He could feel Prescott watching him.
Then dispatch returned.
“12-43, Psychological Services confirms Dr. Malcolm Pierce is an active contracted forensic psychiatry consultant. Do you need supervisor callback?”
Prescott went completely still.
The woman with the stroller looked between them.
The old man with the dog raised his eyebrows.
Malcolm wished they would leave.
Public humiliation was not his goal.
Prescott swallowed.
“No.”
A beat.
Then:
“Negative on callback.”
Dispatch answered.
“Copy.”
Prescott looked down at Malcolm.
For the first time, he appeared uncertain.
Not apologetic.
Not yet.
Just uncertain.
“You could have said that from the beginning.”
Malcolm stared at him.
“I told you I was a psychiatrist at the hospital.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“No.”
Malcolm paused.
“It shouldn’t have needed to be.”
Prescott looked away.
“You were being evasive.”
“I told you my occupation and where I worked.”
“You wouldn’t show ID.”
“Because you had not explained why you were demanding it.”
“I was doing my job.”
Malcolm stood slowly.
Prescott’s hand moved again.
Malcolm stopped halfway.
“Am I still being detained?”
Prescott did not answer.
“Officer Prescott.”
“No.”
“Sorry?”
“You’re not detained.”
“So I’m free to leave.”
“Yes.”
Malcolm stood fully.
He was six feet tall, about the same height as Prescott.
He picked up his journal.
Then his lunch bag.
The turkey sandwich had gone untouched.
“Before I leave, I want your badge number.”
Prescott looked irritated again.
But less certain.
“5439.”
Malcolm took a pen from his shirt pocket and wrote it on the inside cover of the journal.
Nolan Prescott.
Badge 5439.
Twelfth Precinct.
12:17 p.m.
Riverside Park.
He wrote one more line.
Self-initiated contact. Dispatch confirmed no call number during encounter.
Prescott watched him.
“You planning to write me up?”
“I’m planning to document what happened.”
“You think because you work with the department you can ruin my career?”
Malcolm closed the journal.
“No.”
Prescott gave a bitter laugh.
“Come on.”
“I don’t have the authority to fire you.”
“But you can write some psychological report.”
“Not about this.”
That surprised Prescott.
Malcolm continued.
“I’m involved in the incident now. That creates a conflict. If your department orders a fitness-for-duty evaluation, it should be conducted by someone independent of me.”
Prescott said nothing.
“I will file a complaint as the person you stopped.”
Malcolm looked directly at him.
“And I will preserve the fact that you repeatedly implied there were reports connecting me to suspicious activity when dispatch just established this was self-initiated.”
“I said there had been reports in the area.”
“You can explain that during the investigation.”
Prescott’s face flushed.