He hates our guts. This could be a trap. Jenkins scoffed, rolling his eyes. Relax, Tom. The guy is a soft politician.
He's got a regional press conference today. He's probably just doing some PR stunt. Brave officer secures the executive floor from a deranged intruder. I did him a favor. I kept a violent vagrant out of his private office.
If anything, he owes me a medal. Just don't get cocky, Gallagher warned as the elevator dinged at the third floor. When they entered the executive suite, the atmosphere was incredibly tense. Sarah Collins, the chief of staff, was sitting at her desk, her face entirely unreadable. She gestured silently toward the heavy double doors of the mayor's inner office.
Jenkins pushed the doors open, stepping inside with his chest puffed out. The room was vast and intimidating. Sitting behind the massive oak desk was Mayor David Hayes. Standing to the mayor's right was William Henderson, the city's chief of police, a stern, gray-haired veteran who looked profoundly uncomfortable. "Mayor Hayes, Chief Henderson," Jenkins said smoothly, offering a crisp salute.
"Officer Jenkins, reporting as requested. " David did not look up from the file on his desk for a long, agonizing moment. The silence in the room stretched until it felt suffocating. Finally, David closed the manila folder and looked at the officer. His eyes were completely void of emotion. "Officer Jenkins," David said smoothly.
"Mr. Gallagher, thank you for coming in. Please sit. " They took the two leather chairs opposite the desk. Jenkins flashed a confident, easy smile, leaning back slightly. I brought you in today, Officer Jenkins, to review the incident report you filed early this morning.
David began, his voice impeccably professional regarding a trespasser on this floor. Yes, sir. Jenkins nodded enthusiastically. Just doing my job, Mayor. Can never be too careful with executive security, especially in today's climate.
Indeed, David said softly. I appreciate thorough police work. However, there are a few discrepancies in the report that I need to clarify for the official record. You stated that at approximately 1:15 a.m., you discovered a male subject in this corridor. Is that correct?
Yes, Mr. Mayor. I observed the suspect casing the area outside your private office. Casing? David repeated the word, tasting it.
In your report, you noted he was wearing a city maintenance uniform. Did you not assume he was a janitor assigned to the floor? " Jenkins chuckled condescendingly. "With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, I've been on the force for 10 years. You develop a sixth sense for these things.
The uniform was clearly a disguise. The suspect didn't look like he belonged here. He was erratic, evasive, I see. " David leaned forward, interlocking his fingers on the desk. Your report states the suspect became quote verbally aggressive and physically combative. Could you elaborate on that for myself and Chief Henderson?
Gallagher cleared his throat loudly. Mr. Mayor, Officer Jenkins's report stands as written. I'm not sure we need to subject him to an interrogation over a routine ejection of a transient. I am asking the officer to recount his experience, Mr.
Gallagher, David said, his gaze snapping to the union rep with such terrifying intensity that Gallagher physically recoiled. He is free to answer. Jenkins, emboldened by his own arrogance, waved Gallagher off. It's fine, Tom. I don't mind.
Yes, Mr. Mayor. I approached the suspect and asked for his work order. He immediately caught an attitude, started swearing at me, making threatening gestures. I asked for his ID, and he lunged at me, tried to grab my duty belt.
I had to use open-handed defensive tactics to subdue him. He tried to grab your weapon? Chief Henderson asked, speaking up for the first time, his brow heavily furrowed. Jenkins, that's an automatic felony arrest. Why wasn't this man cuffed and booked?
Jenkins shifted slightly, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face before he smoothed it over with a lie. Sir, it was an escalating situation. We were understaffed on the night shift. The suspect was highly intoxicated, maybe on narcotics. I made a tactical decision to forcefully eject him from the premises to deescalate the immediate threat to the building.
I thought getting him out was the priority. David slowly opened the drawer of his desk. So to be absolutely clear, Officer Jenkins, you encountered a violent drug-addled adult vagrant wearing a stolen uniform who attempted to assault an officer of the law, and your response was to push him out the back door into 19° weather without a coat and lock him out. It was a tactical ejection, sir, Jenkins insisted, his jaw tightening. He was starting to feel the shift in the room's energy.
A sudden creeping chill. I confiscated his fake ID badge. I figured detectives could follow up on it today. "Ah, yes, the badge," David said. He reached into the drawer and pulled out the clear plastic evidence bag containing the cracked, blood-spotted identification card.
He tossed it onto the center of the oak desk. It landed with a soft plastic slap. "I have the badge right here," David said, his voice dropping into a deadly, quiet register. "Tell me, Officer Jenkins, before you threw this man onto the ice, before you beat him, did you happen to look at the name printed on this fake ID? " Jenkins swallowed hard. The confidence was rapidly draining from his face.