Daniel looked toward the wastebasket beside the filing cabinet.
Then he looked back at her.
His expression became almost playful.
DANIEL COLE: You want this back?
CLAIRE BENNETT: Yes.
Daniel suddenly lifted the wallet toward the other officers.
DANIEL COLE: Here. Maybe this is where it belongs.
He released it.
The identification wallet dropped into the plastic wastebasket.
It struck the bottom with a hollow sound.
The federal badge remained visible through the transparent opening.
For several seconds, the operations room became completely silent.
The sound of ringing telephones and distant conversations seemed to disappear into the background.
Gabriel stared at the wastebasket.
A patrol officer slowly lowered the paperwork he had been holding.
The detective near the printer looked at Daniel with disbelief.
Daniel folded his arms.
DANIEL COLE: There. Problem solved.
Claire looked down at the wallet.
Then she looked directly at him.
There was no embarrassment on her face.
No desperation.
No attempt to argue.
Instead, she appeared to be making a careful mental record of everything that had just happened.
CLAIRE BENNETT: Are you finished?
DANIEL COLE: What?
CLAIRE BENNETT: Your demonstration. Are you finished?
Daniel gave a short laugh.
DANIEL COLE: You can pick it up yourself.
CLAIRE BENNETT: I will retrieve it when appropriate.
DANIEL COLE: What's that supposed to mean?
CLAIRE BENNETT: It means I have more important things to address.
Daniel's smile faded slightly.
He had expected her to become angry.
He had expected her to demand an apology.
Instead, she reached for her black leather case and placed it on the nearest desk.
She opened it and removed a folder containing the federal inspection authorization.
CLAIRE BENNETT: Officer Cole, I want you to understand something.
DANIEL COLE: I'm listening.
CLAIRE BENNETT: This inspection was authorized before I entered the building. Your department received the relevant documentation. My credentials are registered, and the purpose of my visit has been formally recorded.
DANIEL COLE: So?
CLAIRE BENNETT: So your personal opinion about my position does not change the authority under which I am operating.
Daniel stared at her.
CLAIRE BENNETT: And your decision to interfere with that inspection will be documented separately.
DANIEL COLE: You're threatening me?
CLAIRE BENNETT: I'm informing you of what happens when an officer interferes with an official investigation.
Daniel glanced toward Gabriel.
GABRIEL ORTIZ: You should probably stop, Dan.
DANIEL COLE: I told you to stay out of it.
Gabriel looked away.
Claire noticed that the young officer was frightened.
She also noticed something else.
When Daniel had taken her credentials, a man standing near the eastern corridor had immediately disappeared through a restricted doorway.
The man had been wearing a dark uniform.
He had carried a thin folder.
And he had been watching the confrontation before leaving.
Claire recognized the significance.
Someone had been waiting for her arrival.
Someone knew that she would begin examining the evidence records.
And someone might have used Daniel's behavior to create a distraction.
She glanced toward the corridor.
Then she looked back at Daniel.
CLAIRE BENNETT: Who was the officer standing near the eastern hallway?
DANIEL COLE: What officer?
CLAIRE BENNETT: The man who just left.
DANIEL COLE: I don't know what you're talking about.
CLAIRE BENNETT: You didn't see him?
DANIEL COLE: I was dealing with you.
Claire studied him.
She decided not to reveal what she had noticed.
Instead, she reached into her blazer and removed her phone.
Daniel watched her.
DANIEL COLE: Who are you calling?
CLAIRE BENNETT: My office.
DANIEL COLE: You can complain later.
CLAIRE BENNETT: I'm not calling to complain.
She unlocked the device and selected a secure contact.
The call connected after two rings.
CLAIRE BENNETT: Control, this is Bennett.
A voice answered.
Claire looked toward the operations room.
CLAIRE BENNETT: Confirm my registered inspection location.
She listened.
CLAIRE BENNETT: Correct. North River Police Division. Central precinct.
She paused.
CLAIRE BENNETT: I have encountered interference from a local officer. Federal identification has been taken, physical contact has occurred, and the inspection has been obstructed.
Daniel's expression changed.
DANIEL COLE: What are you doing?
Claire ignored him.
CLAIRE BENNETT: I also have reason to believe that someone may be attempting to remove or alter evidence before the inspection is completed.
The voice on the other end asked another question.
Claire looked toward the evidence corridor.