Her phone vibrated.
It was a message from her mother.
Did you eat breakfast?
Simone smiled.
Even after everything, her mother remained convinced that most problems could be improved by eating something.
Yes, Mama.
The reply came immediately.
Real food?
Simone laughed quietly.
Eggs and toast.
Good. Call me tonight.
Simone placed the phone beside her gym bag.
She took a sip of the smoothie.
And that was when she noticed the police cruiser rolling along the service road.
At first, she paid it no attention.
Police vehicles often passed through the park.
Then the cruiser slowed.
The driver looked toward her.
It stopped.
One officer stepped out.
He was tall and broad, with a square face and a dark expression.
He looked directly at Simone.
She felt a sudden chill.
Not because he had done anything yet.
Because she recognized him.
Bradley Matthews.
She knew his face from personnel records.
She knew his name from hundreds of documents.
She knew his voice from recordings.
She knew he had been involved in her brother's final arrest.
But she had never expected to encounter him alone in broad daylight.
Matthews closed the cruiser door.
He adjusted his duty belt.
Then he walked toward her.
"Ma'am."
Simone kept her hands visible.
"Good afternoon, Officer."
"What are you doing here?"
"Taking a break after my run."
"Let me see some identification."
She studied him.
"Am I required to identify myself?"
Matthews frowned.
"I asked for identification."
"Am I suspected of a crime?"
He glanced toward her gym bag.
"We've had complaints about suspicious activity."
"What activity?"
"People hanging around the park."
She looked toward the crowded paths.
"People are supposed to be in the park."
His jaw tightened.
"Don't get smart with me."
Simone felt her heartbeat quicken.
She had spent months studying how this man operated.
Now she could see the pattern unfolding in front of her.
He began with an ambiguous command.
When questioned, he treated the request for clarification as disrespect.