"Did I ask for your opinion?" Rourke snapped.
"No, sir, but—"
"Then secure the scene and manage that crowd. I'll handle this situation."
The younger officer hesitated, then moved toward the onlookers, his posture radiating discomfort. Several people had their phones pointed directly at him now, capturing his obvious reluctance to participate.
Less than five minutes had passed since the handcuffs clicked shut when the radio on Rourke's shoulder crackled to life. The voice that came through wasn't the usual local dispatch.
"Unit 47, confirm current status of detainee Evelyn Brooks. Over."
Rourke frowned, keying his radio. "Dispatch, Unit 47. Handling a suspicious person with probable forged federal credentials. Situation under control."
"Negative, Unit 47. Please verify: do you currently have Evelyn Brooks in custody? This is a priority verification request. Authentication code Echo 79 Delta."
Inside the Pentagon, Raymond Brooks stood in his dress uniform, staring at the alert on his secure phone. The image showed his wife of thirty-seven years handcuffed beside a patrol car, her dignity intact despite the obvious humiliation. His jaw tightened as he read the GPS coordinates and timestamp.
Back at the gas station, confusion crossed Rourke's face as he tried to make sense of the unusual radio traffic. "Dispatch, please repeat authentication code?"
"Unit 47, this is a federal priority channel override. Confirm status of Evelyn Brooks immediately."
Evelyn watched Rourke's expression shift from confusion to the first flickers of worry. She could almost see him trying to process how quickly this had escalated beyond his control. His hand moved to his radio, then dropped away as if unsure how to respond.
"Sir," Halverson called from near the crowd. "There's something else. The credentials, they're showing active in the federal database. I just ran them."
Rourke's face flushed red. Rather than acknowledge the mounting evidence, he grabbed Evelyn's arm roughly. "Get in the car. We'll sort this out at the station."
"That would be unwise," Evelyn said calmly.