"Lieutenant, did you know who lived at that house?"
Weller froze.
"What?"
"The homeowner says he's the new oversight director."
"I heard you."
"But you told me to watch for that call."
Weller gripped the counter.
"I told you to do your job."
"Why was I assigned there?"
"Because dispatch assigned you."
Derek hesitated.
"They said the address was changed by a supervisor."
Weller's eyes narrowed.
"Who told you that?"
"The woman from the inspector general's office."
Weller looked toward the kitchen window.
His wife was gardening outside.
A dog barked somewhere down the street.
Ordinary suburban sounds continued while Weller considered how much Derek might discover.
He spoke carefully.
"Don't speculate."
Derek went quiet.
Weller continued.
"Follow the department's reporting requirements and speak with the appropriate investigator or representative."
Then he ended the call.
For nearly a minute, he stood motionless.
Finally, he called another number.
A man answered.
"What?"
"We have a situation."
"How bad?"
"The patrol officer confronted Williams."
A pause.
"At the residence?"
"Yes."
"Was Williams arrested?"
"No."
The other man exhaled sharply.
"Then what happened?"
Weller rubbed his forehead.
"The officer took a toy gun from the porch and pointed it at him. There was physical contact. Witness video."
Silence.
Then the man on the other end spoke in a voice so cold that Weller's stomach tightened.
"You were supposed to arrange a complaint. Not create a disaster."
Weller closed his eyes.
"You said you wanted him distracted before Monday."
"I said I wanted him occupied."
"That's what I tried to do."
The voice hardened.
"You sent Mason?"
Weller hesitated.
"Yes."
Another silence.
Then the man whispered, "You idiot."
The call ended.
Weller stared at his phone.
For the first time, he understood that the person who had encouraged him to interfere with the oversight director's weekend might have no intention of protecting him if the scheme became public.
Marcus had accepted the civilian oversight position for reasons that had little to do with prestige.
The city had suffered through several years of controversies involving police conduct.
Some complaints had been handled appropriately.
Others had exposed serious weaknesses in supervision, training, recordkeeping, and accountability.