Reyes's smile weakened.
He looked down.
Priya reached for the wallet.
Reyes hesitated, then let her take it.
She tilted it beneath the desk lamp.
Her expression changed.
Maya watched.
Priya ran one finger close to the edge without touching the shield.
“Sergeant…”
Reyes rolled his eyes.
“What now?”
Priya looked at him.
“That badge is real.”
Silence.
Not complete silence.
Police stations did not become completely quiet.
A radio crackled somewhere near the rear hall.
A printer spat paper.
A telephone rang twice.
Someone in an interview room coughed.
But around the booking desk, conversation stopped.
Reyes stared at Priya.
“You don't know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“How?”
“My uncle is with Homeland Security.”
“That doesn't make you an expert.”
“No.”
Priya looked toward the serial information.
“But this isn't a costume prop.”
Reyes snatched it from her hand.
“Stay out of this, Malik.”
Maya saw the moment anger replaced confidence.
That interested her more than the insult.
People made mistakes.
Good officers occasionally doubted real credentials.
Bad lighting.
Unusual circumstances.
Adrenaline.
But professionals corrected themselves when evidence changed.
Reyes was doing the opposite.
He was becoming more committed as contradiction accumulated.
Maya lowered her cuffed hands onto her lap.
“Sergeant Reyes.”
He turned sharply.
She had never told him she knew his name.
It was visible on his uniform, but the way she said it made him uneasy.
“You have had my credentials for nineteen minutes.”
“So?”
“You have prevented me from contacting my field office.”
“You're detained.”
“You searched my bag without consent after I identified myself as federal law enforcement.”
“I had probable cause.”
“For?”
“Suspicious activity.”
“That isn't probable cause.”
Reyes stepped closer.
“You want to teach me police work?”
Maya looked directly at him.
“No.”
“Good.”
“I want you to keep talking.”
The nearest officer stopped smiling.
Reyes's jaw tightened.
He put one hand against Maya's shoulder and shoved her backward into the chair.
Not hard enough to knock her down.
Hard enough to be unmistakable.
“Sit there.”
Maya's eyes changed.
Only slightly.
Reyes took her credential wallet and threw it onto the desk.
The leather slapped against a stack of folders.
Priya flinched.
“Sergeant—”