“You can stop staring at the entrance,” he said.
“I'm looking out the window.”
“Same thing.”
Elena turned toward him.
“Officer Mitchell, I would like to speak to your supervisor.”
Ryan started the engine.
“You'll get your chance.”
“When?”
“When we get there.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“The station.”
“Which station?”
He looked at her in the mirror.
“You have a lot of questions for someone in handcuffs.”
“You have a lot of unanswered questions for someone making an arrest.”
Ryan shook his head.
“You know, most people figure out pretty quickly that being polite gets them further.”
“Is that what you call this?”
“What?”
“Polite?”
He turned around in his seat.
“Listen carefully. I am trying to give you an opportunity to make this easy. You can sit quietly, stop challenging everything I say, and let me handle the situation.”
Elena's voice remained even.
“An officer's authority does not remove his obligation to explain his actions.”
“That's enough.”
“Then stop asking me to accept an explanation you haven't given.”
Ryan stared at her.
He had never liked people who remained calm while he was angry. Their composure felt like an accusation, as though they were silently measuring him against a standard he could not meet.
He faced forward and put the car in gear.
Before he pulled away, his radio crackled.
“Unit Twelve, confirm your status.”
Ryan pressed the button.
“Subject detained. En route to the central precinct.”
A brief pause followed.
Then another voice came through.
“Unit Twelve, stand by. Supervisor requests your current location.”
Ryan frowned.
“Central parking lot. Preparing to depart.”
“Remain on scene. Do not transport the subject until further notice.”
His hand tightened around the radio.
“Copy that. Can I get the reason?”
“Stand by.”
The transmission ended.
Ryan looked at the radio as if it had personally insulted him.
Elena watched him through the rearview mirror.
“Something wrong?”
“Don't start.”
“I haven't started anything.”
He turned his head.
“You think this is funny?”
“No.”
“Then stop looking so satisfied.”
“I am not satisfied.”
“Could've fooled me.”
Elena took a slow breath.
“Officer Mitchell, I don't know what you were told this morning, and I don't know why you decided to detain me. But I suggest you contact your supervisor before this situation becomes more complicated.”
Ryan laughed, but the sound was strained.
“You're not in a position to suggest anything.”
The radio crackled again.
“Unit Twelve, acknowledge.”
Ryan grabbed it.
“Unit Twelve. Go ahead.”
“Supervisor is requesting that you return to the administrative entrance. Do not enter the central precinct. Await instructions.”
Ryan stared through the windshield.
The administrative entrance was less than a hundred feet away.
He had been ordered to wait, and he had no idea why.
“Copy,” he replied.
He switched off the engine.
Silence settled over the vehicle.
Elena watched the building entrance.
A black sedan had just pulled into the reserved parking area. A woman in a charcoal coat stepped out, spoke briefly to the security guard, and disappeared inside.
Ryan did not recognize her.
Elena did.
It was Assistant Inspector General Rebecca Shaw, the senior official who had signed the authorization for Elena's investigation.
Rebecca had been scheduled to arrive at 8:45.
It was now 8:39.
Elena glanced at the dashboard clock.
Then she looked at Ryan.
“Your supervisor is about to receive a phone call.”
He scoffed.
“From whom?”
“Someone who will want to know why I'm sitting in the back of your patrol car.”
Ryan turned fully around.
“Who are you?”
Elena held his gaze.
“You've had my identification since this began.”
“Your identification says your name.”
“Then you have the answer to your question.”
“No. I want to know why you're acting like you own the place.”
“I don't.”
“Then why are you so confident?”
Elena looked at the handcuffs around her wrists.
“Because I know what I came here to do.”
Ryan stared at her.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that her confidence might not come from arrogance.
It might come from information he did not possess.
He opened the driver's door and stepped outside.
He walked several paces away, then took out his phone.
Elena could not hear the conversation, but she watched his body language.
At first, he spoke quickly.
Then he stopped talking.
His shoulders stiffened.
He glanced toward the building.
He said something else, listened, and lowered the phone.
When he returned to the car, his expression had changed.
“What did you tell them?” he demanded.
“Who?”
“My supervisor.”
“I haven't spoken to your supervisor.”
“Don't play games with me.”
Elena's eyes narrowed.
“Officer Mitchell, you have my phone, my identification, and my location. You have not allowed me to make a call. Who exactly do you think I contacted?”
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
The radio crackled.
“Unit Twelve, a representative from the Inspector General's Office is approaching your location. Keep the subject secured and await further direction.”
Ryan's face drained of color.
Elena slowly turned toward the building.
A woman in a charcoal coat was walking across the parking lot, carrying a black leather briefcase. She moved with purpose, her eyes fixed on the patrol vehicle.