It belonged to Catherine.
The device was inside her jacket.
She looked at Grady.
"May I retrieve my phone?"
He hesitated.
"WHO IS CALLING?"
"I don't know. It is my personal phone."
"LEAVE IT."
Catherine waited.
Then Parker spoke.
"Sergeant, she's not being detained at this point, correct?"
Grady looked at him.
Parker immediately regretted speaking.
But the question had been asked.
Catherine waited for the answer.
Finally, Grady stepped backward.
"YOU CAN CHECK YOUR PHONE."
Catherine moved slowly.
She retrieved the device and looked at the screen.
There were three missed calls from her office.
One message had arrived from her direct supervisor.
It read:
"URGENT. PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS YOU ARE ABLE."
Catherine frowned.
She had not expected anyone from work to contact her during the birthday celebration.
Then another message appeared.
This one came from a colleague named Robert Ellis.
"Have you seen the incident alert? Your name has just been flagged in a local law enforcement response report. Call me immediately."
Catherine stared at the screen.
Her expression became more serious.
Something about the situation was beginning to extend beyond the driveway.
She looked toward Parker.
"Officer, has this incident already been entered into the department's reporting system?"
Parker nodded.
"An initial event number has been created."
"Has the information been transmitted to any other agency?"
"I don't know, ma'am."
Grady interrupted.
"WHY ARE YOU ASKING THAT?"
Catherine held up her phone slightly.
"Because my office has already received an alert."
Grady looked surprised.
"What alert?"
"I don't know yet. I am going to find out."
She stepped slightly away from the officers and called her supervisor.
The phone rang twice.
Then a familiar voice answered.
"Catherine?"
"Robert, I'm here."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm physically fine. What's happening?"
Robert lowered his voice.
"We received a notification from the interagency monitoring system. It references a law enforcement response at your home."
Catherine glanced toward Grady.
"That was quick."
"The incident was flagged because your government credentials were verified during the encounter."
"Understood."
"Can you explain what happened?"
Catherine briefly described the false disturbance report, the officers arriving with weapons drawn, and the lack of any visible evidence supporting the allegations.
Robert listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he asked one question.
"Have they preserved the recordings?"
"I have requested preservation of the body camera footage, vehicle recordings, dispatch audio, and the original complaint."
"Good. Do not make any assumptions about what the officers intended. Just document everything."
"That's exactly what I'm doing."
Robert paused.
Then he said something that made Catherine look toward Vanessa again.
"There's another issue."
"What is it?"
"The original call may have been associated with a previous complaint involving your address."
Catherine's expression changed.
"What previous complaint?"
"We're checking that now. The alert references an earlier report from the same caller."
Catherine looked at Vanessa.
The neighbor was standing beside Madison.
Both women appeared to be watching her.
"Can you identify the caller?"
Robert checked his records.
"Vanessa Whitmore."
Catherine remained silent.
Robert continued.
"Apparently, there was an earlier incident involving a dispute over a property boundary and allegations of threatening behavior."
Catherine closed her eyes briefly.
The camera dispute.
The complaints to the homeowners' association.
The repeated accusations.
It was all connected.
"Robert, I need the original documentation preserved."
"We'll handle that. But Catherine, I want you to understand something."
"What?"
"If the complaint was knowingly false and resulted in an improper police response, this may be more serious than an ordinary neighborhood dispute."
Catherine looked at the armed officers.
Then at her mother.
"I understand."
"Are you planning to remain there?"
"Yes. My family is here, and I want the incident properly documented."
"All right. Keep me informed."
The call ended.
Catherine lowered her phone.
Grady was watching her.
"WHO WAS THAT?"
"My supervisor."
"What did he want?"
"To make sure I was safe."
Grady gave a short laugh.
"YOU'RE TURNING A SIMPLE POLICE CALL INTO A FEDERAL INCIDENT."
Catherine looked at him.
"I did not create the circumstances that brought federal attention to this situation."
Grady's face tightened.
Madison whispered something to her mother.
Vanessa shook her head.
Catherine noticed that Madison had begun recording again.
This time, however, the young woman was not smiling.
She appeared nervous.
Her phone was pointed toward the ground.
Vanessa leaned closer to her.
"Stop recording," she whispered.
Madison looked at her.
"But I thought you wanted the video."
"I said stop."
"Why?"
Vanessa's voice became sharper.
"Because this is getting out of hand."
Catherine heard enough to understand that the two were no longer confident about what the footage might show.
She turned toward them.
"Madison, I would strongly encourage you to keep the original recording intact."
Vanessa immediately interrupted.
"Stay away from my daughter."
Catherine looked at her.
"I am not approaching her."
"Then stop talking to her."
Catherine nodded.
"That's fine."
Parker stepped closer.
"Ma'am, please keep the conversation between the officers and the individuals involved."