Then looked toward the teacher.
“I don't want to jump to conclusions.”
He nodded.
“Neither do I.”
“But we have enough unusual events to justify examining whether someone is trying to create a record of problems at the building.”
The teacher looked toward the window.
He could see the patrol cars in the parking area.
One officer was standing beside a vehicle talking on his phone.
The attorney followed his gaze.
Then said quietly, “Your mother would want you to be careful.”
The teacher smiled sadly.
“I know.”
“She wouldn't want you making decisions out of anger.”
He nodded.
“I know that too.”
The attorney studied him.
Then asked, “What do you want?”
The teacher considered the question.
At first, the answer seemed obvious.
He wanted the younger officer disciplined.
He wanted the false accusation corrected.
He wanted the building's residents protected.
But beneath those concerns was something deeper.
He wanted to return to the ordinary life he'd been living before the officer arrived.
He wanted to teach his students.
Check his mail.
Maintain the apartments.
And honor his mother's promise.
He looked toward the photograph.
Then answered.
“I want whoever arranged this to understand that the residents aren't obstacles to somebody else's investment plan.”
The attorney nodded slowly.
“That may require more than a complaint against one officer.”
The teacher met her eyes.
“Then we'll do more.”
The attorney smiled faintly.
She recognized the expression on his face.
He wore it when discussing a student who had been unfairly suspended.
Or a tenant facing a difficult family emergency.
He wasn't looking for a fight.
But once he believed someone was being treated unjustly, he became extraordinarily difficult to discourage.
She closed her notebook.
“First, we establish exactly what happened.”
He nodded.
“Then?”
“We follow the evidence.”
The teacher took a breath.
“Good.”
Outside, the supervisor had finished speaking with the younger officer.
He stood beside the patrol vehicle, furious.
He believed the situation had been exaggerated.
He believed the teacher was deliberately making him look bad.
And he was convinced the older officer had betrayed him by recognizing someone he knew.
He didn't yet understand that his own body-camera system had recorded part of the encounter.
He also didn't know the mailroom footage had been preserved independently.
More importantly, he had received a message while waiting outside.
It came from a private number.
Did you make the contact?
He stared at the screen.