded.
"Understood."
"Let's begin with the first contact. When did you notice Commander Brooks?"
Ryan looked uncomfortable.
"I saw him approaching the entrance."
"What did you observe?"
"He was wearing civilian clothes and didn't have any visible identification."
"Did that violate a security rule?"
"No."
"Did you ask him whether he needed assistance?"
Ryan hesitated.
"Not exactly."
"What did you say?"
"I asked where he was going."
"And what did he tell you?"
"He said he had a meeting inside."
"Did you verify that information?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Ryan shifted in his chair.
"I was trying to establish whether he was authorized to enter."
Carter looked at her notes.
"Did he attempt to enter a restricted area?"
"No."
"Did he refuse a lawful instruction?"
Ryan paused.
"He didn't immediately show me his identification."
"Was he given a reasonable opportunity to do so?"
Ryan looked down.
"I suppose."
Carter continued.
"Then why did you throw coffee at him?"
Ryan's face became red.
"I was frustrated."
"Did you believe throwing hot coffee was an appropriate way to enforce security procedures?"
"No."
"Did you consider that the coffee could injure him?"
"I didn't think about it."
Carter wrote something down.
"After throwing the coffee, did you apologize?"
Ryan shook his head.
"No."
"Instead, you continued making remarks toward him?"
Ryan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Then you grabbed his jacket and pushed him?"
"He was talking back."
Carter looked directly at him.
"Officer Pierce, I need you to understand that this interview concerns your actions. Whether you disliked his tone does not answer the question."
Ryan swallowed.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Did he strike you?"
"No."
"Did he threaten you physically?"
"No."
"Did he attempt to grab your equipment?"
"No."
"Then explain why you used force."
Ryan remained silent.
The room seemed smaller than before.
Carter waited several seconds.
Finally, Ryan spoke.
"I lost control."
Carter closed her folder.
"That may be your explanation. It does not remove your responsibility."
Ryan looked at her.
"Am I going to be fired?"
"That decision will not be made during this interview. The investigation must be completed, the evidence reviewed, and the appropriate process followed."
Ryan nodded.
Carter stood.
"We'll contact you if further information is required. Until then, follow the instructions provided by your supervisor and do not contact witnesses about their statements."
Ryan stood as well.
"Yes, ma'am."
After she left, he remained alone.
He looked at the empty chair across from him.
For years, he had believed that being an officer meant people had to obey him. He had confused authority with personal importance.
Now, he was beginning to understand how fragile that belief was.
Meanwhile, Nathan was preparing for his first leadership meeting.
He had changed into a clean shirt provided by the administrative office, although he had kept the coffee-stained jacket with him as evidence of what had happened.
He wanted the department's leaders to see it.
Not because he wanted sympathy.
Because he wanted them to understand that the incident was real, that it had happened at their own entrance, and that no policy statement could erase it.
At three o'clock, the senior leadership team gathered in the main conference room.
The director sat to Nathan's right. Lieutenant Hayes, Captain Carter, several division heads, and representatives from internal affairs occupied the remaining seats.
Nathan entered last.
Everyone stood.
"Good afternoon, Commander."
"Please sit."
The room became quiet.
Nathan placed the coffee-stained jacket on the table beside his folder.
Several people looked at it.
He did not begin with a speech about his appointment or his professional background.
Instead, he looked around the room.
"This morning, I arrived at this building as a visitor. I was stopped outside by an officer who did not know my identity."
He paused.
"That officer threw coffee into my face, insulted me, grabbed my jacket, and pushed me onto the pavement."
No one moved.
Nathan continued.
"I want to make something clear. The most serious part of this incident is not that it happened to me. It is that it could have happened to anyone."
He looked toward the division heads.
"A person who comes here seeking help should not have to prove that they are important before receiving basic respect."
The director lowered his eyes.
Nathan continued.
"We have procedures for security. We have policies governing the use of force. We have standards for professional conduct. Yet this morning, an officer ignored all three."
He paused.