The red Lamborghini was already 6 feet in the air. When the officer told the woman in handcuffs that nobody would believe it belonged to her beneath the bright blue sign of an Amazon Prime pickup center, shoppers stopped in the parking lot and raised their phones. One cop grinned from the seat of the forklift. The other tightened his grip on her arm and shouted, "You should have learned when to keep your mouth shut. " But the woman knew something they didn't by the end of the afternoon. That smile would be part of a federal investigation.
Judge Naomi Bennett had come to the pickup center to collect a birthday gift for her father. She had promised to be at his house by 4:00, still wearing the cobalt blue blazer she'd worn to work. The Lamborghini had belonged to him before it belonged to her. He'd spent 40 years repairing engines, bought the car after retiring, and then handed her the keys when failing eyesight ended his driving days. Naami would have preferred a quieter car, but she drove it to see him because the sound of that engine made him laugh like a boy.
She parked in a marked space, checked her watch, and headed for the glass doors. She was halfway there when a police SUV turned sharply into the lot and stopped across the front of her car. Officer Grant Ellis stepped out first. His partner, Officer Wade Mercer, followed with a slow smile. "That your vehicle? " Ellis asked.
"Yes," Naomi said. "Is there a problem? " Ellis glanced at the Lamborghini, then at her. We received a report of a stolen car matching this description. Naomi took out her license and registration. Ellis looked at the registration for barely a second before folding it against his palm.
Where did you get it? From my father. That's a convenient answer. Naomi kept her voice even. You can check the registration and the vehicle identification number.
Mercer walked around the car filming on his phone. Fancy ride for a Tuesday, he said. Ellis asked Nomi to step away from the doors. She did. He asked whether she had identification proving her profession.
She told him her license was valid and asked whether he had run the plates. Ellis never answered. Through the windows, an employee watched them. Naomi noticed Ellis looking at the employee. Two, as though he expected something from him.
Her phone buzzed with a message from her father. Don't forget the cake. Your mother made me promise to remind you. She almost smiled. Then Ellis said, "Put your hands behind your back. " Naomi stared at him.
For what? Failure to cooperate. I've given you my documents and answered your questions. Ellis stepped closer. No, you're arguing.
Naomi had spent years hearing people confuse questions with disrespect. She knew a parking lot was no place to win that argument. She held out her wrists. Ellis pulled her arms back hard enough to make her wse and clicked the cuffs shut while Mercer moved his phone and clothes. Tell the camera why you won't explain how you got this car.