For the first time that afternoon, someone had spoken to him in a tone that left no room for argument. He looked at the approaching agents, then toward the road, as if searching for an explanation that might restore his authority.
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "This is a traffic stop. She attacked me."
Agent Cross stopped several feet away from him.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "I said put it down."
Reed's fingers tightened around the device.
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "You don't understand what happened here."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Then you can explain it after everyone is safe."
Two agents moved toward Maya, keeping their hands visible and their movements deliberate. One of them, a younger man named Marcus Bell, approached from the side of the SUV while another remained near the arriving vehicles.
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "Ma'am, are you injured?"
Maya glanced at Reed before answering. Her shoulder still hurt, and her hands trembled slightly, but she forced herself to speak clearly.
MAYA JOHNSON: "He pulled me out of my car. He grabbed me, pushed me against the vehicle, and threatened me with that weapon."
Reed immediately interrupted.
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "She was resisting a lawful order!"
Agent Cross did not turn toward him.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Officer, stop speaking for a moment."
The instruction seemed to strike Reed harder than a shout would have. His mouth remained open briefly before he closed it. He looked around at the agents, realizing that the situation was no longer under his control.
Maya leaned against the SUV for support. She had spent the previous several minutes trying to understand why an ordinary drive had turned into a frightening confrontation. Now, with the FPI agents surrounding the scene, she found herself struggling to process the sudden change.
Only a short time earlier, Reed had behaved as though nobody could question him.
Now he was the one being questioned.
Agent Bell noticed Maya's hand resting against her shoulder.
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "Can you move your arm?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "I can move it, but it hurts."
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "All right. Don't force it. We'll get someone to check it."
Maya nodded, grateful that someone had finally asked about her condition rather than demanding that she defend herself.
Across the shoulder, Agent Cross continued watching Reed.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Place the device on the ground. Slowly."
Reed swallowed.
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "I need to know who authorized this."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "You can ask that question when you've followed the instruction."
The officer's eyes shifted toward the FPI insignia on the nearest vehicle. He appeared to recognize something about the agents' equipment, the markings on their jackets, or the way they had arrived. Whatever he noticed, it made him even more uneasy.
Finally, he lowered the device.
He crouched carefully and placed it on the gravel.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Now step away from it."
Reed straightened and took two steps backward.
One of the agents approached the weapon while another positioned himself between Reed and Maya. The movement was controlled and professional, but the message was unmistakable: the confrontation would not continue on Reed's terms.
Agent Cross turned toward Maya.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "My name is Elena Cross. We're going to establish exactly what happened here. Are you able to tell me your name and whether anyone else was inside your vehicle?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "My name is Maya Johnson. I was alone."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Did you know Officer Reed before today?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "No. I'd never seen him before he stopped me."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Did he tell you why he stopped you?"
Maya paused, remembering the questions, the raised voice, and the sudden movement through the open window.
MAYA JOHNSON: "He asked for my license and registration. I gave them to him. Then he started asking where I was going and who I was visiting. When I asked why he'd stopped me, he got angry."
Agent Cross listened without interrupting.
MAYA JOHNSON: "He ordered me to turn off the engine and get out. I asked whether I was under arrest. He wouldn't explain. Then he grabbed me through the window and dragged me out."
The agent glanced toward the open driver's door.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Did he tell you that you were under arrest at any point?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "Not before he pulled me out."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Did he explain why he was using the device?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "No. He just threatened me with it."
Reed shifted his weight behind them.
OFFICER DANIEL REED: "That's not the whole story."
Agent Cross turned toward him.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "You'll have an opportunity to provide your account. Right now, I'm speaking with her."