Emily watched him leave, then returned to the computer.
Daniel remained beside her workstation.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
The reception area was gradually returning to motion, but the normal sounds of the station no longer felt reassuring. Each telephone call, each opening door, and each passing officer seemed to carry the possibility of another piece of information.
Emily finally turned toward Daniel.
EMILY CARTER: "Can I ask you something?"
DANIEL BROOKS: "Of course."
EMILY CARTER: "When Ryan grabbed you, you didn't look surprised that he was angry. You looked surprised that he actually hit you."
Daniel considered her observation.
DANIEL BROOKS: "I was surprised by both."
EMILY CARTER: "But you stayed so calm."
DANIEL BROOKS: "Getting angry wouldn't have helped me understand what was happening."
Emily glanced at the injury on his cheek.
EMILY CARTER: "I don't know if I could have done that."
DANIEL BROOKS: "You don't know how you'll react until you're in the situation. What matters is what you choose to do afterward."
Emily looked at the report she had started preparing.
EMILY CARTER: "I just hope doing the right thing doesn't make everything harder."
Daniel followed her gaze.
DANIEL BROOKS: "Sometimes it does. That doesn't mean it was the wrong thing to do."
The answer was simple, but Emily found herself thinking about it long after he had finished speaking.
She had spent years learning the routines of the department, memorizing procedures, and understanding which issues required immediate attention. She knew how to remain professional during an emergency and how to keep her voice steady when callers were frightened.
What she had not fully considered was how difficult it could be to remain professional when the problem came from inside the institution she worked for.
It was easier to follow a procedure when everyone agreed that the procedure mattered.
It was harder when the person challenging it was someone who could make tomorrow's shift uncomfortable.
Emily looked at Daniel again.
He was still holding the tissue against his cheek, but his attention had returned to the administrative notice.
He seemed determined to understand what had gone wrong without allowing the confrontation to become an excuse for careless accusations.
That gave Emily a measure of confidence.
She returned to her keyboard and continued documenting the available information.
A few minutes later, David returned from the hallway.
His expression was more serious than before.
DAVID MERCER: "I spoke with the shift supervisor."
Daniel looked up.
DANIEL BROOKS: "And?"
DAVID MERCER: "He says he wasn't informed that anyone was arriving for a leadership meeting this morning."
Emily turned away from her screen.
EMILY CARTER: "But the notice came in before the shift started."
DAVID MERCER: "That's what I told him."
DANIEL BROOKS: "What did he say about the confirmation request?"
DAVID MERCER: "He wants to check the communications records before giving an answer."
Daniel nodded.
That was a reasonable response. The supervisor was entitled to verify the facts rather than rely on memory alone.
But David had more to say.
DAVID MERCER: "He also asked who was involved in the incident at reception."
Daniel looked at him.
DAVID MERCER: "I told him what I saw."
DANIEL BROOKS: "Thank you."
DAVID MERCER: "Ryan has already gone to the administrative offices. I don't know whether he's speaking to someone about the incident."
Daniel did not react immediately.
DANIEL BROOKS: "That's his choice. We should continue recording what we know."
David nodded, though concern remained on his face.
DAVID MERCER: "There's something else you should know."
Daniel waited.
DAVID MERCER: "This isn't the first time Ryan has had a confrontation with someone he thought he could push around."
Emily slowly turned in her chair.
The words changed the atmosphere again.
Daniel looked at David carefully.
DANIEL BROOKS: "What do you mean?"
DAVID MERCER: "I've seen him talk down to officers who were new to the department. I've heard him threaten to make their shifts difficult if they challenged him. Most of the time, people just tried to avoid him."
DANIEL BROOKS: "Have any of those incidents been formally reported?"
David hesitated.
DAVID MERCER: "I don't know. Some people complained informally. I can't tell you what happened after that."
Daniel did not press him for details he could not verify.
DANIEL BROOKS: "If there are previous incidents, the appropriate people can review them. But I need specific information, not rumors."
DAVID MERCER: "I understand."
DAVID looked toward the hallway.
DAVID MERCER: "I just thought you should know why people were so reluctant to speak up."