For several minutes, the discussion remained focused on the investigation.
Then Mitchell closed her tablet.
MITCHELL: "Chief Coleman, there is one additional matter I should mention."
Andre looked at her.
ANDRE: "Go ahead."
MITCHELL: "When I was notified, I was told that two other officers witnessed the incident. I will need to interview them separately."
DANIEL: "That's correct. Officer Miller and Officer Carter were present."
MITCHELL: "I'll arrange that."
Andre nodded.
ANDRE: "And the receptionist?"
MITCHELL: "She will also be interviewed."
ANDRE: "Good."
Mitchell gathered her documents.
MITCHELL: "I will begin securing the evidence immediately."
DANIEL: "Thank you, Lieutenant."
After Mitchell left, Daniel looked toward Andre.
DANIEL: "This is certainly not how I expected your first morning to unfold."
Andre gave a brief, restrained smile.
ANDRE: "Neither did I."
He looked through the conference room window toward the hallway.
Several employees were still moving between offices.
Some appeared to be discussing the incident.
Others avoided looking toward the reception area.
ANDRE: "But perhaps this is exactly the kind of situation I needed to see before beginning the job."
Daniel followed his gaze.
DANIEL: "What do you mean?"
ANDRE: "A report can tell me how a department operates on paper. This morning showed me how at least some people behave when they think nobody important is watching."
Daniel remained quiet.
Andre picked up his notebook again.
ANDRE: "I don't want to make decisions based on one incident alone. But I also won't pretend it didn't happen."
DANIEL: "That is understandable."
ANDRE: "We need to determine whether this was an isolated failure or part of something larger."
Daniel slowly nodded.
He knew that the answer might not be simple.
And he suspected that the new chief would not be satisfied with a superficial explanation.
Meanwhile, back in the main hallway, Ryan Blake was standing near the reception desk.
His colleagues had returned to their work, but the atmosphere around him had changed.
Nobody was joking anymore.
Nobody was treating the incident as an ordinary disagreement.
Ryan looked toward the elevator.
He could still picture Andre standing there, calmly asking him to release his jacket.
He could also hear Daniel's voice introducing the man as the new police chief.
For several years, Ryan had believed that being an officer meant people should automatically respect his authority.
That morning, he had discovered that authority could also be examined.
And for the first time, he was beginning to understand that his actions might have consequences far beyond an uncomfortable conversation in a hallway.
A few minutes later, Lieutenant Mitchell returned with another member of the internal affairs team.
MITCHELL: "Officer Blake?"
Ryan turned immediately.
RYAN: "Yes, Lieutenant."
MITCHELL: "We need to speak with you about the incident involving Chief Coleman."
Ryan straightened.
RYAN: "Of course."
MITCHELL: "Please come with us."
Ryan looked toward the reception desk.
The receptionist was watching quietly.
Officer Miller stood near a doorway.
Officer Carter had stopped beside a filing cabinet.
Nobody said anything.
Ryan followed Mitchell down the corridor.
As they approached the administrative offices, he realized that the morning was far from over.
And while he was preparing to explain his actions, Andre Coleman was already reviewing the department's records.
The new chief had not yet announced his first official policy.
He had not yet held a leadership meeting.
He had not yet addressed the entire department.
But one thing was becoming clear.
He intended to understand what happened inside Harbor Point Police Department before deciding what needed to change.
And the incident at the reception desk was only the beginning of what he was about to discover.
The interview with Officer Ryan Blake lasted nearly two hours.
At first, Ryan believed the matter would be resolved quickly. He assumed that once he explained his intentions, the department would recognize that he had simply been trying to maintain order.
But Lieutenant Sarah Mitchell was not interested in assumptions.
She wanted facts.
She sat across from Ryan in a small administrative interview room, reviewing her notes while a second investigator prepared the recording equipment.
MITCHELL: "Officer Blake, I want you to understand that this interview is part of an official internal review. You will have an opportunity to explain your actions. I also expect you to answer every question accurately."
RYAN: "Understood."
MITCHELL: "Let's begin with the moment Chief Coleman entered the building. What was your first concern?"
RYAN: "I didn't recognize him. He approached reception and said he had an appointment with leadership. I thought I needed to verify his reason for being there."