For one brief moment, he forgot the officer standing nearby.
He forgot his new title.
And he forgot the neighbors watching.
He was simply a son holding his frightened mother outside the house where she had raised him.
Then Evelyn whispered.
“He was going to arrest you.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
“I know.”
Her voice broke.
“I thought he was going to hurt you.”
He swallowed.
“He already did.”
For several seconds, they remained still.
Then Marcus gently pulled back.
He looked toward Mallory.
The officer stood rigidly near the walkway.
His sunglasses no longer concealed the uncertainty in his face.
Marcus took out his phone.
He called the department's duty commander.
“Captain Reed? This is Chief Price.”
The voice on the other end became immediately attentive.
“Good afternoon, Chief.”
“I need you to respond to my mother's residence. An officer has used force against me during a property-related contact.”
For several seconds, the line was silent.
Then the captain spoke.
“Chief, are you injured?”
“Not seriously, as far as I can tell. I need the scene secured, relevant recordings preserved, and an outside investigative agency contacted.”
The captain asked for the address.
Marcus provided it.
Then added.
“Because I'm the involved civilian and the department's chief, I am recusing myself from operational decisions concerning this investigation. Please handle the notification through the city manager and our established procedures.”
The captain became quiet.
Then answered.
“Understood.”
Marcus ended the call.
Mallory stared.
For a moment, his lips moved without producing a sound.
Then he whispered.
“Chief, please.”
Marcus looked toward him.
The officer's voice trembled.
“I have a family.”
Marcus remained silent.
Mallory continued.
“I've got two kids.”
The young chief felt a strange mixture of anger and sadness.
He thought about his mother's frightened face.
The hands gripping his shirt.
And the way Mallory shouted at him as though his mere presence on the property justified aggression.
Then he answered.
“So do a lot of the people you've stopped.”
Mallory swallowed.
Marcus continued.
“I won't decide the outcome of your case from this lawn.”
For a moment, the officer looked relieved.
Then Marcus added.