Collins's expression changed. Only slightly. But enough. David saw it. Ethan saw it. Officer Maya Torres, who had been standing beside the patrol car, saw it too.
Collins stared at David. "You're FBI?" David nodded. "Yes."
Ethan noticed. And that frightened him more than the aggression had. Because now he understood something. Collins's behavior was changing. Not because Ethan had done anything differently. Not because new evidence had appeared. Only because Collins had discovered who Ethan's father was.
Captain Karen Hayes would arrive twelve minutes later. But by then, the scene had already changed. The phones were still recording. The witnesses were still watching. And Sergeant Frank Collins had no idea that the worst part of his mistake had not yet begun.
"Take the cuffs off." Captain Karen Hayes said it quietly. Collins stared at her. "He resisted." Hayes didn't look at him. She looked at Ethan. "Mr. Ellis, are you hurt?" "My shoulder." "Anything else?" "My wrist." Hayes nodded. "Medical evaluation?" "Yes."
Ethan looked at David. David nodded. "Yes." Hayes called for paramedics. Only then did she turn back toward Collins. "What was the probable cause?" Collins repeated the same explanation. "Robbery suspect." "Which robbery?" "Clarendon." "Description?" Collins answered more carefully this time. "Black male. Dark clothing." Hayes frowned. "That's all?" "He matched the general description."
Captain Hayes looked toward Torres. "Officer Torres?" Torres stepped forward. "Yes, Captain." "What did you observe?" Torres hesitated. Collins stared at her. Hayes noticed. "Officer Torres." "Yes, ma'am." "What did you see?" Torres looked at Ethan. "He was sitting near the bench." "Doing what?" "Drinking coffee."
Collins interrupted. "He became confrontational." Hayes raised one hand. "I didn't ask you." Collins fell silent. Torres continued. "Sergeant Collins approached him." "Did Mr. Ellis run?" "No." "Threaten him?" "No." "Strike him?" "No." "Refuse a command?" Torres swallowed. "He asked why he was being stopped."
Hayes looked at Collins. "Did you ask him for identification?" "Yes." "Did he refuse?" "He questioned why." "Again, that's not what I asked." Collins said nothing.
Torres: "He pulled out his phone." "Why?" "He said his driver's license was stored digitally." Collins answered. "He made a sudden movement." Torres looked at him. "He bent down because you knocked his phone out of his hand." Collins turned. "You want to be careful." Torres's face tightened. "I am being careful."
Hayes stepped between them. "Enough." Then she looked at dispatch. "Get me the Clarendon robbery BOLO." A voice crackled through the radio. Everyone waited. The description came over the speaker. "Male, Black, approximately thirty-five to forty years old. Approximately six-three. Heavy build. Red baseball cap. Black leather jacket. Blue jeans. Last seen leaving in a silver sedan."
Silence. Ethan looked down at his gray sweatshirt. David looked at Collins. Hayes slowly turned. "Sergeant." Collins swallowed. "Yes?" "How does this nineteen-year-old, five-foot-eleven, slim male in a gray hoodie match that description?" Collins stared at Ethan. "He could have changed clothes." Hayes's expression hardened. "In the last twenty minutes?" "He could have." "Where is the vehicle?" Collins said nothing. "Where is the red cap?" Nothing. "Where is the leather jacket?" Nothing. Hayes's voice became colder. "Where is your probable cause?" Collins shifted his weight. "He was acting suspicious." "What did he do?" "He kept looking at me." Ethan stared at him. "You walked toward me."
CHAPTER 3 - THE RECORD