We were just doing our jobs. Your job is to protect and serve, Officer Miller, not to terrorize and escalate, David replied coldly. You didn't see a suspect tonight. You saw a black man in a car you decided I couldn't afford. And you thought you could bully me for your own amusement. " "Sir, we'll let you go right now.
No paperwork. Nothing. " "I'll fix the car, I swear. " "Reach into my right front pocket. " David interrupted. "Take out my cell phone. " Collins, acting purely on autopilot driven by fear, rushed forward and gently extracted the smartphone from David's trousers. "Unlock it. " "Face ID. " David said, angling his face toward the screen in Collins' hand. The phone unlocked with a soft click.
"Go to contacts. Press the first name on the favorites list. Richard Lawson. " "Sir, who is Richard Lawson? " Miller asked, sweat beading on his forehead despite the freezing temperature. "He's the special agent in charge of my tactical operations division. " David answered smoothly. "Press call, Collins.
Put it on speaker. " Collins' trembling finger hit the dial button and tapped the speaker icon. The phone rang once. Twice. "Lawson. " A crisp, alert voice answered instantly. "Richard, it's Caldwell. " David said, projecting his voice toward the phone.
"Go ahead, Director. Are you secure? " "Negative. I'm currently detained on the side of Route 114 northbound, just past the Oakridge town line. I am in handcuffs. I have been physically assaulted and my federal vehicle has been illegally searched by two officers of the Oakridge Police Department. " There was a moment of dead silence on the line.
Then, the sound of a chair scraping violently against a floor. "Say again, Director. " Lawson's voice was no longer conversational. It was sharp, vibrating with tactical urgency. Are you injured? I am unharmed.
But the officers have attempted to breach a class three classified evidence transport case. Understood. We have your GPS locator from the vehicle telemetry. I am dispatching HRT and the regional field team now. ETA is less than 8 minutes.
Do you require medical? No medical. Just bring the team, Richard, and call the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Wake him up. Done.
Lawson out. The line went dead. Collins dropped the phone. It shattered on the asphalt, but nobody cared. Miller looked like he was about to vomit.