DESK SERGEANT MARTIN HALE: "You need to establish whether this car is connected to the original report. If it isn't, you need to explain why you're continuing to hold her."
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "I'm not finished investigating."
DESK SERGEANT MARTIN HALE: "Then investigate. But don't confuse continuing to look for information with having evidence against someone."
Reynolds gathered the papers and stepped away from the desk.
He was now facing a problem he could no longer ignore. The official registration information supported Victoria's claim, and another employee had questioned the basis for her detention. If he continued without identifying additional evidence, he would have to justify that decision to people who were not present when he first approached her.
He disliked the prospect.
He had spent the afternoon acting as though the situation was straightforward. He had told Victoria that the station would resolve the matter, as though bringing her there would somehow validate the decision he had already made.
Now the records were beginning to suggest the opposite.
He walked toward the interview room, carrying the documents in one hand. Before opening the door, he stopped briefly and looked at the report again.
The vehicle description was incomplete.
The registration had not been confirmed as a match.
The registered owner was the woman sitting inside.
And the woman had asked him to check those facts from the beginning.
Reynolds opened the door.
Victoria looked up immediately.
VICTORIA HAYES: "Have you found anything?"
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "The registration is active."
VICTORIA HAYES: "And does it match my name?"
He did not answer at once.
VICTORIA HAYES: "Officer Reynolds, does it match my name?"
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "Yes. The registration lists you as the owner."
Victoria closed her eyes briefly, not in relief but in frustration. She had known what the records would show. The information had been available before she was handcuffed, before she was led across the parking lot, and before she was placed in the back of a patrol car.
VICTORIA HAYES: "Then why am I still here?"
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "I'm checking whether the vehicle matches the original report."
VICTORIA HAYES: "That is a reasonable thing to check. But you should have done it before deciding that I was a suspect."
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "I had to investigate the circumstances."
VICTORIA HAYES: "You did investigate them. You just ignored the information I gave you."
Reynolds placed the folder on the table.
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "I'm not going to argue with you."
VICTORIA HAYES: "Neither am I. I want the facts documented correctly."
She shifted slightly in her chair, and the cuffs scraped against the metal frame.
VICTORIA HAYES: "I also want these restraints removed. You've confirmed that the car is registered to me. If you have another reason to keep me here, please state it clearly."
Reynolds looked at her wrists, then away.
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "I haven't completed the investigation."
VICTORIA HAYES: "Then tell me exactly what remains to be verified."
The officer opened his mouth, but no immediate answer came.
He could have identified the next specific step. He could have explained what detail remained uncertain and why it mattered. He could have acknowledged that the registration check had weakened his initial suspicion.
Instead, he repeated the same general statement.
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "I need to complete my investigation."
Victoria watched him in silence for a moment.
VICTORIA HAYES: "You keep using that phrase, but you still haven't identified evidence that I committed a crime."
Reynolds's expression tightened.
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "You need to understand that I can't simply release everyone who tells me they are innocent."
VICTORIA HAYES: "I have never asked you to release me merely because I said I was innocent. I have asked you to examine the evidence. You now have official records showing that the vehicle belongs to me. If you have other evidence, present it. If you don't, explain why I am still being detained."
Her answer left little room for him to redirect the conversation.
For several seconds, Reynolds stood beside the table, looking at the documents. He appeared to be weighing his options, although Victoria could not know what he was thinking.
Finally, he picked up the folder.
OFFICER JACK REYNOLDS: "I'll be back."
He walked out.
The door closed behind him, leaving Victoria alone again.
This time, however, she knew that the records had confirmed the first major fact in her favor. The Mercedes was registered to her. The information matched her identification. The initial suspicion was no longer supported by the evidence Reynolds had chosen to examine.