MAYA JOHNSON: "I'm sorry, Aunt Loretta. I've been stopped on the road, and things have gotten complicated."
AUNT LORETTA: "Complicated how? Are you all right?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "I'm safe right now. I was pulled out of my car by a highway patrol officer. Some federal agents have arrived, and they're trying to figure out why."
There was a long silence.
AUNT LORETTA: "Federal agents? Why would they be involved?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "I don't know yet."
AUNT LORETTA: "Are you hurt?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "My shoulder hurts, but I'm going to get it checked."
AUNT LORETTA: "Listen to me. Don't worry about getting here on time. I care about you being safe. Do you hear me?"
Maya closed her eyes briefly.
MAYA JOHNSON: "I hear you."
AUNT LORETTA: "Do you want me to come to you?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "Not yet. I'll call you when I know more."
AUNT LORETTA: "All right. Keep your phone with you, and call me if anything changes."
MAYA JOHNSON: "I will."
She ended the call and held the phone against her chest for a moment.
The familiar voice had helped her regain some composure. Whatever the record contained, she was not facing the uncertainty entirely alone.
Agent Cross waited until Maya was ready before asking her to describe the encounter from the beginning.
Maya explained the traffic stop, the questions, the order to turn off the engine, and the demand that she leave the vehicle. She described the moment Reed grabbed her through the window, the pain in her shoulder, and the way he had brought the conducted-energy weapon close to her neck.
She also described the physical struggle that followed.
MAYA JOHNSON: "When he kept coming toward me, I was afraid he was going to hurt me again. I tried to get away from him. I didn't know what else he was going to do."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Take your time. Tell me what happened next."
MAYA JOHNSON: "I pushed his arm away. He lost his balance, and I struck him when he came toward me again. I wasn't trying to start a fight. I was trying to stop him from grabbing me."
Cross wrote down her words carefully.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Thank you. We'll compare your statement with the recordings and the other evidence."
MAYA JOHNSON: "I want the truth to come out."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "That's what the investigation is for."
When the statement was complete, an agent accompanied Maya to a medical vehicle that had arrived at the roadside. The medical professional examined her shoulder and documented the areas where she reported pain. The assessment did not resolve the larger questions, but it gave her a moment away from the tension surrounding Reed.
When she returned, the officer was standing beside Director Vale.
He looked smaller somehow, though he was still the same broad-shouldered man who had towered over her at the open car door. Without the immediate control of the encounter, his posture had lost its certainty.
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "Officer Reed, you will remain available while we complete the initial review."
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "Am I being arrested?"
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "I am not making an arrest determination at this moment. The evidence will be reviewed, and any further action will follow the appropriate process."
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "So I'm free to leave?"
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "You are not being instructed to leave the scene at this time. Agent Cross will explain the next steps."
Reed looked toward Cross.
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "This is ridiculous. I was doing my job."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Your actions will be evaluated based on the evidence, not on your description of them."
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "I followed procedure."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Then you should cooperate with the review."
Reed's lips tightened.
He looked toward Maya, who stood beside her SUV with her phone in one hand. For a moment, their eyes met.
Maya did not smile.
She did not celebrate his discomfort.
She simply watched him, remembering the moment he had pulled her from the vehicle and threatened her with the weapon.
He looked away first.
Director Vale returned to the folder.
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "Maya, there is one more matter we need to clarify. Have you ever worked for a government agency, a law-enforcement contractor, or a company that handled restricted information?"
Maya shook her head.
MAYA JOHNSON: "No. I've never worked for the government. I work for a private logistics company."
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "Have you ever been involved in a legal dispute concerning your identity or personal records?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "No."