The words came out before he could stop himself.
Silence filled the room.
Daniel's eyes widened slightly.
Emily did not move.
He had just implied that he knew something about her activities before the encounter, or that someone had informed him about them.
She leaned forward a fraction.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing."
"You said I've been asking questions."
"I said maybe you have."
"Who told you that?"
Daniel pushed his chair back.
"This interview is over."
He moved toward the door.
Emily watched him, her mind racing through the possibilities. If he knew about the investigation, the information had come from someone who had access to details that were not publicly available. The leak could have originated in the department, in a related agency, or through someone who had observed her activities in Westbridge.
The network might be larger than her team had estimated.
Daniel opened the door and looked into the corridor.
A uniformed officer was approaching from the other end, carrying a clipboard. He glanced inside the room.
"Everything all right, Reed?"
Daniel stepped partly into the doorway.
"Fine."
"Captain wants the arrest paperwork when you're finished."
Daniel's expression tightened.
"Tell him I'll bring it."
The officer looked past him toward Emily.
"Is she processed yet?"
"Not yet."
"Then you'll need to get her into the system."
"I know how to do my job."
The officer raised both hands slightly.
"Just passing along the message."
He continued down the corridor.
Daniel remained in the doorway for another moment before closing it again. He looked at Emily with open resentment.
"You've caused enough trouble for one afternoon."
Emily met his gaze.
"I haven't even started."
He returned to the table, picked up the packet, and slipped it into a small evidence envelope he had taken from a drawer. He wrote something on the label, but he kept the envelope turned away from her.
Emily watched his hands.
"Are you documenting the chain of custody?"
Daniel did not respond.
"Did you photograph the packet before removing it from my pocket?"
Silence.
"Did you record the search?"
He pressed the adhesive strip across the envelope.
Emily continued.
"Did you have a witness?"
Daniel put the envelope into his pocket.
"You're done asking questions."
"Then I assume the answers are no."
He leaned over the table.
"You need to understand something. You are not in control here."
Emily looked directly at him.
"Control isn't the same as authority."
His face hardened.
He stood and walked toward the door again, but this time he stopped before opening it.
For several seconds, he appeared to be weighing a decision.
Then he turned back.
"One more chance," he said. "Tell me who you are, and I might be able to help you."
Emily studied him.
"You can help me by following the law."
He shook his head slowly.
"You're making a mistake."
"No. I'm giving you an opportunity."
"An opportunity for what?"
"To stop."
Daniel stared at her.
The word seemed to irritate him because it implied that he still had a choice. He had built the entire encounter around the belief that his authority allowed him to dictate the outcome. He had planted evidence, created a false accusation, and removed her from a public street. Yet Emily continued to speak as though the situation could still be corrected.
That possibility threatened him more than her anger.
He opened the door.
"Stay here."
He stepped into the corridor and closed it behind him.
Emily waited until his footsteps faded before allowing herself a deeper breath.
The room was quiet, but she was not alone in the way Daniel believed. The camera remained mounted in the corner. The recording could capture his questions, his threats, and his attempts to persuade her to provide information in exchange for favorable treatment.
If the system was functioning properly, the footage would be preserved.
If it was not, that failure would become another part of the investigation.
Emily lowered her hands slightly behind her back and felt for the hairpin again.
The metal was still there.
She had spent enough time observing Daniel to understand his immediate priorities. He wanted to identify her, determine who had sent her, and prevent her from reaching anyone who might interfere. The false arrest was a tool, not an end in itself.
That meant he had either been instructed to find her or had recognized her as a potential threat to the people involved in the investigation.
She needed to learn which.
Emily shifted her wrists carefully and began preparing for the moment when she would no longer be willing to remain in the chair.
Outside the room, a telephone rang again.