That mattered immediately.
The Sergeant moved closer.
“Turn around.”
The Senior Officer obeyed.
“Hands on the hood.”
He paused.
The Sergeant grabbed his upper arm.
“Now.”
The Senior Officer placed both hands against the warm paint.
The Sergeant shoved him forward.
The medal scraped against the car.
A thin metallic sound.
The Senior Officer closed his eyes.
Not from pain.
From what the sound meant.
The Sergeant began patting down the spotless white uniform.
Sides.
Waist.
Back.
Legs.
The hands were rougher than necessary.
The Senior Officer did not move.
The Sergeant keyed his shoulder radio.
“Dispatch, possible impersonation.”
The Senior Officer’s eyes opened.
The Sergeant continued.
“Male claiming senior command rank.”
“Uniform questionable.”
“Request verification.”
The Senior Officer stared across the road.
A mockingbird sat on a wire fence.
The absurdity almost made him laugh.
Almost.
Behind them, another vehicle slowed.
Black SUV.
It had been following perhaps fifty yards back.
The Senior Officer recognized it immediately.
The Sergeant did not.
The SUV pulled onto the shoulder.
Stopped.
Driver door opened.
The Senior Commander stepped out wearing jeans and a dark polo shirt.
No uniform.
No visible insignia.
He shut the door.
Then began walking toward them.
The Sergeant noticed.
“Stay back.”
The Senior Commander kept walking.
“This is an active stop.”
No response.
The Sergeant raised one hand.
“I said stay back.”
The Senior Commander stopped five feet away.
His face was controlled.
Too controlled.
He looked at the Senior Officer’s hands on the hood.
Then at the Sergeant.
“Remove your hands from him.”
The Sergeant laughed.
“You interfering?”
“I’m telling you that man is exactly who his identification says he is.”
The Sergeant looked him up and down.
Jeans.
Polo shirt.
Civilian SUV.
Nothing impressive.
“You know him?”
“For fifteen years.”
The Sergeant’s expression remained dismissive.
“Then you can wait.”
The Senior Commander reached slowly toward his back pocket.
The Sergeant’s posture changed.
“Hands.”
The Senior Commander stopped.
“Credential.”
“Slowly.”
He removed a brown leather wallet.
Opened it.
Held it forward.
The Sergeant read.
His mouth changed.