Officer Thomas Davis came first. Thirty-three, white, broad through the shoulders, five years on patrol. His right hand rested near his duty belt as his eyes moved across the room and settled on Jamal.
Officer Daniel Kim followed half a step behind. Forty-one, Korean American, eleven years on the force, quieter in his movements and slower to turn uncertainty into instruction.
Bradley met them before they reached Jamal.
“Thank God,” he said. “We’ve got a juvenile attempting to access a multimillion-dollar account that cannot possibly belong to him. We have fraudulent documents and possible identity theft.”
Davis looked past him. “That him?”
“Yes.”
Jamal stood beside his scattered belongings.
Davis approached. “Hands where I can see them.”
Jamal lifted both hands.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“We’ll figure that out. Name?”
“Jamal Williams.”
“Age?”
“Thirteen.”
“Where are your parents?”
“My mom is at work. She knows I’m here.”
Davis glanced toward Bradley. “What’s the amount?”
“Two point four million dollars.”
Davis looked back at Jamal.
The skepticism arrived before any question about paperwork.
“You’re telling me that’s your money?”
“Yes, sir.”
“How?”
“I built an educational app. TechVision licensed it.”
Davis exhaled through his nose. “At thirteen.”
“Yes.”
“What’s the app called?”
“NumberBridge.”
The name meant nothing to him.
Kim’s expression changed slightly.
“NumberBridge?” he asked.
Jamal nodded.
Kim looked toward the television on the wall, then back at Jamal. “I think I saw something about that.”
Bradley stepped in. “Officer, whatever he says, the amount is extremely suspicious.”
Kim glanced at the printed profile. “Did your system flag the account?”
Bradley hesitated. “The balance itself is the flag.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“The system shows a new account with a large wire.”
“Did your fraud system flag it?”
Bradley looked at the screen. “There’s an enhanced-verification note.”
“Does it say the incoming funds failed verification?”
Bradley did not answer immediately.
Elise did.
“It says source-of-funds review completed.”
Every face turned toward her.
She swallowed. “It was cleared Friday.”