"You always said back the man who made the arrest."
"I am telling you to stop threatening people in my station."
Maddox stared at the chief. What he heard was abandonment. Reeve had accepted the money, signed the reports, enjoyed the protection. Now, confronted with an authentic federal badge, he wanted to pretend Maddox was acting alone.
"You told me what to do," Maddox said. His voice had gone thin. "All those years, you told me."
Reeve's face hardened. "You are not going to discuss department matters like this."
Nyla understood the meaning of the exchange before most of the others did. It was the first unguarded suggestion, in front of multiple officers and working cameras, that the chief had directed conduct he might later deny.
"Officer Maddox," Dominic said, "lower the Taser. You have another opportunity to choose not to hurt anyone."
"You ruined everything," Maddox whispered.
"No," Dominic replied. "You were doing that long before we met."
Maddox's finger tightened. He held the device out for two more seconds. Then his shoulder dropped, and he set it on the counter.
Walsh stepped forward at Reeve's nod. He removed Dominic's handcuffs, then Nyla's. The marks on Nyla's wrists were red and uneven. Dominic turned one palm upward and flexed his fingers, restoring circulation.
"Your property," Reeve said. "We'll return it."
"Not all of it," Nyla answered. "The firearm stays secured as evidence of what happened, with a proper inventory and chain of custody. We also need copies of every report and the names of everyone present."
"We can arrange that."
"You do not arrange whether the evidence exists, Chief. You preserve it."
Dominic received his phone from a sealed bag. He checked its screen and saw a series of secure messages sent during the past twenty minutes. Tessa Monroe was now safely with a protective detail. The original records were in federal custody. The task force had adjusted its timetable because Maddox had forced an intervention.
He made a call.
"Patricia, Brooks. Authentication phrase is on the secure channel. Nyla and I are safe at Willow Grove Police Department. We were illegally stopped, threatened with weapons, searched, and detained after displaying credentials. We need the planned operation advanced. Notify Assistant Director Thorne."