The line went dead.
Twenty minutes later, Darius sat across from Gordon Hail in the councilman's spacious office overlooking downtown. Gordon was sixty-one, silver-haired, and dressed in a suit that probably cost more than most officers made in a month.
"Coffee?" Gordon asked, his tone carefully neutral.
"No, thank you."
Gordon poured himself a cup and settled behind his desk. "Chief, we need to discuss what happened yesterday evening."
"What about it?"
"Lenora Vale called me at home last night. She's deeply shaken by your confrontation with her."
Darius kept his expression blank. "Her confrontation with me, you mean?"
"She says you threatened her after she made a routine safety call to police."
"She made a false report claiming I was stealing my own car."
Gordon waved his hand dismissively. "Details, Chief. The important thing is how we handle this moving forward."
"The details are the only thing that matters."
Gordon leaned forward. "Lenora has been a pillar of this community for decades. She's donated hundreds of thousands to police programs. The new K9 unit exists because of her generosity."
"And that gives her the right to file false reports?"
"It gives her the benefit of the doubt when misunderstandings occur." Gordon's voice carried a slight edge. "She's frightened, Chief. She believes you used your badge to intimidate her."
Darius felt heat building behind his sternum. "I showed my badge to prevent an unlawful detention."
"From her perspective, you threatened retaliation for her call."
"Her perspective is wrong."
Gordon set down his coffee cup. "Chief, I'm going to be direct with you. Lenora wants a public apology. Something simple, acknowledging that tensions got heated and mistakes were made on both sides."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I will not apologize for owning my home or my car. I will not apologize for existing in that neighborhood."
Gordon's carefully neutral expression cracked. "Chief, you're new here. You don't understand the delicate relationships that keep this city running smoothly."
"I understand that you want me to lie publicly to protect a major donor."
"I want you to show wisdom. One apology makes this entire incident disappear."
Darius stood. "The incident won't disappear, Councilman. It's being preserved as evidence."
"Evidence of what?"