Behind her was Sergeant Daniel Kim, a more experienced officer who supervised several patrol teams.
Simone looked toward Blake first.
OFFICER SIMONE HART: "What's happening out here?"
Blake immediately pointed at Adrian.
OFFICER BLAKE TURNER: "This man attacked me! I told him to leave, and he assaulted me!"
Sergeant Daniel Kim looked at Adrian's soaked jacket.
Then he noticed the water dripping from the man's hair and face.
SERGEANT DANIEL KIM: "What happened to him?"
OFFICER BLAKE TURNER: "He started fighting me. I was just doing my job."
Simone was about to approach Adrian when she finally looked directly at his face.
Her expression changed.
She stopped walking.
For a moment, she seemed unable to process what she was seeing.
She knew that face.
She had seen it in the official appointment announcement circulated among senior personnel. She had also seen his photograph in the internal department bulletin.
Simone straightened immediately.
OFFICER SIMONE HART: "Commander?"
Blake frowned.
OFFICER BLAKE TURNER: "What?"
Simone did not look at him.
She stood upright and addressed the man in the wet black jacket.
OFFICER SIMONE HART: "Commander Adrian Cole, sir!"
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Sergeant Kim looked from Simone to Adrian, then back toward Blake.
He recognized the name as well.
SERGEANT DANIEL KIM: "Blake... do you know who that is?"
Blake stared at him.
OFFICER BLAKE TURNER: "What are you talking about?"
SERGEANT DANIEL KIM: "That's our new commanding officer."
Blake's expression shifted.
His hand slowly dropped from the radio.
OFFICER BLAKE TURNER: "No. That can't be right."
Adrian reached inside his wet jacket and carefully removed a leather identification case.
He opened it.
Inside was an official senior command identification card bearing his photograph, name, and rank.
He held it where Blake could see it clearly.
ADRIAN COLE: "Adrian Cole. Police Commander. Effective midnight."
Blake looked at the identification card.
Then he looked at Adrian's face.
His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out.
The officer who had just thrown water into a stranger's face, mocked him in public, and physically attacked him was now standing in front of the person who had been appointed to lead the entire department.
For the first time that morning, Blake appeared genuinely frightened.
OFFICER BLAKE TURNER: "Sir... I didn't know."
Adrian closed the identification case.
ADRIAN COLE: "That is precisely the problem."
Blake swallowed.
OFFICER BLAKE TURNER: "Commander, I can explain what happened."
ADRIAN COLE: "You will have an opportunity to provide your account."
Blake glanced toward Simone and Daniel, hoping one of them might intervene.
Neither officer moved to defend him.
Adrian turned toward Simone.
ADRIAN COLE: "Officer Hart, make sure everyone who witnessed this incident can provide their information voluntarily. Nobody is to pressure them or interfere with their statements."
OFFICER SIMONE HART: "Yes, Commander."
ADRIAN COLE: "Sergeant Kim, notify the duty supervisor. Arrange for the incident to be documented, and make sure the medical staff examine anyone who needs attention."
SERGEANT DANIEL KIM: "Understood, sir."
Adrian looked toward the cameras mounted above the main entrance.
ADRIAN COLE: "I also want every available recording from this morning preserved. The original files, every camera angle, and the access logs. Nothing is to be deleted or overwritten."
SERGEANT DANIEL KIM: "I'll make sure that's done."
Blake shifted uneasily.
OFFICER BLAKE TURNER: "Commander, please. It wasn't what it looked like."
Adrian turned toward him.
ADRIAN COLE: "Then the recordings and the witnesses should help us establish what actually happened."
Blake lowered his eyes.
The woman with the shopping bags was still standing nearby. She had now taken out her phone and was looking at the screen, apparently deciding whether to give a statement.
Adrian noticed her hesitation.
ADRIAN COLE: "Ma'am, if you witnessed anything, you may speak with the responding officers. You are not required to do anything you're uncomfortable with."
The woman nodded slowly.
WITNESS: "I saw him throw the water first."
Blake turned sharply.
OFFICER BLAKE TURNER: "You don't know what you saw!"
Sergeant Kim immediately stepped between them.
SERGEANT DANIEL KIM: "Officer Turner, stop. Do not approach the witness."
Adrian watched the exchange carefully.
He had already learned something important about the atmosphere surrounding the department.
People were afraid to speak.
Some feared retaliation. Others had simply become accustomed to seeing officers behave as though their uniforms placed them above ordinary rules.
That was not the culture he intended to accept.
After ensuring that the immediate incident was being documented, Adrian began walking toward the entrance.
But before he reached the doors, something caught his attention.
Across the plaza, near a bus shelter, an elderly woman stood almost motionless.
She wore a faded green coat and held a thick brown envelope tightly against her chest.
Unlike the other pedestrians, she had not reacted dramatically when Blake fell. She had not appeared surprised when Simone recognized Adrian.
Instead, she was watching the security cameras mounted above the entrance.
Her expression was tense, almost desperate.