"Sullivan, her stuff looks like legitimate school materials. What exactly did she do wrong?"
Sullivan's jaw tightened. His own partner was questioning him, and now backup was doing the same in front of all these witnesses. His authority was being undermined, and he wasn't going to stand for it.
"She was filming us secretly, trying to create one of those viral videos to make the police look bad," Sullivan insisted. "And when I asked about her purpose here, she started lying about her family. Claims her mother works for the FBI."
Several people in the crowd exchanged glances. A woman whispered to her husband, "Even if she was lying, is that illegal?"
Maya felt heat rising in her cheeks, but she kept her voice respectful. "I wasn't filming secretly. I introduced myself, showed my credentials, and asked permission to interview officers. That's when Officer Sullivan became aggressive."
"Aggressive?" Sullivan's voice pitched higher. "I was doing my job, and now you're sitting there lying about it!"
Rodriguez stepped forward, her conscience finally overriding her loyalty to her partner. "Derek, she's telling the truth. She was polite and had all her paperwork ready. She asked nicely if we had time for questions."
Sullivan spun around, his face flushing red. "Whose side are you on, Rodriguez?"
"I'm on the side of doing this job right," Rodriguez replied quietly, but her words carried clearly to the watching crowd.
Maya's phone, still clutched in Sullivan's hand, buzzed again. This time, the screen lit up with an incoming call. The caller ID read simply: Mom - FBI.
Sullivan glanced at the screen, and his sneer returned. "Look at this. 'Mom - FBI.' This eighteen-year-old even programmed fake contact names to support her lies." He held up the phone for Mitchell to see. "Probably has 'Dad - CIA' and 'Uncle - Secret Service' in there, too."
A few people in the crowd chuckled nervously, but most remained silent. The cruelty in Sullivan's voice was becoming impossible to ignore.
Maya's heart sank as the call went to voicemail. Her mother was trying to reach her, probably worried about the earlier text, but Maya couldn't answer, couldn't explain what was happening.
"Officer Sullivan," Maya said quietly, "may I please just call my mother? She's expecting me home soon, and she'll worry if I don't check in."
"'Your mother,'" Sullivan repeated mockingly. "The FBI agent mother, right?" He looked around at the crowd dramatically. "Should I tell her you got arrested for lying to police officers?"
"Arrested?" Mitchell interjected. "For what, exactly? You haven't told me what law she broke."
Sullivan's eyes flashed with anger. He was tired of being questioned by everyone—his partner, backup, even the suspect herself. Time to assert control.
"Disorderly conduct, creating a public disturbance, interfering with police business, resisting arrest," he listed off rapidly.