The man stopped directly in front of the elevated desk. He didn't look at Miller. His eyes, cold and dark as obsidian, were locked onto the break area. Locked onto Bernard Perry, who was in the middle of taking a bite of his donut. Perry paused, feeling the weight of the stare.
He lowered his donut, his brow furrowing. Can I help you, buddy? The sergeant just told you bail is closed. The man in the trench coat slowly reached into his pocket. Miller tensed, his hand instinctively dropping toward the sidearm holstered on his hip.
But the man didn't pull a weapon. He pulled a heavy solid gold badge. He didn't flash it. He simply set it down on the wooden surface of the booking desk with a heavy metallic clack. Four stars.
Miller's breath hitched in his throat. The blood drained from his face so fast he felt dizzy. He scrambled to his feet, his chair rolling backward and slamming loudly into the wall. "Tenhut! " Miller shouted, his voice cracking with sheer panic.
Every officer in the room froze. Harrison dropped his pen. The two cops sitting with Perry jumped up so fast, one of them spilled coffee all over his trousers. Perry lowered his feet from the table, confusion waring with a sudden icy dread in his gut. He stood up slowly, wiping the powdered sugar from his mouth.
Chief Dimitar James finally looked at Sergeant Miller. His voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but it carried to every corner of the dead, silent room. Sergeant Miller, I want the arrest report, the dash cam footage, and the body cam footage for the suspect brought in at 3:10 a. m. Now, Miller's hands were shaking as he fumbled with the paperwork on his desk. Chief James.
Yes, sir. Right away, sir. Perry felt his knees go weak. James. The name echoed in his skull like a gunshot.
He looked back toward the holding cells, then back to the towering figure in the black coat. The young woman in the cell. Maya James. Chief, Perry stammered, stepping forward, his bravado entirely evaporated, replaced by the desperate, scrambling tone of a cornered rat. Chief, I I can explain.
It was a chaotic scene. The suspect was non-compliant. Dimitar James turned his head. He didn't yell. He didn't threaten.