Get Out, Scum! Cop Yelled... Froze When Both Flashed Internal Affairs IDs
Chapter 5
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The transformation in Thomas Kowalski was instantaneous and catastrophic. The belligerent, red-faced tyrant evaporated in the span of a heartbeat: his eyes widened to the size of saucers, locking onto the gold shields as if they were venomous snakes. The color drained from his face so fast it left him looking like a corpse. His mouth opened, but the aggressive slurs and threats caught in his throat, replaced by a pathetic, choked gasp.The hand hovering over his sidearm began to tremble violently. He stared at David, then at Khloe, the horrifying realization crashing down upon him with the weight of a freight train: he hadn't pulled over easy prey; he had just threatened, racially abused, and attempted to illegally detain two of the highest-ranking corruption investigators in the state.David unlocked the door. He pushed it open, forcing the stunned, trembling officer to take a clumsy step backward. David stepped out into the rain, standing at his full height, the gold badge hanging from his hand."Officer Kowalski," David said softly, the silence of the night returning around them. "You have the right to remain silent. I strongly suggest you start using it."The relentless rain suddenly felt freezing against Officer Thomas Kowalski's flushed skin. He took another clumsy step backward, his tactical boots slipping slightly on the wet gravel. The heavy gold shields of the Internal Affairs Bureau, illuminated by the very flashlight he had used to intimidate them, seemed to burn an image directly into his retinas. For 15 years, Kowalski had been the apex predator of Route 114: he had operated with absolute impunity, shielded by a corrupt brotherhood and a municipal government that looked the other way as long as the arrest quotas were met.In a matter of seconds, that entire world collapsed into dust."Investigators!" Kowalski stammered, his voice cracking into a high, pathetic pitch that barely resembled the booming bark from moments earlier. His hand, previously trembling over his service weapon, now hung limply at his side. "Listen, wait! There's been a massive misunderstanding here! I was just doing a routine check! You know how it is, folks—it's dark, the weather is terrible, I was just following standard protocol for a suspected burglary vehicle!"Khloe stepped out of the passenger side, her movements smooth and utterly unafraid. She walked around the hood of the Malibu, her eyes locked onto the terrified patrolman."Standard protocol, Officer Kowalski?" Khloe asked, her voice echoing with a surgical coldness. "Does standard protocol involve manufacturing a traffic violation? Does it involve claiming to smell marijuana in a vehicle that has never once contained it? Does it involve threatening to break a window and physically drag two compliant citizens onto the pavement?""I was trying to establish command presence!" Kowalski pleaded, desperation leaking from every syllable. He instinctively looked around the deserted, rain-swept road, desperately hoping for a witness, an excuse, an escape route. "You guys are on the job! You know how these stops can go sideways! You have to take control early!""We are not on the job with you, Thomas," David said, stepping closer. He didn't raise his voice, but the absolute authority in his tone made Kowalski shrink. "We do not share a brotherhood with men who use their badge to terrorize people in the dark. Turn around and place your hands on the trunk of your cruiser."Panic, pure and unadulterated, finally broke through Kowalski's shock. "Look, let's just call Sergeant Donovan! Liam Donovan—he's my shift supervisor! Let's get him down here, we can talk this out! Professional courtesy, right? One cop to another!"