"Detective Michelle Park. Elmwood Police. She says someone by that name has been detained."
"Has anybody talked to the arresting officer?"
"They're requesting command verification now."
"Then we use the ordinary channels first," Sullivan said. "Get Captain Langley. Document the time and keep the governor's office informed."
He did not order vehicles across town or assume that his colleague was in immediate physical danger. The first responsibility of a professional protective team was to establish reliable information, and Marcus trusted Lydia enough to understand that she would want the same thing. He also knew the limits of waiting. If she had been detained without a lawful reason, every minute of delay mattered.
In the patrol car, Hawkins's radio crackled. "Unit Seven, dispatch. Stand by for priority communication from command regarding your detainee."
Hawkins raised the microphone. "Dispatch, I have a subject in custody. What now?"
"We have received inquiries from the state security office concerning Lydia Monroe. Captain Langley requests that identification be verified before processing."
Hawkins laughed. "I told you about this woman. She's got somebody running a little game from outside. Tell the captain I'm bringing in a burglary suspect and will file my report."
"Chief, the request is verified through official channels."
"Then he can tell me himself."
Lydia kept her voice calm. "He should."
Hawkins looked up at the mirror. "You really think calling your friends is going to save you?"
"I haven't called anyone," she replied. "You haven't allowed me to."
It was a simple correction. The chief treated it as insolence. He began speculating aloud about her employment, her finances, and how she could afford professional clothes. His questions were not part of any investigation; they were expressions of the story he had decided to tell about her. She answered none of them.
A few miles away, Michelle called the station and asked Sergeant David Kim to verify whether Captain Langley had received the state notification. Kim said the captain was already trying to reach Hawkins and that the matter had become urgent. Michelle told him to prepare to preserve all relevant communications and recordings. Kim, an experienced desk sergeant, did not need an explanation for that request.
When Hawkins finally pulled into the rear parking lot, the station's clock showed a little after two twenty. He parked away from the growing number of news vehicles outside, but camera operators positioned on the public sidewalk could see the police entrance. Lydia waited while he opened the door and directed her to stand. Her shoulders ached from holding her arms behind her back. She wanted water, a chair, and a chance to move her wrists, but she knew the important issue was not physical comfort.
At the doorway she stopped briefly and looked at him. "Chief Hawkins, this is the last time I'll ask you before we enter. Please verify my identification through the state contact you were given."