Then his fingers caught the edge of a black leather credential holder tucked into the wallet's inner compartment.
He pulled it free.
Opened it.
And stopped smiling for half a second.
A gold police badge gleamed beneath the station's bright fluorescent lights.
The lettering beneath the crest read:
RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
The officer stared.
Then he laughed.
โOh, this is beautiful.โ
He lifted the badge high enough for another officer to see.
โHey, somebody come look at this.โ
Two desks away, a younger officer glanced over.
โWhat is it?โ
โOur boy here has himself a police badge.โ
The younger officer frowned.
โA real one?โ
โThat's what we're about to find out.โ
The heavyset officer turned back toward Daniel.
โWhere'd you steal this badge, boy?โ
Daniel slowly lifted his eyes.
For the first time since being brought into the station, he looked directly at the man interrogating him.
โYou really should have checked my name first.โ
The officer's smile disappeared.
โWhat did you say?โ
Daniel remained calm.
โI said you should have checked my name.โ
The officer slammed the wallet onto the counter.
โDon't get smart with me.โ
Daniel did not move.
โI've been trying to tell you who I am since the traffic stop.โ
The officer leaned closer.
โAnd I've been telling you to shut your mouth.โ
Daniel glanced toward the red telephone sitting behind the property bin.
It was an old-fashioned desk phone connected to the station's internal command network.
Unlike the standard black phones on nearby desks, this one was reserved for urgent calls from senior command and the department's central communications office.
Daniel looked back at the officer.
โYou have one more opportunity to bring your supervisor here.โ
The officer laughed.
โOh, you've got opportunities now?โ
โI'm giving you a chance to correct this.โ
Something changed in the officer's expression.
The amusement vanished.
His cheeks darkened.
He reached across the counter, grabbed Daniel's shirt collar, and yanked him forward.
โYou don't threaten me in my station!โ
Daniel's injured knuckles struck the edge of the plastic property bin.
Pain flashed across his face.
Before he could recover, the officer shoved him backward.
The chair scraped across the floor.
Several nearby employees looked up.
Daniel caught himself against the counter.
He did not strike back.
He did not raise his voice.
He simply straightened his shirt and looked directly at the officer.
Then the red telephone began ringing.
The sound was sharp.
Mechanical.
Loud enough to cut through the hum of computer monitors and conversations.
The officer froze.
The phone rang again.
Across the room, a dispatcher glanced toward the processing desk.