Maya followed him with her eyes, then looked back at the SUV. Her handbag remained on the floor of the passenger side, and her phone was still attached to the dashboard. The driver's door stood open, exposing the ordinary belongings of a person whose day had taken a frightening turn.
She wanted to sit down, close the door, and drive away.
But she could sense that the encounter was far from over.
Agent Cross approached her again.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Maya, I need to ask you something else. Before the physical confrontation, did Officer Reed mention your destination or ask about the person you were visiting?"
Maya frowned.
MAYA JOHNSON: "He asked where I was going and who I was visiting. I told him I was heading toward the city to see a relative."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Did he ask for that person's name?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "Yes."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "And what did you tell him?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "I asked why he needed to know. He didn't answer."
Cross exchanged a brief glance with Bell, who had returned to the group.
It was a small reaction, but Maya noticed it.
MAYA JOHNSON: "Is there something I should know?"
Agent Cross considered her response carefully.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "We're still establishing the facts. I don't want to give you an incomplete explanation."
MAYA JOHNSON: "Then tell me what you can."
Cross looked toward the patrol vehicle.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "The reason we came here is connected to an issue that requires us to verify certain information. That is all I can confirm at this stage."
Maya felt a chill despite the heat.
MAYA JOHNSON: "An issue involving me?"
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "We haven't established that."
MAYA JOHNSON: "Then why are you asking about my destination?"
Cross did not answer immediately.
Instead, she glanced toward the tablet in Bell's hands. He had opened another record and was comparing the information on the screen with something in the dispatch log.
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "Elena, you need to see this."
Cross stepped toward him.
Maya watched their expressions change as they read.
Neither agent looked frightened, but both became more serious.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Where did this entry originate?"
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "The original notification came through the regional system. The timestamp is earlier than the stop."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Earlier by how much?"
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "Approximately twenty minutes."
Cross studied the screen again.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "And was it independently verified?"
AGENT MARCUS BELL: "Not yet."
The exchange left Maya with more questions than answers.
She looked toward Reed, who was now standing beside one of the FPI vehicles under the supervision of another agent. His hands were visible, and his earlier confidence had vanished. He seemed to be listening to the conversation while pretending not to care about it.
Maya wondered whether he knew what was in the record.
Or whether he was just as surprised as she was.
Agent Cross returned to her.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Maya, do you have any identification besides your driver's license?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "My passport is in my handbag."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Would you be comfortable identifying the bag and allowing Agent Bell to retrieve it for you?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "Yes."
Bell approached the open vehicle, explained what he intended to do, and retrieved the handbag without disturbing the other items. He handed it to Maya and stepped back.
She opened the bag, found her passport, and passed it to Cross.
The agent examined the document and compared its details with the information on the tablet.
Her expression remained controlled, but she took longer than Maya expected.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "You said you're visiting a relative. Is that person expecting you today?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "Yes."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Have you told anyone else about the trip?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "My family knows where I'm going."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Have you received any unusual calls or messages today?"
Maya thought about the messages she had received during the morning. There had been a missed call from an unfamiliar number, but she had assumed it was a sales call. She had also received a short message asking whether she had left yet.
She had not thought much about either one.
MAYA JOHNSON: "Nothing unusual. Just a missed call from a number I didn't recognize."
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Do you still have the number?"
MAYA JOHNSON: "It should be in my call history."
Cross nodded toward Bell.
AGENT ELENA CROSS: "Make a note of that. We may need to verify it later."
Maya looked from one agent to the other.
MAYA JOHNSON: "You're making this sound like something much bigger than a traffic stop."