"I asked for standard verification."
"You expected us to take your badge at face value."
"No. I expected you to check it."
Kane moved closer, but Brooks immediately stepped between him and Cross.
"That's enough."
Kane looked at her in disbelief.
"You're physically getting between me and a suspect now?"
"I'm preventing this conversation from escalating again."
"Nothing is escalating."
Brooks glanced at Cross's face.
"Then there should be no reason for you to approach him."
Kane looked as though he wanted to argue, but he stopped himself. For a moment, his gaze shifted toward the conference room door, as if he were calculating whether he could end the discussion by ordering everyone out.
Then the phone rang again.
This time, nobody moved immediately.
The sound seemed louder than before, cutting through the room with an insistence that made the silence afterward feel unnatural.
Brooks reached for the receiver.
Kane's voice came quickly.
"Put it on speaker."
She paused.
"Why?"
"So everyone can hear the verification."
Brooks considered the request. If the caller was prepared to provide official information, a speakerphone conversation could ensure that the relevant details were heard by those present. But she would not allow Kane to turn the call into another performance.
"Only if the person on the line agrees."
She picked up the receiver and answered.
After identifying herself, she explained that the officer who had initiated the request was present and asked whether the caller could provide the update to the group. A brief exchange followed.
Brooks pressed the speaker button.
A voice came through the phone, slightly distorted by the conference room's acoustics. The caller identified the reference number associated with the request and asked for confirmation that the relevant parties were present.
Brooks supplied the names.
Kane stood rigidly beside the table.
Cross remained where he was, his cuffed hands still in front of him.
The caller explained that the information had been located, but that a final confirmation was still required before the request could be closed. The details provided so far were consistent with an official identification record, although the caller would not declare the verification complete until the designated process had been followed.
Brooks listened carefully.
"Understood," she said. "What additional information do you need from us?"
The caller gave instructions for the next step.
Brooks wrote them down.
Kane interrupted.
"Are you saying the badge is legitimate?"
The speakerphone went quiet for a moment.
The caller asked who was speaking.
"Officer Victor Kane," he answered. "I'm the arresting officer. I need to know whether this man is actually who he claims to be."
The response was professional and restrained. The caller explained that the request was still being processed and that the final status would be communicated through the appropriate channel. The caller also made it clear that an officer's personal assessment of a badge's appearance was not a substitute for authentication.
Kane's mouth tightened.
"So you can't confirm anything."
"That is not what I said," the caller replied. "I said the process is not complete."
Brooks glanced at Cross.
Parker looked directly at Kane.
The officer stood motionless, his face revealing the strain of being corrected in front of his colleagues by someone whose instructions he could not simply dismiss.
The call continued for another minute. Brooks confirmed the next steps, repeated the reference number, and thanked the caller before ending the conversation.
No one spoke immediately.
The information had not yet settled the entire matter, but it had changed the atmosphere in the room. The verification was no longer an abstract possibility that Kane could delay indefinitely. It was an active process, supported by a reference number and a clear sequence of steps.
And the preliminary information had not supported his confident declaration that the badge was fake.
Kane turned toward Cross.
"Don't look so pleased with yourself."
Cross's face remained serious.
"I'm not pleased."
"You've been waiting for this."
"I've been waiting for you to verify my identification."
Kane pointed toward him.
"You're going to regret the way you've handled this."
Brooks stepped forward.
"Victor, that sounds like a threat."
"It's a statement."
"Then explain what you mean."
Kane opened his mouth, but no immediate answer came.
He looked at Cross, then at Brooks, then toward Parker, who had begun writing again. The officer seemed to realize that every additional remark was becoming part of a record that might be reviewed later.
He took a breath and forced himself to lower his voice.