Then smiled.
"You really think this piece of paper is going to work?"
"It is the credential issued to me."
His smile widened.
"Well, let's see about that."
He gripped the paper with both hands.
And tore it in half.
Now, standing outside the driver's window with Naomi's Navy credential in front of him, Derek Malloy seemed to regret something.
But not what she hoped.
His concern was not that he had destroyed a valid document.
It was that the woman holding it had an identity he had not expected.
He stared at her.
"You're a commander?"
"Yes."
"Like, in charge of a ship?"
Naomi kept her face composed.
"Commander is my rank. My current assignment is in military legal services."
Malloy swallowed.
"You're a lawyer?"
"A Navy judge advocate."
His eyes moved toward the torn license.
Naomi watched him process the information.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Malloy tried to recover his authority.
"Well, being in the military doesn't mean you can drive without a license."
"Correct."
"And it doesn't put you above state law."
"Also correct."
He frowned.
Naomi continued.
"Which is why I provided a valid state license. The document you destroyed."
Malloy looked toward the road.
A pickup truck passed in the opposite direction.
The driver glanced toward the stopped vehicles but continued.
The trooper returned his attention to Naomi.
"I thought it was fake."
"You didn't verify it."
He stiffened.
"You don't know what I verified."
"You tore it up within seconds of receiving it."
Malloy stepped closer.
"Don't start interrogating me."
Naomi drew a slow breath.
"I'm documenting what happened."
His gaze dropped toward her center console.
"Are you recording?"
"My vehicle has cameras."
Malloy's expression hardened.
"Turn them off."
Naomi looked at him.
"I won't interfere with any recording system."
He leaned into the window.
"Are you refusing an order?"
"I'm asking whether you have a lawful basis to order me to disable my vehicle's recording equipment."
The words angered him.
She could see it immediately.
His shoulders tightened.
His jaw clenched.
He looked toward the patrol cruiser.