The lead deputy walked back to the hallway, kneeling down near the terrified girl again. "Hey. Look at me. You're safe. My name is Officer Davis. What is your name?"
Chloe took a ragged, gasping breath. "C-Chloe."
"Emma, stop it!" the man outside yelled, panic bleeding into his voice now. "Tell them your real name! Stop playing games!"
"Her name is Chloe," Bear’s voice boomed from the floor, cutting through the man’s desperate lies. "And you want to know how you can prove it right this second, Deputy?"
Officer Davis turned to look at Bear. "How?"
Bear didn't move his head, but his eyes locked onto the man standing in the parking lot. "Ask the 'concerned father' to empty his right front pocket."
The man in the polo shirt froze. Every muscle in his body went rigid.
"What?" the man choked out.
"He took it from her when he dragged her into the van," Bear said calmly, delivering the killing blow to the man's narrative. "She's asthmatic. It’s her inhaler. It’s pink, and it has a unicorn sticker on it. And I'm willing to bet her real name, Chloe, is written on the pharmacy label."
The atmosphere in the parking lot shifted instantly. The two deputies standing near the cruisers turned their attention directly to the man in the polo shirt.
"Sir," one of the outside deputies said, his hand dropping to rest on his taser. "Empty your pockets. Now."
"This is ridiculous!" the man shouted, taking a step backward, his eyes darting frantically toward his van. "I don't have to listen to this! I'm the victim here!"
"Empty your pockets," the deputy repeated, stepping forward and grabbing the man's arm.
The man tried to pull away, but a second officer was already there, grabbing his other arm and driving him roughly against the hood of the cruiser.
"Get your hands off me!" the man screamed, struggling violently now.
The deputy reached into the man's right khaki pocket. He pulled his hand out and held the object up under the glaring lights of the gas station awning.
It was a small, plastic medical inhaler.
It was bright pink.
It had a silver holographic unicorn sticker on the side.
The lead deputy inside the store keyed his shoulder mic. "Check the prescription label. What's the name?"
Outside, the officer squinted at the small white sticker on the back of the inhaler. "Patient name... Chloe Miller."
The man in the polo shirt stopped struggling. His shoulders slumped. The lie was dead.
"Cuff him," the lead deputy ordered through the radio.
The sound of metal ratcheting shut echoed through the parking lot. The man was dragged away from the cruiser, his head bowed, the pristine image of the khaki-wearing soccer dad completely destroyed.
Inside the store, the deputy standing over Bear quickly reached down and unlocked the handcuffs.
"Sorry about that," the deputy muttered, helping Bear to his feet.
Bear rubbed his wrists, ignoring the apology. He didn't care about the cuffs. He walked slowly toward the back hallway.