"Good evening, Officer. Could you please lower the flashlight a bit so I can see you?" "I said license and registration." Coulter snapped, the light not moving an inch. "Don't give me instructions.
Just hand over the paperwork." Elena maintained her composure. As a federal prosecutor, she routinely stared down cartel bosses and arrogant billionaires. A local beat cop with an attitude problem was not going to rattle her. "My license is in my purse on the passenger seat, and the registration is in the glove compartment.
I'm going to reach for them now." "Make it slow." Coulter warned, his tone dripping with an unwarranted suspicion that made the hairs on the back of Elena's neck stand up. She retrieved her driver's license and the crisp, newly printed registration paperwork from the dealership, handing them out the window. Coulter snatched them from her fingers.
He flicked his flashlight onto the documents, then back to Elena's face, his eyes narrowing. "Where are you heading tonight?" Coulter asked, his tone shifting from aggressive to interrogative. "Home." Elena answered simply, offering no extraneous information.
She knew her rights. She didn't have to provide an itinerary. "And where is home?" "In the city." She replied.
Coulter let out a dry, humorless scoff. He leaned closer to the window, his breath smelling faintly of stale coffee and tobacco. "You're a long way from the city, so let's cut the act. Who's car is this? A boyfriend?
A boss? Did you take it without asking?" Elena felt a cold, sharp anger bloom in her chest, but she locked it down instantly. Emotion was the enemy of reason, and right now, she needed to be sharp. She recognized exactly what this was.
It wasn't a traffic stop. It was a fishing expedition fueled by blatant, unapologetic profiling. He saw a young black woman in a highly expensive car in a wealthy, predominantly white neighborhood, and his mind immediately jumped to theft. "Officer." Elena said, her voice dropping an octave, settling into the precise, measured tone she used in the courtroom during cross-examinations.
"I purchased this vehicle days ago from the Land Rover dealership. The temporary tags are valid. The registration is valid, and my license is perfectly clear. Now, could you please tell me why I was pulled over?" Coulter didn't like her tone.