DANIEL BROOKS: "Because I know what I saw. And I know what you did."
Ryan shook his head.
RYAN MITCHELL: "You don't know anything about me."
DANIEL BROOKS: "You're right. I don't know everything about you."
He paused briefly.
DANIEL BROOKS: "But I know enough about what happened this morning."
Ryan looked toward David again, hoping to find some sign that his colleague might support him.
David remained silent.
The silence was no longer neutral.
It was an acknowledgment that the facts were becoming difficult to dispute.
Ryan turned away and walked several steps toward the open area beside the reception desk. He ran a hand across the back of his neck and stared toward the windows.
For the first time, he seemed to realize that he had lost control of the room.
He had wanted Daniel to feel small.
Instead, the entire station was now watching Ryan struggle to explain himself.
He had wanted the other officers to see him as someone who could not be challenged.
Instead, they were seeing someone who had allowed his temper to dictate his actions.
And he had wanted Emily to remain silent.
Instead, she had begun creating a record of the incident.
The realization made his stomach tighten.
He could still attempt to control the narrative. He could insist that Daniel had provoked him, that the punch had been an accident, or that the entire event had been exaggerated by people who disliked him.
But those explanations would require the witnesses to remain silent or change their accounts.
Ryan looked back toward the desk.
RYAN MITCHELL: "All right. Let's say I lost my temper."
Nobody responded.
RYAN MITCHELL: "It happens. Everyone loses their temper sometimes."
Daniel watched him carefully.
RYAN MITCHELL: "We don't need to turn this into some major investigation. We can settle it right here."
DANIEL BROOKS: "What exactly are you proposing?"
Ryan seemed relieved that Daniel had asked a question.
RYAN MITCHELL: "We agree that things got heated. We both move on, and nobody wastes time on paperwork."
DANIEL BROOKS: "You want me to pretend you didn't hit me?"
RYAN MITCHELL: "I'm saying there's no reason to make this bigger than it needs to be."
DANIEL BROOKS: "The size of the incident isn't determined by how uncomfortable you feel about reporting it."
Ryan's expression hardened again.
RYAN MITCHELL: "You're impossible."
DANIEL BROOKS: "No. I'm being clear."
RYAN MITCHELL: "You want an apology? Fine. I'm sorry you got hurt."
Daniel studied him.
The wording was carefully chosen. Ryan had apologized for the injury, but not for striking him. He had acknowledged the consequence without accepting responsibility for the action that caused it.
DANIEL BROOKS: "That's not an apology for what you did."
RYAN MITCHELL: "What do you want from me?"
DANIEL BROOKS: "The truth."
Ryan let out a frustrated breath.
RYAN MITCHELL: "You want the truth? Fine. You came in here acting like you owned the place, and I wasn't going to let you walk all over me."
DANIEL BROOKS: "I didn't ask you to let me do anything. I asked you to treat me with basic respect."
RYAN MITCHELL: "Respect is earned."
DANIEL BROOKS: "Then why did you decide I didn't deserve any before you even knew who I was?"
Ryan opened his mouth, then closed it.
For several seconds, he had no answer.
Emily looked up from the computer.
David watched Ryan's expression change.
The question had reached the heart of the confrontation. Ryan had made a judgment before he had any meaningful information about Daniel, and every action that followed had grown out of that initial assumption.
He had not asked Daniel why he was there.
He had not checked whether Daniel had an appointment.
He had not offered assistance or requested identification.
He had simply decided that Daniel did not belong, and then acted as though that decision gave him the right to use force.
Ryan looked away first.
RYAN MITCHELL: "I'm done talking about this."
DANIEL BROOKS: "That doesn't make it disappear."
RYAN MITCHELL: "I said I'm done."
Daniel remained silent.
Ryan turned toward the hallway, apparently intending to leave the reception area before anyone could ask more questions.
But before he reached the doorway, a voice came from farther inside the station.
OFFICER DAVID MERCER: "Ryan, wait."
Ryan stopped.
David had moved closer to the reception desk, his expression serious.
DAVID MERCER: "We need to notify a supervisor."
RYAN MITCHELL: "No, we don't."
DAVID MERCER: "Yes, we do."
RYAN MITCHELL: "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."