Chapter 6: The Record Opens One Door
Marcus didn't sit down.
He stared at Deputy Tasha as though she had just announced that the walls of the station were closing in.
“Read the name,” he ordered.
Tasha looked back at the monitor.
“The system identifies an authorized reviewer. I'm not going to speculate about what that means.””
“I'm not asking you to speculate. I'm asking you to read the screen.””
She hesitated, then read the displayed name.
“Director Elaine Brooks.””
Marcus frowned.
“The woman who just called us?””
“Yes, sir.””
“Then what's the problem?””
Tasha scrolled down.
“There's an additional status field.””
“What does it say?””
“Reviewer access confirmed. Protected details remain restricted.””
Marcus grabbed the edge of the desk.
“So she can see the record, but I can't?””
“The system appears to be distinguishing between our access levels.””
“That's absurd.””
Tasha kept her voice steady.
“It's what the screen says.””
Marcus pulled a chair away from the desk and sat heavily.
For the first time since Nia's arrest, he looked less like an officer issuing orders and more like a man who had run out of them.
Nia watched him.
“Sheriff?””
He lifted his head.
“What?””
“Can I ask a question?””
He stared at her, then glanced at Tasha.
“Go ahead.””
“Am I still under arrest?””
Marcus opened his mouth.
Tasha answered before he could.
“The department has not completed the booking process, and the restricted-record instructions remain active. We need clarification before determining the appropriate next step.””
Nia nodded once.
“Thank you for answering.””
Marcus rubbed his hands together.
“You don't get to turn this into a performance.””
Nia looked at him.
“I'm not performing. I'm asking about my freedom.””
He had no immediate answer.
Tasha returned to the computer and opened the authorized review request. A new section appeared, listing the information available to the local station.
The fields were ordinary enough: incident number, time of arrest, officer identification, booking status.
But beneath them was a notice instructing local personnel not to access the protected portion of the record.
Tasha pointed to it.
“Sheriff, this section confirms that we shouldn't attempt to retrieve anything beyond the authorized summary.””
Marcus leaned forward.
“Can we at least see why the record was restricted?””
“Not through this interface.””
“What about the incident number?””
“We have that.””
“The issuing agency?””
“Not in the local summary.””
“Then what can we see?””
Tasha scrolled.
A single line appeared at the bottom of the panel.
*REVIEW REQUIRED BEFORE FURTHER DETENTION ACTION.*
Marcus stared at the words.
“Further detention action,” he repeated.
“That could mean anything.””
“It means we need clarification.””
“Everything means clarification with you.””
“Because that's what the instructions require.””
He stood abruptly and began pacing again.
“This is my station. My deputies. My arrest.””
Tasha remained seated.
“Then the record of what happened here should be accurate.””
Marcus stopped.
“Are you saying I lied?””
“No, sir.””
“Then what are you saying?””
“I'm saying we should document what we know, not what we assume.””
His face tightened.
“You keep choosing your words very carefully.””
“That's part of my job.””
He looked toward Nia.
“Did you hear that? She's trying to teach me how to do my job.””
Nia's expression remained unchanged.
“No. She's trying to do hers.””
Marcus stared at her.
Then he turned away.
“I'm going outside.””
Tasha rose slightly.
“Sheriff, the reviewer may call back.””
“Then answer the phone.””
He strode toward the corridor, his boots striking the floor with hard, deliberate steps.
The door swung shut behind him.
For the first time in several minutes, the booking area felt quiet.
Tasha checked the monitor again, then turned toward Nia.
“I'm going to document the condition of your restraints and make sure the fit is still safe.””
She approached carefully.
“Are they too tight?””
“No.””
“Any numbness in your fingers?””
“No.””
“Any pain?””
“Just the pressure.””
Tasha examined the cuffs without unlocking them.
“I'm sorry this has happened.””
Nia studied her face.
“Did you put the cuffs on me?””
“Yes.””
“Did you know why?””
Tasha lowered her eyes briefly.
“No. Not at the time.””
“Then you can understand why an apology doesn't change much.””
“I understand.””
Nia looked toward the closed door.
“He doesn't like being questioned.””
“No,” Tasha admitted.
“He doesn't.””
“Does that usually stop you from asking?””
Tasha was silent for a moment.
Then she shook her head.
“No.””
Nia gave a small nod.
“Good.””
Tasha returned to the desk.
She opened the incident documentation panel and began recording her observations in chronological order. She included the restricted-record warning, the calls received, the instructions from the state compliance office, and the fact that the booking process had not been completed.
She avoided adding anything she couldn't verify.
As she typed, Nia watched the bright wall clock.
The second hand moved steadily.
“You've been a deputy for a long time?”” Nia asked.
“Almost twelve years.””
“Do you still believe in the job?””
Tasha's fingers slowed.
“Yes.””
“Even when it looks like this?””
“Especially when it looks like this.””
Nia turned toward her.
“Then don't let anyone convince you that doing the right thing is the same as making trouble.””
Tasha looked at her.
Before she could answer, the telephone rang.
She picked it up immediately.
“Booking division. Deputy Reynolds speaking.””
“Deputy, Director Brooks. Is Sheriff Marcus available?””
“He stepped out briefly, ma'am. I can ask him to return.””
“Please do. In the meantime, I need you to confirm the detainee is still in the booking area.””
“She is.””
“Has her status changed?””
“No, ma'am.””
“Have the restraints been checked?””
“Yes. No immediate safety concerns.””
“Thank you. Keep the line open.””
Tasha glanced toward Nia.
“Director, may I ask whether the local station should continue holding her here?””
A pause followed.
“Deputy, I cannot provide a final instruction until the appropriate review is completed. Maintain the current conditions in accordance with the restrictions already communicated, and do not take additional action based on assumptions.””
“Understood.””
The director continued.
“Sheriff Marcus needs to be present for the next communication. Please ask him to return.””
Tasha hung up.
She stood and walked toward the corridor.
“Sheriff?””
No answer.
She called again.
“Sheriff Marcus?””
A door opened farther down the hall.
Marcus appeared, holding his phone in one hand.
“What is it?””
“Director Brooks called again. She needs you back in booking.””
He looked at the telephone in her hand.
“Did she say why?””
“She wants you present for the next communication.””
Marcus returned to the room, moving more slowly this time.
He stopped beside the computer.
“Call her back.””
Tasha pressed the authorized callback control.
The phone rang once.
Then the line connected.
“Director Brooks,” Tasha said.
“Sheriff Marcus is present.””
“Thank you. Sheriff, are you able to hear me?””
“Yes.””
“Good. Before we proceed, I need you to confirm that the restricted record has not been altered.””
Marcus glanced at Tasha.
“It has not.””
“Has anyone attempted to bypass the access restriction?””
Marcus hesitated.
Tasha answered carefully.
“No successful override has occurred, ma'am. We have preserved the available entries.””
“Understood.””
A brief pause followed.
“Sheriff, the review has established that your station must not treat this as an ordinary booking. That does not determine the final outcome of the incident. It means the restricted record requires further authorization before any additional detention action can be taken.””
Marcus leaned toward the speaker.
“Then tell me what I'm supposed to do with her.””
“I will provide the next instruction when the designated authority confirms it.””
“When will that happen?””
“I cannot give you an exact time.””
Marcus shook his head.
“You expect me to sit here and wait indefinitely?””
“I expect you to follow the current instructions and preserve the record.””
He stared at the telephone.
Then he asked the question that had been troubling him since the first warning appeared.
“Director, who exactly is Nia?””
The silence that followed was different from the others.
Longer.
More deliberate.
Tasha looked toward Nia.
Nia sat calmly beneath the bright ceiling lights, her hands cuffed in front of her.
Director Brooks finally spoke.
“Sheriff, her identity is not something you should attempt to establish through unauthorized access. The appropriate office will determine what information may be disclosed and to whom.””
Marcus's face tightened.
“So you're refusing to tell me?””
“I'm telling you that the review is still active.””
“That isn't an answer.””
“It is the answer I can provide at this time.””
The line went quiet.
Then the director added, “You will receive further instructions shortly.””
The call ended.
Marcus remained beside the desk, staring at the telephone.
Tasha returned to her workstation.
Nia looked from one officer to the other.
“Is there anything else you need from me?”” she asked.
Marcus slowly turned toward her.
For once, he didn't shout.
“No.””
Nia nodded.
“Then I'd like my motorcycle key returned when this is over.””
His gaze dropped instinctively to the pocket where he'd placed it.
The key was still there.
He didn't reach for it.
Instead, he looked at the computer one more time.
A new notification appeared.
Tasha leaned closer.
The screen refreshed, revealing an additional instruction beneath the existing restriction.
She read it silently.
Then she looked at Marcus.
“Sheriff…”
He swallowed.
“What now?””
Tasha turned the monitor slightly toward him.
The new message contained only one sentence.
*PREPARE FOR DIRECT REVIEW OF THE ARRESTING OFFICER'S ACTIONS.*
Marcus stared at it.
May you like
Nia remained seated, silent and composed.
And somewhere beyond the walls of the bright police station, someone with the authority to review the entire incident was preparing to ask the sheriff a question he could no longer avoid.
