Ben Carter swiped the card through the reader at the front desk of the Asheford Police Department. The computer monitor displayed a green message: Federal authority verified. Special access active.
Ben looked at the woman standing across from him. She wore a dark coat and had placed a coated black case on the counter. Through the front windows, an older Ford sedan was parked in the visitor lot.
Lieutenant Rebecca Sloan approached the desk and motioned for Ben to move aside. She checked the screen, examined the credential, and then looked at the woman.
"What agency are you with?"
"The system verified my authority," the woman replied.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"It gives you the information required to follow the access procedure."
Rebecca placed the card on the counter. "What do you need access to?"
"The digital evidence archive, administrative access records, and sealed property logs."
"For what purpose?"
"The authorization attached to the credential covers that."
Rebecca looked at the coated case. "You arrived without an appointment. You won't identify your agency, and you want access to restricted evidence while carrying a locked case. I need more than a computer message."
The woman remained calm. "You're allowed to verify the credential. You're not allowed to ignore the result because you don't like it."
Rebecca turned to Ben. "Close the verification screen."
Ben hesitated. "Lieutenant, it says federal authority verified. I saw it."
"Close the screen."
Ben clicked the window shut.
Rebecca then pointed to the black case. "We're holding that until we determine who you are and what you brought into this station."
The woman placed one hand on the handle. "If you seize the case without completing the validation process, the remote document seal protocol will activate."
Rebecca studied her. "Is that a threat?"
"No, it's a warning about the security system."
"Take your hand off the case."
The woman complied. Rebecca picked up the credential again. "You expect me to let an unidentified person into our evidence system because a scanner returned a green message?"
"I expect you to use the validation procedure."
Rebecca tore the credential in half.
Ben stared at the two pieces in her hand. At the same moment, the indicator on the coated case changed from green to red. The internal mechanism engaged, locking both latches.
Rebecca looked at the case. The woman looked at the torn credential and said, "Now you've created a custody event."
"What does that mean?"