He dropped to one knee.
She threw her arms around his neck.
He held her tightly.
"Daddy, that police man took my blaster!"
Marcus closed his eyes.
"I know, baby."
"Did he think it was real?"
Marcus hesitated.
"I don't know what he thought."
She pulled back.
Her eyes were wide.
"Was he going to take you away?"
Marcus felt something painful tighten in his chest.
He could not promise that police officers never made mistakes.
He could not promise that people wearing uniforms would always behave fairly.
He could not give her the innocent reassurance he desperately wanted her to have.
So he answered carefully.
"He's not taking me away."
She looked over his shoulder.
"Mommy was scared."
Marcus glanced toward Renee.
She stood near the kitchen entrance with tears on her cheeks.
His daughter whispered, "I was scared too."
He held her again.
"I'm sorry you had to see that."
She pressed her face against his shoulder.
After a moment, she asked, "Can I have my toy back?"
Marcus almost laughed.
Then he nearly cried.
He kissed her forehead.
"Yes, sweetheart. We'll make sure you get it back."
Outside, Derek Mason sat in his patrol cruiser with both hands on the steering wheel.
He was no longer laughing.
Derek had joined the Asheford Police Department six years earlier.
He was thirty-two years old, physically fit, and proud of his reputation for aggressive enforcement.
His personnel record contained commendations for responding quickly to a serious traffic accident and helping locate a missing elderly resident.
It also contained several complaints.
Two involved rude or unnecessarily confrontational behavior during traffic stops.
Another concerned his handling of a teenage pedestrian who had been questioned outside a convenience store.
A fourth alleged that Derek had threatened arrest when a resident asked to record an encounter.
None had resulted in serious discipline.
Some complaints lacked sufficient evidence.
Others had been reviewed by supervisors who concluded the officer's actions fell within policy.
Derek interpreted those outcomes as proof that the complaints were ridiculous.
He rarely considered the possibility that an investigation might be incomplete.
During roll calls, he joked about people who knew their rights.
He disliked officers who spent too long explaining procedures.