Those videos always went viral online. He could already picture the commendation. Alicia had just finished pumping her gas. She screwed the cap back on, closed the fuel door, and was opening the driver's side door of her sedan when the wail of a police siren pierced the humid air. A patrol cruiser swung sharply into the gas station lot, tires screeching unnecessarily on the wet pavement.
The car angled aggressively, blocking Alicia's sedan from backing out of the pump. The red and blue strobe lights painted the gray afternoon in chaotic flashing colors. Alicia sighed, her hand resting on the handle of her open car door. She didn't immediately connect the police presence to the loudmouth inside the store. She assumed there was a robbery or an accident nearby.
Finch threw his cruiser door open and stepped out, his hand resting instinctively on his duty belt. He marched directly toward Alicia. At the same time, Mitchell burst out of the convenience store, pointing a stubby finger at her. "That's her, officer. That's the fake trying to scam people in a colonel's uniform."
Finch gave Mitchell a quick acknowledging nod. In Finch's mind, the dynamic was already set. The older guy in the tactical hat was the upstanding citizen reporting a crime. The Black woman standing quietly by her car was the suspect. "Ma'am, step away from the vehicle and keep your hands where I can see them," Finch ordered, his voice echoing loudly across the concrete lot.
Alicia's brow furrowed. She closed her car door, but stayed exactly where she was. "Officer, is there a problem?" "I said step away from the vehicle," Finch barked, closing the distance between them. He stopped about four feet away, puffing his chest out. ""We received a call about an individual impersonating a military officer for financial gain."" Alicia's eyes flicked to Mitchell, who was standing on the curb with a smug, self-satisfied grin plastered across his face.
She turned her attention back to the young officer. "Officer," Alicia said, her voice radiating the kind of absolute unwavering authority that only comes from decades of command. ""I am Colonel Alicia Reynolds, United States Army. I stopped here for fuel on my way to Fort Belvoir. I have not asked anyone for anything, let alone financial gain. That man inside decided to harass me because he doesn't believe I earned the rank on my chest."" "You're right!"
Mitchell yelled from the curb. "Ask for her CAC card, officer. I bet she doesn't even know what that is." Finch held up a hand to silence Mitchell, but his eyes never left Alicia. ""All right, Colonel. If you're who you say you are, this should be real easy.
Hand over your military ID."" Alicia stood her ground. As a citizen and as a high-ranking officer who knew the law intimately, she recognized exactly what was happening. "Virginia is not a stop-and-identify state unless an officer has reasonable, articulable suspicion that a crime has been, is being, or is about to be committed. Pumping gas while wearing a uniform was not a crime. And complying with an unlawful demand driven by a civilian's racist and sexist assumptions set a dangerous precedent, officer."