The color drained from his face.
"That's impossible."
Bennett looked toward me.
Then back at his partner.
"The appointment was processed through headquarters."
Mercer looked at me.
For several seconds, we stared at one another.
He had stopped shouting.
I could see his mind working.
Trying to remember what he'd said.
What the cameras might have captured.
Whether he'd documented a lawful reason for stopping me.
Then he looked toward the baton still in his hand.
Bennett stepped forward.
"Put that down."
Mercer stared at him.
"What?"
"Sir, put the baton down."
For a moment, the older officer looked ready to become angry again.
Then his fingers loosened.
The baton struck the pavement.
A sharp metallic sound echoed across the gravel.
I watched the younger deputy carefully.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't celebrating.
He looked frightened.
Not of me.
Of what his partner might do next.
Mercer swallowed.
Then turned toward me with a sudden, strained politeness.
"Ma'am, there's been a misunderstanding."
I looked at the shattered window.
Then at the handcuffs around my wrists.
"A misunderstanding?"
He hesitated.
"I didn't realize—"
I interrupted him.
"Didn't realize what?"
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I looked directly into his eyes.
"That I worked for the department?"
His expression tightened.
I continued.
"Would the window still be broken if I didn't?"
Bennett lowered his gaze.
Mercer didn't answer.
And in that silence, the entire reason I had accepted the director's position became painfully clear.
I asked Bennett to call a supervisor.
Mercer spoke immediately.
"That won't be necessary."
I turned toward him.
"An officer used force, damaged a vehicle, and detained a driver. You need a supervisor here."
He looked toward the deputy.
"Bennett, we've got this handled."
The younger man hesitated.
Then raised his radio.
"Dispatch, request a shift supervisor and medical assessment at our location."
Mercer stared at him.
For a moment, the older officer looked as though he couldn't believe what he'd heard.
Then he stepped closer.
"Cancel that."
Bennett didn't move.
"Sir, the request has already been made."
Mercer's face reddened.
I watched the exchange.
The young deputy was frightened, but he hadn't backed away.
He had made an official request that could not simply be erased from the encounter by his partner's wishes.
That mattered.
I turned slightly toward Bennett.
"Deputy, please make sure the detention and use of force are fully documented."
He nodded.
"Yes, ma'am."
Mercer laughed nervously.
"Let's not turn this into something it isn't."
I looked at him.
"Then let's document exactly what it is."