"We'll document it before anything is repaired. Diana's almost here."
"It's about Mrs. Carter," she told him. "Holt wouldn't name the fugitive, and he got angry when I mentioned Vision Heights. I think they're trying to frighten her into selling, and I think I got in the way."
Marcus nodded. "Then we'll find out what they were trying to hide. But first, we're getting you proper representation and medical care."
Griggs interrupted before they could speak further. He looked at Marcus's military identification with an expression that suggested he resented the laminated card more than anything the man had said. "Captain's waiting," he announced. "You want to complain, complain to him."
Holt's office was decorated to announce authority before a visitor sat down. Citations filled one wall, a framed flag hung behind the desk, and a polished golf trophy occupied the shelf beside a photograph of Holt shaking hands with a local businessman. Marcus recognized the Crystal Lake Country Club logo on the trophy because a journalist friend had once written about a political fundraiser there. He noticed it without assigning it significance yet; a golf trophy was not proof of a bribe.
Holt remained seated as Marcus entered. "Your wife interfered with an authorized investigation," he said. "She's going to have to answer for that."
"What was the investigation about?" Marcus asked. "You claimed there was a fugitive in our house, and no one will identify that person."
"I don't discuss active cases with civilians."
"Then my attorney can request the relevant records. I also want the search documented and the footage preserved. You had officers inside our home while Angela was detained outside."
Holt leaned back, considering him. "I hear you're a SEAL. So you think that entitles you to tell us how to do our jobs?"
"No," Marcus said. "I think my wife is entitled to know the basis for her arrest. Your officers are entitled to lawful supervision. And every person on that block is entitled to be left alone when they haven't done anything wrong."
Holt smiled thinly. "You sound like you've rehearsed that."
"I've had a long flight to think about it."
The meeting ended without an admission or a promise. Holt told Marcus that Angela would be processed and brought before a magistrate, then ordered him out. Marcus resisted the temptation to make threats he couldn't enforce; instead, he stopped at the desk, submitted the preservation request in writing, and asked for a receipt showing its delivery. The clerk stamped a copy and returned it to him, a small act that suddenly seemed more useful than an hour of shouting.
Diana arrived carrying a leather case and an expression Marcus remembered from the one occasion he had seen her dismantle a landlord's unsupported claims at a housing meeting. She asked for the arrest report, confirmed Angela's request for counsel, and arranged to speak with her privately. Afterward she emerged into the corridor and told Marcus that the written accusations were thin and inconsistent. But she also warned him that a judge's decision at the first appearance could be unpredictable, particularly when an officer alleged that a crowd had become hostile during a search for a violent suspect.