He approached the scene with one hand resting near his belt.
BROOKS: "Ryan, what's going on?"
Ryan straightened immediately.
The arrival of another officer gave him an opportunity to regain control of the narrative. He adjusted his uniform, composed his expression, and pointed toward Marcus.
RYAN: "Traffic stop turned physical. The suspect resisted and attacked me."
Brooks looked at Marcus.
Then he looked at Ryan.
BROOKS: "Anyone injured?"
RYAN: "I'm fine."
BROOKS: "I asked whether anyone was injured."
RYAN: "No serious injuries."
Brooks nodded once.
He turned toward Marcus.
BROOKS: "Sir, can you tell me what happened?"
Marcus did not begin with accusations.
He indicated the gray sedan, the place where Ryan had fallen, and the witnesses standing nearby.
MARCUS: "The officer stopped my vehicle. He questioned me, ordered me out, and planted a packet in the chest pocket of my jacket. When I challenged him about it, he attempted to strike me. I defended myself and restrained him after he continued attacking."
Brooks listened without interruption.
Then he looked toward the woman holding the phone.
BROOKS: "Did you record any of this?"
WITNESS: "Yes. I started recording when I saw them arguing."
BROOKS: "Would you be willing to preserve the recording and provide a copy?"
WITNESS: "Yes, as long as I know where it's going."
BROOKS: "I'll give you the appropriate contact information."
Ryan shifted his weight.
RYAN: "Sergeant, he left out the part where he assaulted an officer."
Brooks turned toward him.
BROOKS: "You said you were fine."
RYAN: "That doesn't mean he didn't assault me."
BROOKS: "I didn't say it did. I'm asking what happened."
RYAN: "He attacked me when I tried to secure him."
MARCUS: "After you swung at me."
RYAN: "You were resisting a lawful order."
MARCUS: "Which order was that? The one where you demanded that I turn around without explaining the basis for an arrest, or the one where you tried to punch me?"
The sergeant's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had heard arguments between officers and civilians before. He knew that conflicting accounts were common, and he knew that people sometimes remembered events differently after a confrontation.
But Marcus was speaking in a precise sequence.
He was not simply claiming that Ryan had behaved badly. He was identifying the actions that had preceded the physical struggle.
Brooks glanced toward the sedan.
BROOKS: "Do you have any identification?"
Marcus opened his jacket and retrieved the black leather wallet again.
He presented the credentials.
Brooks examined them carefully.
His expression changed.
BROOKS: "Internal Affairs?"
MARCUS: "Special Investigator Marcus Cole."
Brooks looked up.
For a moment, he seemed to be matching the name to something he had heard before.
Then he returned his attention to the identification.
BROOKS: "I see."
Ryan stared at the sergeant.
RYAN: "You know him?"
BROOKS: "I know what his credentials say."
RYAN: "That's all?"
BROOKS: "For now."
The answer left Ryan visibly unsettled.
Brooks returned the identification to Marcus and stepped back.
BROOKS: "Investigator Cole, I'm going to need to establish the sequence of events and secure any available evidence. I'll ask everyone to remain here while we do that."
MARCUS: "That's reasonable."
BROOKS: "Officer Miller, I need your account from the beginning. Don't skip anything."
Ryan looked from Brooks to Marcus.
RYAN: "I already told dispatch what happened."
BROOKS: "Then repeating it should be easy."
The sergeant took a small notebook from his pocket.
Ryan's face tightened.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that the arrival of another officer had not rescued him from the situation. It had created another witness to his conduct.
Brooks began writing.
BROOKS: "What was the reason for the initial stop?"
RYAN: "Improper turn."
BROOKS: "Which traffic regulation?"
RYAN: "The turn was improper."
BROOKS: "Which regulation, Ryan?"
The officer hesitated.
It was a brief pause, but Marcus noticed it.
So did Brooks.
RYAN: "I'd have to check the exact section."
BROOKS: "You initiated the stop. You should be able to identify the reason."
RYAN: "I observed a violation."
BROOKS: "All right. We'll verify that later."
The sergeant wrote another line.
BROOKS: "When did you discover the suspected narcotics?"
Ryan's eyes moved toward Marcus.
RYAN: "During the stop."
BROOKS: "Where exactly?"
RYAN: "Inside his jacket pocket."
BROOKS: "And what were the circumstances of that discovery?"
Ryan's mouth tightened.
He could feel the story narrowing around him.