Danner looked toward his partner with visible anger. Pierce did not change the answer.
Camille then turned toward Judith Palmer. “You told the dispatcher this house was vacant?”
Judith looked miserable. “I thought it might still be between owners.”
“You saw the moving trucks Thursday.” “Yes.”
“You spoke to me.” “Yes.”
“I told you I had purchased the house.” Judith closed her eyes briefly. “Yes.”
Camille’s voice remained controlled. “Then what exactly looked suspicious today?”
Judith looked toward the house. “I saw you coming through the side gate.”
“You watched me use a code.” “Yes.”
“Did I force the gate?” “No.”
“Look through windows?” “No.”
“Try doors?” “No.”
“Carry anything away?” “No.”
Camille waited. “Then what made you believe I did not belong here?”
Judith’s eyes filled. She seemed to search for a polite sentence and finally realized politeness was part of the problem.
“You didn’t look like who I imagined bought the house.” Camille nodded slowly.
“What did you imagine?” Judith looked down. “Someone older.”
Camille waited. Judith continued reluctantly. “Probably white.”
The answer hung in the garden. Danner glanced toward the street.
Camille said, “That assumption existed before the police call.” Judith nodded. “Yes.”
A marked command SUV stopped outside before anyone spoke again. Deputy Chief Leonard Hayes entered through the gate at a pace that was fast without looking panicked. He was a fifty-six-year-old Black man with gray at his temples and nearly three decades in the department.
Hayes saw Camille first. Then her wet clothes.
Then Danner. Pierce.
The hose. His face hardened.
“Commissioner.” Camille nodded.
Hayes looked at the officers. “Who wants to tell me why the incoming commissioner is standing soaked in her backyard?”
Danner began immediately. “We responded to a trespassing complaint.”
“At her house?” “We didn’t know it was her house.”
Hayes looked toward Pierce. “When was ownership verified?”
“During contact.” Hayes looked at Camille’s blouse.
“And the water?” Nobody answered.
Hayes turned back to Danner. “Officer?”
Danner swallowed. “She refused instructions to create distance from the residence.”
Hayes stared at him. “And your answer was to spray her with a garden hose?”
“I used the hose to gain compliance.” Hayes stopped moving.
Camille watched his face. He looked less angry than disappointed, which somehow made Danner appear more uncomfortable.
Hayes asked whether Camille wanted medical attention. She said no.