"Who makes the arrests?"
"County investigators with state assistance. Not Westbridge."
"Good."
"We can take them quietly at their attorneys' offices tomorrow morning."
Marcus considered the operational effect. "Do that. No spectacle at headquarters unless you need one for safety." The prosecutor looked almost amused. "Most chiefs want the perp walk."
"I'm not most chiefs, and they're not trophies. They're defendants."
The next morning, Derek Reigns arrived at his attorney's office at 8:12 a.m. expecting another proffer session. Two county investigators met him inside. They showed him the warrant and allowed his lawyer to stand beside him while they removed his belt, secured his hands, and read the formal charges. There were no cameras. No row of fellow officers watching.
No speech from Marcus. Calvin Voss was arrested twenty-three minutes later in a separate law office across town. His attorney later complained that prosecutors had humiliated him by treating a respected police sergeant like a criminal suspect. The prosecutor answered with a sentence that appeared in every newspaper the next day.
"That is exactly how the law treats a person when probable cause supports an arrest. Rank changes responsibility, not the standard."
Westbridge headquarters learned the news through an internal notice at 9:05. Marcus read it himself at roll call.
"Officer Derek Reigns and Sergeant Calvin Voss were arrested this morning pursuant to warrants issued by the county court. The criminal process now belongs to prosecutors and the courts. No employee of this department will interfere with witnesses, speculate publicly about evidence, or retaliate against anyone who cooperates."
He scanned the room.
"They are entitled to due process. So are the citizens whose complaints were ignored. We will respect both."
No one spoke. After briefing, Officer Ramirez waited by the door.
"Captain?"
"Yes."
"I keep thinking about that night I saw the cash in Reigns's hand."
Marcus knew what was coming.
"I could've stopped this earlier."
"Maybe."
Ramirez looked surprised by the lack of reassurance. Marcus continued. "Or maybe you would have reported it and Voss would've buried your complaint too. We don't know. Guilt is only useful if it changes what you do next."
"What should I do next?"
"The next time something doesn't make sense, document it and tell someone. If the first person ignores it, tell someone else."
Ramirez nodded slowly.
"That's it?"