She had served on the bench for more than twenty years and had worked with Victoria on several complicated matters.
When she saw Victoria's swollen cheek, she stopped just inside the doorway.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "My goodness. Are you in pain?"
Victoria: "Yes, but I'll be examined."
Chief Judge Bennett pulled a chair closer to the desk.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "I have been told that Officer Cross struck you in the fourth-floor corridor."
Victoria: "That is correct."
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "And Bailiff Whitmore witnessed what happened?"
Victoria: "He arrived during the confrontation. Other visitors witnessed the earlier events, and at least one recorded them."
The chief judge nodded, taking in the information without interrupting.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "Security has begun preserving the footage. I have also asked that an independent administrative review be initiated."
Victoria: "Good. I want the records from before the incident preserved as well."
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "What records?"
Victoria: "Whatever led Cross to believe he was supposed to detain me. Dispatch communications, written instructions, identification details, and any contact with courtroom staff."
The chief judge studied her.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "Do you believe someone deliberately misidentified you?"
Victoria: "I don't know yet. I know he acted as though he was certain. I want to find out why."
Chief Judge Bennett folded her hands.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "You should not have to investigate an assault against yourself."
Victoria: "I won't. I want the appropriate people to investigate it independently. But I do want the evidence preserved before anyone decides what the incident means."
The chief judge nodded.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "That is reasonable."
For a moment, the room fell quiet.
Then the chief judge opened the folder she had brought with her.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "There is something else you should know. The preliminary information about Cross's assignment does not match what he told the security supervisor."
Victoria lowered the ice pack slightly.
Victoria: "What do you mean?"
Chief Judge Bennett looked down at the notes.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "He said he had been sent to locate a woman who had failed to appear for a scheduled hearing."
Victoria: "And?"
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "The clerk's preliminary record indicates that the woman he was supposedly looking for had already checked in."
Victoria felt a fresh wave of unease.
Victoria: "At what time?"
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "Before nine o'clock."
Victoria looked toward the clock on her desk.
It was now well past the start of the morning calendar.
If the person Cross believed he was searching for had already arrived, why had he continued looking for her?
And why had he approached Victoria without checking her identity?
Victoria placed the ice pack back against her cheek.
Victoria: "Who was the woman?"
The chief judge hesitated before answering.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "Her name is Lauren Mitchell. She has a hearing scheduled on the fourth floor this morning."
Victoria waited.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "And according to the preliminary records, she was present before Cross entered the corridor."
Victoria stared at the chief judge.
The name was unfamiliar, but the timing was troubling.
If Lauren Mitchell had already checked in, Cross's explanation raised more questions than it answered.
Victoria Hayes: "Then we need to know why he was still searching for her."
Chief Judge Bennett closed the folder.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "Yes. And we need to establish who gave him the instructions he says he was following."
A knock sounded at the door.
Evelyn opened it to find Henry Whitmore standing in the corridor with a courthouse security officer.
Whitmore looked more serious than before.
Henry Whitmore: "Chief Judge, Your Honor, there's an update from the security office."
Chief Judge Bennett gestured for him to enter.
Chief Judge Eleanor Bennett: "What have you found?"
Whitmore glanced at Victoria, then back at the chief judge.
Henry Whitmore: "The officer's written report was submitted before the security team reviewed the corridor footage."
Victoria sat straighter.
Victoria Hayes: "What does the report say?"
Whitmore took a breath.
Henry Whitmore: "It claims that Judge Hayes became physically aggressive first and that Officer Cross used force to defend himself."
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Victoria looked at the chief judge.
The chief judge looked at Whitmore.
Outside the windows, the city continued moving beneath the gray morning sky.
Inside the chambers, the incident had become something more serious than a confrontation witnessed by strangers.
Cross had now provided an account that appeared to conflict with the evidence described by the witnesses.
And he had submitted it before anyone had reviewed the recordings.
Victoria's cheek throbbed beneath the towel.