Upstairs, Maya entered the elevator with the court administrator.
"Judge Williams, we can delay the briefing."
"No. Keep the schedule."
"You've just been detained for nearly an hour."
"And the court still has work to do."
The administrator nodded as the elevator doors closed.
Maya looked down at her folder and spoke in the same calm voice she had used in the security room. "After the briefing, preserve everything from East Security. Access logs, radio traffic, reports, audio, and system changes."
The administrator looked at her. "All of it?"
"All of it."
The doors closed, leaving Reed downstairs with the first official request he could no longer control.
By early afternoon, the demonstration outside had lost some of its intensity, but the courthouse remained under tightened security. Maya had already completed the morning assignment briefing and refused an offer to postpone the rest of her schedule. She stayed focused on court business until the last required meeting ended.
Only then did she go to the Administrative Review Office. An internal affairs coordinator named Laura Benton was waiting with a recorder, a notepad, and a copy of Reed's preliminary report.
"Judge Williams, I know this has been a difficult day," Benton said.
"Then keep this simple. Record what happened and preserve the evidence."
Benton nodded. "That's exactly what I intend to do."
Maya sat across from her and gave the account in order. She described the failed credential scan, her request for verification, Reed's refusal to contact Judicial Administration, and his refusal to bring in a supervisor. She described the detention. She described the baton. She described the camera indicator. She described Reed accessing the security control panel while she was still inside the room.
Benton stopped writing for a moment. "You saw him access the panel directly?"
"I saw him open it and operate the controls. I also saw the camera indicator change afterward."
"You're certain about the sequence?"
"Yes."
Maya did not add anything she had not personally observed.
Benton continued. "Did you attempt to push past Officer Reed?"
"No."
"Did you make physical contact with him?"
"No."
"Did you raise your voice?"
"I became more direct when he refused verification. I did not threaten him."
Benton turned one page of the report toward her. Reed had written that Maya became verbally aggressive, attempted to force her way through a restricted doorway, and interfered with courthouse security operations.
Maya read the language once, then looked up. "That is not what happened."
Benton studied her. "You understand why I need to ask this carefully?"
"I do. Ask whatever you need."
"Did you step toward the doorway while he was standing there?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because he had refused my supervisor request and had not established a lawful reason to continue holding me."
"And the baton?"
"He used it to block the doorway and to compel me to sit."
Benton made another note.
Maya leaned back slightly. "If his report describes movement toward the door as an attempt to attack or overpower him, the report is false."
Benton did not respond immediately. "I'll review all available footage and logs."