“You moving money for somebody?”
“No.”
“Drugs?”
“No.”
His face hardened further.
“You people always have some angle.”
Maya’s eyes changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
She had heard enough.
“My name is Maya Williams. The vehicle is lawfully registered to me. You can verify that through dispatch in less than a minute.”
Brad stood.
“I’m searching the car.”
“I do not consent to a search.”
He turned back.
“What?”
“I said I do not consent.”
The strike came fast.
His open hand hit the side of Maya’s face.
Her head turned with the impact.
For a moment, her hearing seemed to narrow.
She tasted blood where the inside of her cheek had caught against a tooth, but there was no serious injury.
Mostly there was shock.
Then humiliation.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Brad.”
Brad pointed at him.
“Stay out of this.”
Maya looked up.
Her eyes were watering now.
“You’re making a very serious mistake.”
Brad gave a short laugh.
“No. You made the mistake when you decided to drive around here in a car you couldn’t explain.”
“I have explained it.”
“You’ve told me a story.”
He walked back to the Rolls-Royce.
Maya watched him reach for the baton at his belt.
Her stomach dropped.
“Officer.”
Brad struck the driver’s side window.
The first impact left a spiderweb fracture.
The second broke it.
Glass scattered across the seat and floor.
Someone farther up the road gasped.
Maya had not noticed the older woman who had pulled over near the curb.
She noticed her now.
Gray hair.
Blue cardigan.
Phone held vertically in both hands.
Recording.
Two other vehicles had slowed behind her.
Brad reached through the damaged window and opened the door.
“Searching for narcotics,” he announced loudly.
Maya stared at Daniel.
“There is no probable cause.”
Daniel looked away.
Brad removed her handbag and emptied it onto the pavement.
Wallet.
Keys.
Lip balm.
A small notebook.
Two pens.
A folded receipt.
Her federal credentials remained in a hidden interior compartment he did not discover.
He searched the center console.
Glove box.
Under the seats.
Then he found the registration.
For a moment he stared at it.
MAYA WILLIAMS.
Same name.
Same address.
Same vehicle identification number.
Same license plate.
Daniel saw it too.
“Brad.”
Brad folded the registration once.
Then dropped it onto the passenger seat.
“Could still be fraud.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
“How?”
Brad ignored him.
He moved deeper into the car.
Maya tried to rise slightly from her knees.
“Officer Hollister, you have verified ownership.”
“I haven’t verified anything.”
“The document is in your hand.”
Brad picked up a small utility knife from his equipment pouch.
Maya went still.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking the upholstery.”
“For what?”
“Hidden compartments.”
“That vehicle has no hidden compartments.”
“You don’t know what I’m looking for.”
“I know you do not have authority to destroy my property.”
The blade touched the cream leather.
Maya’s composure broke for the first time.