SECURITY OFFICER: "Understood. Do you need me to speak to any witnesses?"
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "For now, please make sure the entrance remains accessible. We may need witness details once the immediate situation is secure."
The security officer nodded and moved back toward the courthouse doors, where he began directing pedestrians around the gathering. His presence helped clear a narrow path along the steps, but it did little to ease the tension among the people who had seen Bennett's behavior.
Olivia turned back toward Eleanor and Daniel. She wanted to hear their accounts separately, without allowing the discussion to become a public argument. Before she could begin, Bennett called out from beside the patrol car.
OFFICER MARCUS BENNETT: "Sergeant, are you seriously going to let these people stand here and accuse me?"
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "Nobody is conducting an investigation in the middle of the crowd. Please remain where you are."
OFFICER MARCUS BENNETT: "They're all making me out to be the villain."
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "I have instructed you to remain silent about the incident until assistance arrives. Follow that instruction."
Bennett shook his head and crossed his arms. He appeared unable to accept that the scene was no longer under his control. Each time someone looked in his direction, he seemed to interpret it as a judgment against him.
Eleanor watched him from beside the column. Her face had become paler, and her hands were clasped tightly around the handle of her handbag. Olivia noticed and approached her, keeping her voice softer than it had been when addressing Bennett.
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "Ma'am, would you like to sit down for a moment?"
ELEANOR BROOKS: "I think I would. My legs are shaking."
Olivia gestured toward a low stone bench set back from the main walkway. Eleanor moved toward it slowly, and Daniel offered to carry her loose papers while she sat. She hesitated, then handed him the envelope.
DANIEL CARTER: "Here you go. I'll keep these together for you."
ELEANOR BROOKS: "Thank you. I appreciate that."
Daniel placed the papers carefully inside the envelope and handed it back once Eleanor had settled onto the bench. She sat with her feet firmly on the pavement and took several slow breaths. Olivia crouched slightly so that she could speak to her without looming over her.
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "Are you injured anywhere? Did he hurt your arm when he grabbed you?"
ELEANOR BROOKS: "My arm feels sore, but I don't think anything is broken. I was more frightened than anything else."
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "I'm sorry this happened to you. I need to understand exactly what took place, but we can take this one step at a time."
ELEANOR BROOKS: "I don't want to cause trouble for anyone. I only wanted to leave."
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "You can tell me what happened without worrying about causing trouble. My responsibility is to make sure the situation is handled properly."
Eleanor looked down at her hands. For a few seconds, she said nothing. The events of the last several minutes were still moving through her mind: Bennett blocking her path, the sharpness in his voice, the papers falling to the ground, and Daniel stepping forward when she had been too frightened to speak.
ELEANOR BROOKS: "He stopped me when I was walking toward the road. I tried to explain where I was going, but he wouldn't listen. Every time I tried to move away, he stood in front of me."
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "Did he tell you why he was stopping you?"
ELEANOR BROOKS: "He said I needed to follow his instructions, but I didn't understand what I had done. There were other people walking through the same place."
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "Did you touch him or threaten him at any point?"
ELEANOR BROOKS: "No. I tried to get around him once, and I think my shoulder brushed his arm. I said I was sorry because I didn't want him to think I was trying to push past him."
Olivia listened carefully and made a note in her notebook. She did not interrupt Eleanor's account or suggest what she should say. The older woman spoke slowly, pausing occasionally to collect her thoughts.
ELEANOR BROOKS: "Then he started shouting. I was frightened, so I stepped back. I kept telling him that I wanted to go home."
SERGEANT OLIVIA REED: "And what happened after Mr. Carter approached?"
ELEANOR BROOKS: "He asked whether I was all right. He wasn't threatening anyone. He was trying to understand why the officer was treating me that way."