DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "Have you ever reported someone for using your personal information without permission?"
Maya paused.
She remembered a strange incident from several months earlier, when she had received a letter from a financial institution about an account she did not recognize. She had called the institution, completed a verification process, and been told that the matter had been corrected.
At the time, it had seemed like an ordinary administrative mistake.
MAYA JOHNSON: "Actually, I received a letter about an account I didn't recognize. I contacted the company, and they said they'd corrected the problem."
Director Vale looked up.
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "When did that happen?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "About four months ago."
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "Do you still have the letter?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "I might have it at home."
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "Do you remember the company?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "A financial services company. I would need to check my records."
Vale nodded and wrote down the information.
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "That may be unrelated. But please don't discard any documents connected to it."
MAYA JOHNSON: "Do you think someone used my identity?"
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "I don't know. It would be irresponsible to tell you that without evidence."
Maya appreciated the honesty, but the possibility unsettled her.
She had always assumed the earlier letter was a simple mistake. Now she wondered whether it might be connected to the report that had brought the FPI to the highway.
Director Vale did not speculate further. He instructed Cross to record the information and request the appropriate verification through the relevant channels.
The investigation began to divide into several separate tasks: preserving the body-camera footage, obtaining the dispatch history, verifying the restricted reference, and determining whether Maya's earlier financial-record issue had any connection to the information in the system.
Each task would take time.
For Maya, that was the hardest part.
She wanted an answer immediately. She wanted to know why Reed had stopped her, why he had become so aggressive, and why a report containing her name had existed for months without her knowledge.
But she understood that a quick answer would not necessarily be a reliable one.
As the afternoon moved toward evening, the light began to soften. The FPI vehicles remained parked along the shoulder, and the agents continued their work.
Then Bell returned from the lead SUV carrying a newly printed report.
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "Director, the regional office has confirmed the account holder."
Vale took the report.
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "And the authorization?"
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "They haven't confirmed it. But they found a second entry associated with the same reference."
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "A second entry?"
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "Yes. It was created after the original report, but the source field is incomplete."
Cross joined them.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Does it identify who made the change?"
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "The account credentials are recorded. We need the full audit trail to determine who was using them at the time."
Vale studied the report.
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "Then request the complete audit trail immediately."
Bell nodded.
Reed, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke.
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "What second entry?"
Vale looked at him.
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "Why are you asking?"
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "Because you're discussing a report connected to my stop."
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "And you said you had no knowledge of the original reference."
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "I don't."
DIRECTOR THOMAS VALE: "Then the second entry should be just as unfamiliar to you."
Reed fell silent.
The director returned his attention to the report.
It was not enough to establish wrongdoing. An incomplete source field could have several explanations, and the use of a set of credentials did not, by itself, prove who had entered the information.
But it was enough to justify further investigation.
Maya watched Reed closely.
His reaction had been too immediate to ignore, though she knew that a reaction was not proof of anything. Perhaps he was frightened because he realized his conduct would be scrutinized. Perhaps he recognized the reference. Perhaps he simply understood that the investigation was becoming more complicated than he had expected.
She could not know.
And she would not allow herself to mistake suspicion for certainty.
Agent Cross approached her once more.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "We're going to arrange transportation for you if you don't feel comfortable driving immediately."
MAYA JOHNSON: "I think I can drive once my shoulder has been checked. But I want to know whether my vehicle is clear to leave."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "We'll complete the necessary documentation and confirm that nothing needs to be retained. You won't be required to leave until you're comfortable and the immediate process is complete."