He set the paper down and asked his administrator, "Who else has this?"
"Internal Review. Technical Services. Judge Williams has been informed."
"Anyone outside the courthouse?"
"Not that we know of."
Whitaker walked to his office door and closed it. "Keep it that way for now."
The administrator hesitated. "Sir?"
"I want the internal review paused before this goes any further."
The administrator stared at him. "Based on what?"
Whitaker looked back at the report. "The protest has every camera in Atlanta pointed at this building. We are not adding another public crisis until I know exactly what we're dealing with."
For the first time, the investigation had reached someone with enough authority to slow it down.
Chief Judge Thomas Whitaker asked Maya to come to his chambers shortly after lunch. She arrived on time, carrying the same leather folder she had taken into the courthouse on the morning of the detention.
Whitaker was standing near his desk when she entered. He had already dismissed his assistant and closed the door.
"Coffee?" he asked.
"No, thank you."
He motioned toward the chair across from him. Maya sat. Whitaker remained standing for a moment, then took his seat and folded his hands over a printed copy of the technical report.
"I assume Benton told you about the recording system."
"She did."
"And the manual override?"
"Yes."
Whitaker nodded slowly. Outside his office, staff moved through the hallway carrying files for the afternoon docket. The courthouse was functioning normally again, but local television crews were still positioned outside because of the demonstration.
Whitaker looked down at the report. "I've asked Internal Review to pause."
Maya did not react immediately. "For what reason?"
"We need time to understand the full situation before this expands."
"The full situation is why the review exists."
"I understand that."
"Then let it continue."
Whitaker leaned back. "Maya, there are considerations here beyond Officer Reed."
"There were considerations beyond Officer Reed the moment someone decided the recording system could be manually altered during a detention."
"That's exactly why I want this handled carefully."
"Carefully is not the same as quietly."
Whitaker's expression tightened. "I didn't say quietly."
"You didn't have to."
He waited before answering. "The courthouse has been under intense public scrutiny all week. We have protesters outside, cameras at every entrance, community groups demanding statements, and reporters calling my office every hour. If information about a judge being detained inside this building leaks before we establish all the facts, every other issue we're dealing with becomes secondary."
Maya kept her voice controlled. "That is a communications problem."
"It becomes an institutional problem."
"The detention was already an institutional problem."
Whitaker exhaled and looked toward the closed door. "I'm trying to protect public confidence in this court."
Maya leaned forward slightly. "Public confidence in what?"
"In the institution."
"Then give the public an institution worth trusting."