Her voice wasn't raised, but it carried a razor-sharp, chilling authority that immediately cut through the ambient noise of the room. Something about her tone made Sergeant Miller freeze. He slowly looked up, his eyes adjusting to the bright fluorescent lights. He looked at the woman in the dirty sweatpants, taking in the bruised cheek, the dirt on her fleece jacket, and the steel cuffs digging into her wrists. Then, he looked at her face.
Miller's jaw went completely slack. All the color instantly drained from his weathered face, leaving him looking like a ghost. He dropped his pen. It clattered loudly against the wooden desk. "Oh my god," Miller whispered, his voice trembling.
Jenkins chuckled, misinterpreting the sergeant's shock. "I know, right? Thinks she's the Queen of Sheba. " "Shut up, Jenkins. " Miller hissed, his voice suddenly frantic. He scrambled out from behind the high desk, nearly tripping over his own boots in his haste. "Shut your damn mouth. " Just then, the door to the commanding officer's suite swung open.
Captain Richard Sterling, the precinct commander, stepped out holding a mug of coffee. He was in the middle of a sentence, talking over his shoulder to a detective. "Make sure those warrants are signed by noon. I don't want any delays from the DAs. " Captain Sterling turned his head. His eyes landed on Jenkins, then drifted to the woman in handcuffs.
The coffee mug slipped from Sterling's hand. It shattered on the linoleum floor, hot coffee splashing everywhere. The entire booking room went dead silent. The phones seemed to stop ringing. Dozens of officers stopped in their tracks, staring at their captain, who looked as though he was staring down the barrel of a loaded shotgun.
"Jenkins. " Captain Sterling breathed, his voice hollow, echoing in the quiet room. "What have you done? " Jenkins looked back and forth between his pale sergeant and his terrified captain, a genuine look of confusion crossing his face. "Captain. " "It's just a routine collar. Suspect was casing Oak Creek, became belligerent. Take those handcuffs off her. " Sterling commanded, his voice suddenly roaring through the precinct like a thunderclap.
"Take them off her right now. " Jenkins physically recoiled. "Captain, she assaulted me. " "If you do not remove those cuffs in 3 seconds, Jenkins, I will draw my sidearm and arrest you myself. " Sterling screamed, sprinting across the room. Jenkins, hands shaking violently, fumbled for his keys. He unlocked the cuffs, the metal snapping open. Valerie brought her arms forward, slowly rubbing the deep red bleeding indents on her wrists.
She didn't rub her bruised cheek. She stood tall, her posture immaculate despite her ruined clothes. She looked directly at Captain Sterling, who was visibly sweating. "Captain Sterling," Valerie said, her voice dropping the temperature in the room by 10°. "I see the 42nd Precinct is maintaining its usual standard of community policing. " "Madam Prosecutor," Sterling stammered, his voice breaking.