Holt remained seated. "Your wife brought this on herself, Mr. Brooks. My officers were investigating an armed fugitive, and she tried to direct the operation."
"Who was the fugitive?" Marcus asked.
"That's an active investigative matter."
"Then what actions do you allege constituted obstruction? The videos I've been told about show her standing with her hands visible while officers forced their way into our home."
Holt leaned back. "Your wife incited people to interfere. And let me be clear about one thing. I don't care whether you're a Navy SEAL, a general, or the president himself. Around here my people enforce the law."
"Then the written report should have no difficulty matching the evidence."
The smile left Holt's face. "Don't threaten me."
"I'm asking questions. You can decide whether to answer them. My lawyer will ask more."
Holt tapped a thick finger against the desk. "You've got a nice little place on Brookside, don't you? A home like that could fetch a good price while people are still interested. Sometimes folks hang on too long and make life harder than it needs to be."
Marcus held his expression still, but the remark landed with unmistakable force. It was too similar to what Mrs. Carter had been told to be accidental. "Our house isn't for sale," he said. "Neither is Mrs. Carter's."
The captain stood. "I'm finished with this conversation. Your wife will be processed according to procedure, and if you have any complaints, you can file them like everybody else."
Marcus did not argue. As he walked into the corridor, he heard Holt speaking sharply into a telephone behind the closed door. The captain had wanted him angry, perhaps threatening, perhaps foolish enough to give the department a reason to accuse him as well. Marcus refused to let the entire struggle be reduced to two men competing to appear more intimidating.
Diana Washington arrived carrying a slim briefcase and wearing a dark coat over a suit she had clearly put on in a hurry. She was tall, composed, and unsentimental about the legal system's ability to correct itself. Her first questions concerned the exact charges, the custody record, and Angela's condition. Her next request was for preservation of radio traffic, dispatch notes, body-camera footage, and the original complaint that had supposedly sent ten patrol cars to Brookside Street.
"They're saying they can't disclose the informant," Marcus told her.
"They may have a basis to protect a genuine source," Diana said. "That does not remove the need for lawful grounds or accurate records. We don't need to win an argument with Holt in his office. We need evidence, witnesses, and a judge willing to look at both."
She arranged for Angela to receive a medical examination and demanded that the custody file record the visible injuries. The station resisted some of her requests, and she documented each refusal. By the time they were done, dawn was approaching, but Diana still had another matter to address: the evidence that people on Brookside Street were being pressured to sell their homes.