"What can be done?"
"Maybe the whole thing was a misunderstanding."
Emily stared at him.
A few minutes earlier, he had insisted that she had been caught carrying illegal drugs. Now he was suggesting that the matter might be a misunderstanding if she gave him information.
The contradiction was revealing.
Daniel did not appear interested in the packet itself. He was interested in what she knew and who might be looking for her.
"You seem unusually concerned about my activities," Emily said.
"I'm concerned about a potential criminal."
"Then why are you offering to make the charges disappear?"
His expression hardened.
"I didn't say that."
"You said you'd see what could be done."
"You're twisting my words again."
"Perhaps you should choose them more carefully."
Daniel leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. When he looked at her again, his voice had become quieter.
"Look, I'm going to give you some advice. You don't know how things work around here."
Emily waited.
"There are people in this city who have been doing this job longer than you've been alive. They know the streets, they know the people, and they know how to keep the city safe. When they identify a problem, they deal with it."
"And when they become the problem?"
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
"Careful."
"Why? Is that question dangerous?"
He slapped his palm against the table.
"Enough!"
The sound echoed through the small room.
Emily remained seated, her expression unchanged.
Daniel seemed surprised that the outburst had not produced the reaction he wanted. He had expected her to flinch, apologize, or finally begin pleading for herself.
Instead, she looked at him as though she were studying a witness who had just contradicted his own statement.
He lowered his voice again.
"Do you think anyone here is going to believe you over me?"
Emily glanced toward the camera in the corner.
"That depends on what they see."
Daniel followed her gaze.
His eyes lingered on the device.
For a moment, he seemed to forget that it was there.
Then he stood abruptly, walked to the wall, and examined the small indicator light.
Emily watched him.
"Is it recording?"
He turned around.
"Of course it is."
"Good."
"Why?"
"Because I want the entire conversation preserved."
Daniel stared at her.
"You really don't understand what kind of trouble you're in."
Emily folded her hands as much as the restraints allowed.
"No, Officer Reed. I think you don't understand what kind of trouble you're in."
He walked back to the table and leaned over it.
"Who are you?"
Emily did not answer.
He pointed at the packet.
"Where did you get the idea that I planted this?"
"I watched you do it."
"Then explain exactly what you saw."
"You approached me, asked a series of questions, and moved your hand toward my back pocket. You placed the packet inside it. Then you pulled it out and pretended to discover it."
Daniel's face was unreadable.
"That's a very detailed story."
"It's a very simple sequence of events."
"And you expect someone to believe you?"
"I expect the recording to speak for itself."
He stared at her for several seconds before sitting down again.
The room fell silent.
Outside, a telephone rang in the corridor. Someone laughed briefly at a distant desk. A door closed, followed by the sound of footsteps moving away.
Daniel looked toward the window.
Emily used the moment to assess the restraints again. The handcuffs had been tightened too far, and her wrists were beginning to ache. She could feel the hairpin in the back pocket of her jeans, but she kept her movements controlled and her attention on Daniel.
She had decided that if he attempted to move her somewhere else or interfere with the recording, she would no longer wait for the ideal moment.
The investigation mattered.
So did her safety.
Daniel returned his attention to her.
"Suppose I believe you," he said.
Emily raised an eyebrow.
"Suppose?"
"Suppose I consider the possibility that you misunderstood what happened."
"I didn't."
"Just listen."
She waited.
"What would you say if I told you that the packet wasn't the reason I stopped you?"
Emily felt a chill move through her thoughts.
There it was again.
The admission that the supposed drugs were not the real reason for the encounter.
She kept her face neutral.
"What was the reason?"
Daniel hesitated.
"You were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"You've been asking questions about things that don't concern you."
Emily stared at him.
"I've never spoken to you before today."
"Maybe not directly."