Now, standing beside the bench with his hand hovering near his radio, the officer appeared to realize that he had walked into a situation he couldn't control.
The Black investigator looked directly at him.
“Officer, I strongly suggest you stop threatening witnesses and preserve every record connected with this encounter.”
He stared.
Then pressed his radio button.
“Dispatch, I need a supervisor.”
The response came almost immediately.
“Unit Twelve, supervisor has been notified.”
The investigator watched his expression.
He looked relieved.
That interested her.
He seemed to believe the arrival of a supervisor would solve his problem.
Perhaps it had before.
She remained seated.
The officer stood several feet away, watching her with open hostility.
The jogger continued recording from the pathway.
A woman walking a dog stopped nearby.
The investigator looked toward the officer.
“Am I free to leave?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“On what basis am I being detained?”
He looked irritated.
“We're verifying your identity.”
She raised her credentials.
“My identity can be verified through official channels.”
He stared.
Then said, “I don't trust those.”
The investigator nodded slowly.
“Then contact your department's federal liaison.”
He said nothing.
She continued.
“But you still need a lawful basis for detaining someone. Doubting a credential doesn't automatically establish that a person committed the offense you originally suspected.”
His jaw tightened.
“Just wait for my supervisor.”
She looked toward her book.
Then back at him.
“I'll wait for clarification of whether you're lawfully detaining me.”
The officer's radio crackled again.
A voice asked whether the woman was still at the bench.
He pressed the microphone.
“Affirmative.”
The voice replied, “Do not release her until the captain arrives.”
The investigator looked toward the radio.
Then toward the officer.
“Did you say captain?”
He didn't answer.
She felt her pulse quicken.
The patrol captain had been named by the dispatcher.
The junior officer.
And the former security employee.
Now that captain was apparently on his way to take control of the encounter.
The investigator looked toward her colleague standing farther along the public path.
He had remained unobtrusive.
She made a small, predetermined signal indicating that she wanted the situation observed carefully.