The heavy metal clicked loudly as he locked them tight around Arthur's thick wrists. Too tight. Arthur stood perfectly still, his hands bound behind his back. He looked directly into Rollins's eyes, his expression completely devoid of fear. "Officer," Arthur said softly, his voice carrying the chilling weight of absolute authority.
"I will not resist you, but I am going to tell you exactly once. You are making a catastrophic mistake. Take these cuffs off now, and we can pretend this never happened."
Rollins smirked, shoving Arthur toward the cruiser. "Save it for the judge, buddy. You are under arrest."
The back seat of the Bethesda local police cruiser was constructed of hard molded plastic designed for easy cleaning rather than comfort. Arthur sat rigidly, his broad shoulders forced forward by the tight metal bracelets biting into his wrists. The interior of the car smelled faintly of stale fast food and cheap industrial disinfectant. Through the plexiglass divider, he stared at the back of Officer Rollins's head, analyzing the situation with the icy detachment that had made him a legendary federal investigator. He wasn't angry.
Anger was a useless emotion in a crisis. Instead, Arthur felt a profound, almost clinical sense of disappointment. He had dedicated his life to reforming law enforcement, to elevating the standards of policing across the nation. Yet here he was, detained by an arrogant rookie, acting entirely on unchecked prejudice. Arthur mentally logged every procedural violation Rollins had committed.