Malik stared at her. "My position? I didn't tell her I was the chief."
"She says you implied you had influence and that she would regret involving the police." Ward opened the folder. "She's also claiming you approached her in an intimidating manner and used aggressive body language when she tried to ask about the property."
He accepted the complaint form and read through the allegations. It described a version of the morning in which Vivien had been a frightened witness, Malik an unpredictable stranger, and the first arriving officers reluctant protectors who had been forced to intervene. There was no mention of his offers to produce documents, her refusal to move from his porch, or the ownership verification that dispatch had been prevented from completing until after he was handcuffed. The narrative was careful in one respect: every point where a camera might contradict her had been worded as how she said she felt, rather than what anyone could easily prove.
"Who helped her prepare this?" Malik asked.
"I don't know yet," Ward replied. "But Halbrook supplied a statement overnight. He says you became confrontational when he attempted to secure the scene and pulled away from him with enough force to justify restraints."
"He grabbed me first."
"I know what Officer Moreno reported. The video will help establish the rest."
Malik closed the folder. "I want the same standard applied to her complaint as to mine. She gets a proper acknowledgment, and the facts are reviewed without anyone assuming that she must be lying because I'm the chief."
Ward gave him a long look. "You're making this harder on yourself."
"Probably. But if the department can't investigate a complaint against me without turning it into a loyalty test, I have no business leading it."
A moving-truck dispatcher called to announce that the vehicle was finally on its way. Malik put the phone on speaker while he checked the route, then agreed to meet the crew in front of the house. The normality of arranging furniture deliveries while discussing an official misconduct complaint struck Ward as strangely revealing. He was still trying to begin a life there, and the people who had challenged his right to own the house had made that simple project into an ongoing public struggle.
Less than half an hour later, a patrol sedan rolled into the driveway. Malik recognized Halbrook before the vehicle stopped; the lieutenant stepped out wearing his uniform and carrying an empty evidence envelope, followed by another officer and Tessa Moreno. Ward went rigid beside the kitchen island, and Malik felt a cold warning move through him. The temporary restriction on Halbrook's operational command had not somehow prevented him from coming back to the scene he was being investigated for mishandling.
"Chief Reigns," Halbrook called from the porch. "We need to speak with you about evidence preservation."
Malik stepped outside, leaving Ward just behind him. "You can speak to me from there, Lieutenant. What evidence?"
Halbrook nodded toward the small camera above the door. "Your home security system. Mrs. Caroway's complaint alleges that you threatened her, and we need the footage to establish exactly what happened."
"The files are preserved," Malik said. "I've already offered them through the independent investigator."