For several seconds, neither moved. Maya did not raise her hands or step forward. She held her position long enough for Reed to understand that she was not going to give him the confrontation he appeared ready to describe. Then she returned to the chair.
Reed lowered the baton but did not put it away. "Good. Stay there."
Maya looked directly at him. "The baton does not make your version true."
He stared at her, then stepped into the corridor and shut the door.
Outside, Marcus saw the baton in Reed's hand. He immediately opened his legal pad and wrote: Officer emerged from room holding baton. No visible disturbance from inside. He added the time.
A security officer near the corridor noticed him writing. "Sir, I already told you to wait by the elevators."
Marcus closed the pad. "I am by the elevators."
"Then stay there."
"I intend to."
The officer walked away. Marcus did not argue. He had no reason to create another incident. He only needed to remember what he had seen.
Evelyn had also seen Reed leave the room with the baton. She stood behind the clerk station with a file open in front of her and did nothing for several seconds.
A coworker glanced over. "You okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You look distracted."
Evelyn forced herself back to the screen. "Just busy."
The coworker returned to work. Evelyn looked toward the restricted corridor again. This time Reed saw her.
He walked toward the desk. "You know her?"
Evelyn froze. The answer was simple: yes. Instead, she said, "I've seen her before."
"From where?"
"Around the building."
Reed studied her. "Does she work here?"
Evelyn knew exactly how much could change if she answered honestly. "She told you her name."
"That's not what I asked."
Evelyn looked down at the file in her hands. "Then check the directory."
Reed's expression hardened. "I'm handling it."
He turned away before she could say more. Evelyn watched him walk back toward the security desk and felt the opportunity close behind him. She had not lied outright, but she had not told the truth either.
Inside the room, Maya saw Reed return to the computer. A few moments later, the camera indicator above her flickered once. Maya looked up. The light changed from green to red and then went dark.
She stood and moved closer to the glass panel. Outside, Reed opened a small service panel beneath the security monitor and pressed several controls. Maya watched carefully.
When he returned, she was waiting near the table. "You changed the recording system."
Reed stopped. "You don't know what I did."
"I watched you access the panel immediately after using the baton."
"I was checking a technical issue."
"Then document that, too."
His eyes narrowed. "You need to stop telling me what to document."
"You need to stop creating things you are afraid to document."
Reed stepped closer, but this time he left the baton on his belt. "The camera has been unreliable all morning."
"Then there should be a maintenance record."
"You don't have access to that."
"Someone will."
Reed opened the door. "Sit down."