Twenty minutes had passed. The rain had intensified, soaking Valerie's blazer, but she hadn't moved an inch. Officer Miller finally backed out of the Rolls-Royce, chest heaving, his face flushed with frustration.
The interior of the half-million-dollar vehicle looked as though a wild animal had been locked inside it: the leather was torn, the wood was gouged, the carpets were muddy, and the electronic console was hanging by a wiring harness.
He had found absolutely nothing: no drugs, no weapons, no hidden compartments of cash—just a pair of reading glasses, a high-end lip gloss, and a few dry-cleaning receipts.
Jenkins looked at the destruction, swallowing hard. The young rookie looked physically sick. "Miller, we got nothing. We need to let her go. Look at the car, man. We are going to get sued."
"We aren't getting sued," Miller spat, though a flicker of uncertainty finally crossed his eyes. He quickly masked it with bravado. He walked up to Valerie, stopping mere inches from her face, trying to use his physical size to intimidate her.
"Well, Valerie," Miller said, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. "Looks like you're clean tonight. But I'm not letting this car get back on the road. The tint on your windows is illegal. Your taillight is out."
He suddenly slammed the butt of his flashlight into the driver's side taillight, shattering the red plastic into a dozen pieces.
"See? Broken. This vehicle is unsafe to drive. I'm calling a tow truck to impound it."
Jenkins gasped. "Brad, you just broke that!"
"It was already broken, Jenkins. Right?" Miller glared at the rookie, daring him to contradict the lie.
Jenkins looked down at the wet asphalt, too terrified to speak against his senior officer.
Miller turned back to Valerie, pulling out his citation book. "You're getting three citations: broken taillight, failure to maintain lane, and suspicious behavior. The tow truck will be here in ten minutes. You can walk to a gas station and call a cab."
Valerie finally turned away from the car and faced Miller. The absolute stillness in her posture was unnerving. She didn't look angry; she looked incredibly, terrifyingly calm.
"Are you finished, Officer Miller?" Valerie asked.