“You know why.”
Coleman stared at her.
Then understood.
“You waited.”
Maya nodded.
“You let them write.”
“Yes.”
“Charge you.”
“Yes.”
“Commit.”
“Yes.”
Coleman slowly sat.
“You are an exhausting person.”
“I’ve heard that.”
Laura Chen entered carrying a folder.
“Vehicle is preserved.”
Maya’s expression changed.
“The gloves?”
“Still there.”
Maya closed her eyes briefly.
“Thank you.”
Coleman opened the booking report.
“Resisting arrest. Obstruction. Suspected grand theft auto.”
He looked at her.
“Grand theft auto.”
“I know.”
“The registered owner is you.”
“I know.”
“They had the registration.”
“I know.”
He leaned back.
“So now I’m angry.”
Maya almost smiled again.
A deputy remained by the door.
Coleman looked toward him.
“Please remove the cuffs.”
The deputy hesitated.
Coleman opened his credential case.
The man read it.
Then looked at Maya.
“Sir?”
Coleman pointed.
“That is Assistant Director Maya Williams, one of the federal officials overseeing the civil-rights review your department has been cooperating with for the last year and a half.”
The deputy went completely still.
Maya watched recognition spread across his face.
Then fear.
He stepped forward with the key.
The cuffs opened.
Maya brought her hands in front of her.
Coleman said:
“Now get your sheriff.”
The meeting occurred twenty minutes later.
Sheriff Hargrove.
Sergeant Tomlin.
Brad Hollister.
James Coleman.
Laura Chen.
Maya.
Hargrove looked older than he had two hours earlier.
Brad looked angry.
Tomlin looked worried.
Coleman placed his credentials on the table.
“James Coleman. FBI.”
He gestured toward Maya.
“You already know her name.”
Brad stared.
Coleman continued.
“What you apparently did not know is what she does.”
Maya said nothing.
“She is Assistant Director Maya Williams. Her portfolio includes civil-rights and public-corruption investigations, including the ongoing review of complaints involving this department.”
Brad’s face changed.
It happened in stages.
Confusion.
Disbelief.
Then calculation.
“She never told me.”
Maya finally spoke.
“You did not need to know my job to respect my rights.”
Brad looked at her.
“You said federal government.”
“Yes.”
“That could mean anything.”
“So could unemployed.”
Maya’s voice remained level.
“Neither would authorize what you did.”
Coleman opened a folder.
“Registration verified ownership before the search.”
Another page.
“Independent video contradicts your report.”
Another.
“Your body camera status is being reviewed.”
Another.
“The vehicle has been secured as evidence.”
Hargrove swallowed.
“What exactly are you alleging?”
Maya looked at him.
“This is not about allegations yet.”