It is the steady voice of a man who has spent years in difficult situations and has learned that the people around him often need that steadiness. But beneath it, she hears something she has heard only once or twice before. The edge of a man who has decided something will be made right. “Baby, are you hurt?”
“No, sir.” “Are you in holding room two at the Route 9 substation?” “Yes, sir.” A pause. “Good girl, I'm on my way. Don't say anything else to anyone.”
“I mean anyone.” “Yes, sir.” Another pause, shorter. “I'm proud of you.” She presses her back against the wall and closes her eyes.
For the first time since the gas station, her shoulders drop a fraction of an inch. Outside, Brooks stands with Lang by the rear entrance. “Her phone was in that bag,” Lang says. “Selden didn't log it.” “I know that's a chain of custody violation.”
“If this becomes a complaint, and it already is a complaint.” Brooks runs a hand through his gray hair. “That kid has been mentally recording everything since she walked in. Every statute she cited was correct. Every procedure she named was accurate.” “She's 17, so she's sharp.”
“No,” Brooks says, “she's trained. Somebody trained her. She reacts the way someone reacts when they know exactly what documentation means and why it matters.” He pauses. “Run the father again, deeper than DMV.”
“I did. There was a DOD notation, restricted access, reroutes to a Pentagon extension.” Brooks is still for a long moment. Around the side of the building Rowe is having a different conversation. Selden's composure has developed a hairline fracture.
“You should have waited for dispatch confirmation before you zip tied her,” she says. “She was uncooperative.” “She cited statutes correctly and asked to call her father. That is not uncooperative. Cedric, you made a judgment call without reading the registration you were holding.”
She straightens. “If the father makes a complaint and someone clearly is, your incident report needs to be airtight.” Rowe's jaw works. “Report's fine.” “What did you say to her at the car? Exactly.”
“I told her we had a call. I told her the car matched a report.” “Word for word, because she can repeat it word for word. I watched her reciting it to herself the second you put her in the backseat.” Selden looks past him toward the substation door.
“Go write your report now. Don't discuss the stop with Sims or anyone else before you do. Just write it.” She goes inside. Rowe stands alone in the dark lot. “Get me everything Rowe filed from the stop,” Brooks tells Lang.
“Every note before anyone changes anything.” “Rowe's already on it.” Inside holding room two, Amina counts the seconds. She does not know that several of her father's calls went to high-level contacts. She knows only that he is on his way.