VICTORIA: "You're right. I don't. That's why I want the recording preserved and reviewed by someone who isn't involved in this incident."
Brooks nodded slightly.
BROOKS: "That is a reasonable request. The relevant recording should be handled through the appropriate procedures."
Miller looked at him sharply.
GRANT: "You are really determined to make trouble for me."
BROOKS: "I'm determined to make sure we handle this correctly."
The difference between their statements could not have been clearer.
Miller viewed the incident as a problem that needed to be contained.
Brooks was beginning to treat it as an event that needed to be examined.
Victoria knew that neither attitude could determine the final outcome on its own. The evidence would matter. The accounts would matter. The procedures followed after the incident would matter.
She also knew that people sometimes became more careful with their words once they realized their actions might be scrutinized.
That was why she wanted the report made promptly.
She did not want details to disappear into vague recollections or be softened by the passage of time.
She wanted the sequence preserved: the stop, the demand for money, the refusal, the attempt to take her purse, the struggle over the phone, and the moment Miller seized her by the throat.
She wanted Brooks's intervention included, too.
Every detail belonged in the record.
A short time later, a supervisor was contacted.
Victoria remained in her vehicle while Brooks spoke with the person on the radio. She could not hear every word, but she caught enough to understand that the incident was being described as a serious confrontation rather than a routine traffic stop.
Miller stood several feet away.
He appeared increasingly restless, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and looking toward the patrol car.
When Brooks returned, he told Victoria that a supervisor was being notified and that she should avoid leaving until she had received clear instructions about the immediate situation.
Victoria agreed.
She was not interested in creating another confrontation. She wanted medical attention, an accurate report, and a clear explanation of what would happen next.
Her phone vibrated on the passenger seat.
She picked it up and saw a message from her business partner, Claire Morgan, asking whether she was still on her way home.
Victoria stared at the message for a moment.
Only a short time earlier, she had been singing along to music and thinking about dinner. Now she was sitting beside a police cruiser, trying to understand how an ordinary afternoon had turned into something she might remember for the rest of her life.
She typed a brief response.
VICTORIA: "I've been stopped by the police. Something serious happened. I'm safe for the moment, but I'll explain later."
Claire responded almost immediately.
CLAIRE: "Are you hurt? Do you need me to come?"
Victoria looked at her reflection in the dark phone screen.
She could see the fear in her own eyes, and the faint redness around her neck was becoming more noticeable.
VICTORIA: "My neck hurts. I'm waiting for the situation to be documented. I'll call you when I can."
She placed the phone down and leaned back against the seat.
For a moment, she closed her eyes.
She did not cry.
She wanted to, but the tears seemed trapped behind the shock of what had happened. Her mind kept returning to Miller's face at the window, the certainty in his voice when he demanded money, and the sudden pressure around her throat.
She had never imagined that refusing an unlawful demand could lead to physical violence.
She had never imagined that the person causing the danger would be someone entrusted with public authority.
And she had never imagined that the most important decision she would make that afternoon would be whether to remain silent or call for help.
She had called.
Now she needed to follow through.
When the supervisor arrived, the situation began to change again.
The supervisor, Sergeant Daniel Price, stepped out of a separate vehicle and approached Brooks first. He was a middle-aged white man with close-cropped gray hair and a serious expression. He listened while Brooks explained the encounter, occasionally asking for clarification.
Price then turned toward Miller.
SERGEANT PRICE: "Officer Miller, I need your account of what happened."
GRANT: "I stopped the vehicle to conduct an investigation. The driver became argumentative and refused to cooperate."
SERGEANT PRICE: "What was the reason for the stop?"
Miller began explaining, but his answer was less specific than Victoria expected.