Before doing anything else, she wrote down a detailed timeline of the encounter.
She recorded the approximate time she first noticed the cruiser, the point where it blocked her lane, the moment Miller approached the window, and the sequence of questions he asked.
She wrote down the demand for two thousand dollars.
She described her refusal and his attempt to take her purse.
She documented the struggle over her phone and the moment he grabbed her throat.
Then she recorded Brooks's intervention, the call for assistance, the arrival of Sergeant Price, and the medical evaluation.
She did not try to turn the notes into an argument.
They were simply a record of what she remembered.
At the bottom of the page, she wrote a single sentence.
"I want the truth established, regardless of who is uncomfortable with it."
She looked at the words for a long time.
Then she closed the notebook.
The following morning, Victoria contacted the appropriate reporting office to ask how to submit a formal complaint and request preservation of relevant evidence.
She explained that the incident involved a roadside stop, an alleged demand for money, and the use of physical force by an officer.
She provided the date, approximate time, location, and names she had obtained.
The person handling the initial inquiry explained that the information would need to be reviewed and that the process could involve multiple agencies depending on the nature of the allegations.
Victoria understood that the involvement of the FBI did not automatically mean the federal agency would take over every aspect of the matter.
The initial call had been a way to report what she believed had happened and obtain guidance.
Now she needed to follow the appropriate procedures and allow the responsible authorities to assess the evidence and jurisdiction.
She asked specifically about the police body-camera footage.
The representative explained that requests and preservation procedures would need to be directed through the proper channels. Victoria wrote down the instructions and made a note to follow up.
She also asked how to obtain a copy of the incident report.
Again, she received procedural guidance rather than an immediate answer.
It was not as satisfying as hearing that an investigation had already produced a conclusion.
But it was realistic.
An allegation did not become a proven finding simply because it had been reported, and an official complaint did not guarantee a particular outcome.
Victoria wanted the process to be thorough.
She also wanted it to move forward without unnecessary delay.
After the call, she forwarded her notes to a secure personal account so she would have a dated record of what she had written. She saved the relevant contact details and created a folder for documents connected to the incident.
Claire watched her organize the information.
CLAIRE: "You're treating this like a business project."
VICTORIA: "In a way, I am."
CLAIRE: "How do you mean?"
VICTORIA: "I can't control what the department decides to do. I can't control what Miller says. I can't control how long the investigation takes. But I can make sure I have my own timeline, keep every document, follow up when I'm supposed to, and tell the truth consistently."
Claire considered that.
CLAIRE: "That makes sense."
VICTORIA: "If I let the anger take over, I'll spend all my time thinking about what he might do next. I'd rather concentrate on what I can actually do."
It was the first time since the incident that Victoria felt she had begun to recover a sense of direction.
The experience had taken away her feeling of safety, but it had not taken away her ability to make decisions.
She could still act carefully.
She could still ask questions.
She could still demand that the evidence be examined.
Over the next several days, Victoria followed the reporting instructions she had received.
She submitted the information requested from her, retained copies of her correspondence, and made sure that her account remained consistent with the notes she had written immediately after the incident.
She avoided posting accusations on social media while the facts were still being reviewed.
She did not want rumors to replace evidence, and she did not want a public argument to distract from the central questions.
What had Miller said?
What had he done?
What had Brooks witnessed?
What did the recordings show?
And what steps would the responsible authorities take after reviewing the evidence?
Those questions were more important than speculation about Miller's personal life or assumptions about what the department might eventually decide.