Interesting.
The Captain filed that away.
The Officer stepped around him.
“You law enforcement?”
“Yes.”
“What department?”
The Captain looked directly at him.
“You saw the credential.”
The Officer’s expression changed.
“I asked you a question.”
The Captain answered:
“Central.”
The younger Officer behind them looked up sharply.
The first Officer noticed.
Then turned toward the younger man.
“Something wrong?”
“No, Sergeant.”
Sergeant.
That explained part of the confidence.
The Black Captain looked at the nameplate.
He now had the Sergeant’s name.
Good.
The Sergeant turned back.
“Central what?”
“Central Precinct.”
The younger Officer looked even more uncomfortable.
The Sergeant apparently missed it.
“Never seen you.”
“I haven’t worked there before.”
“Convenient.”
The Captain said nothing.
The Sergeant looked at his suit.
“Detective?”
“No.”
“Internal affairs?”
“No.”
“What are you?”
The Captain looked at him.
“Someone on his way to work.”
The Sergeant laughed.
Then looked toward the younger Officer.
“You hear this guy?”
The younger Officer did not answer.
The Sergeant handed the Captain’s gun to him.
“Secure that.”
Then pointed toward the rear of the sedan.
“Stand over there.”
The Captain complied.
The Sergeant followed.
Several cars passed.
Morning traffic increasing.
The Sergeant lowered his voice.
The change was subtle.
But the Captain noticed immediately.
“You want this to stay simple?”
The Captain looked at him.
“It already is.”
The Sergeant smiled.
“No.”
“It can be.”
The Captain waited.
The Sergeant glanced toward the younger Officer, who was standing several yards away beside the patrol cruiser.
Then toward the Captain.
“Five hundred.”
The Captain did not react.
“What?”
The Sergeant’s smile widened.
“Five hundred cash.”
“And I forget the lane violation.”
The Captain stared.
For several seconds, he genuinely wondered whether he had heard correctly.
The Sergeant continued:
“You’re carrying off-duty.”
“Department credential I can’t verify.”
“Vehicle registration doesn’t match your surname.”
“I can turn this into an hour.”
“Or five hundred makes everybody’s morning easier.”
The Captain looked at the Sergeant’s body camera.
Red light.
Still recording.
He almost could not believe the stupidity.
Then the Sergeant casually reached up.
Tapped the body camera.
The red light disappeared.
The Captain’s eyes hardened.
The Sergeant smiled.
There.
Now it made sense.
The camera had not failed.
It had been intentionally disabled.
The Captain looked toward the younger Officer.
His camera appeared active.
Maybe.
Hard to tell from the distance.
The Captain asked:
“How often do you make that offer?”
The Sergeant’s smile vanished.
“Watch yourself.”
“I asked a question.”
“You don’t ask questions here.”
The Captain looked around.