Then he began repeating that Talia had obstructed enforcement.
Hale asked what physical action constituted the obstruction.
Mercer described her stepping toward the flowerbed.
The lieutenant looked at the crushed roses.
Then toward the body cameras.
Finally, he instructed Bennett to remove the handcuffs safely while the matter was reviewed.
Talia brought her arms forward slowly.
Her wrists were sore.
She didn't immediately rub them.
Instead, she looked toward the flowers at her feet.
A large red rose lay broken beside the fence.
She knelt carefully.
Then picked it up.
For several seconds, she held it between her fingers.
And the tears she'd been fighting finally began to fall.
Hale watched her quietly.
He knew who she was now.
But he also knew that recognizing her title didn't erase what happened.
The initial dispatch had to be examined.
The alleged removal order had to be verified.
And the officers' conduct needed a proper review.
Talia stood again.
She looked toward Hale.
"Lieutenant, I want this handled independently."
He nodded.
"That would be appropriate."
She continued.
"I'm not going to use my position to decide the outcome of an incident involving me."
Hale appeared relieved.
He'd been wondering how to navigate the conflict.
Talia had made her expectation clear.
She wanted the records preserved and the proper authorities notified.
Not an immediate public performance designed to punish Mercer.
Hale instructed both officers to remain available for statements.
He also directed that their body-camera footage and related dispatch records be preserved through the appropriate procedures.
Then he asked Talia whether she'd like medical assistance.
She nodded.
"Please."
Mercer shifted uncomfortably.
For a moment, he seemed ready to speak.
Then he looked toward the lieutenant and remained silent.
But Talia noticed something in his expression.
It wasn't simply fear of disciplinary action.
When Hale mentioned preserving the original code-enforcement complaint, Mercer became visibly more anxious.
And that reaction made her think about Margaret's paperwork.
The same city-style notices.
The same private contractor.
The same vague claims of obstructed public access.
Talia looked toward the dispatch device.
Then asked Hale a question.
"Lieutenant, who submitted the original complaint?"
He turned toward Bennett.
She checked the information.
For several seconds, her expression became confused.
Then she read aloud.
"Complaining party: Lorraine Monroe."
Talia closed her eyes.
Her mother had been dead for eleven months.
Yet someone had submitted a complaint in her name, claiming that the rose garden on her own property required removal.
This was no ordinary paperwork error.
At least, Talia no longer believed it was.
Two weeks before the confrontation, a state investigator named Marcus Reed had placed a folder on Talia's desk.