Sullivan followed his gaze.

For the first time, he noticed all the phones.

Elijah continued.

"So I suspect there will be very little misunderstanding."

Then he entered his car.

But before closing the door, he looked at Sullivan once more.

"Officer?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Five minutes ago, you weren't calling me sir."

Sullivan said nothing.

Elijah closed the door.

And drove away.

CHAPTER 6 — THE VIDEO

By the time Elijah reached Washington, the video had already begun spreading online.

Rachel uploaded only four minutes.

That was enough.

It showed Sullivan confronting Elijah.

It showed the officer grabbing his jacket.

Most importantly, it captured the sentence:

"People like you don't get to disobey orders."

Then it captured the aftermath.

Grant opening the credential.

Sullivan's expression changing.

The question:

"Why didn't you tell me?"

And Elijah's answer:

"Why should that have mattered?"

News organizations began calling Milfield Police Department that evening.

The department released a short statement saying it was reviewing a traffic stop involving one of its officers.

Elijah's chambers received dozens of media requests.

He declined all of them.

His law clerk, Naomi Brooks, entered his office carrying a tablet.

"Justice Carter, you should probably see how big this has become."

"I've seen enough."

"It's everywhere."

"That doesn't make it more useful."

Naomi placed the tablet down.

"People want a statement."

Elijah removed his glasses.

"What statement?"

"Anything."

"Anything is usually the worst thing to say."

Naomi smiled despite herself.

She had worked for Elijah long enough to recognize when he was using humor to conceal anger.

"Are you okay?"

Elijah looked toward the window.

Physically?

Yes.

But something about the afternoon had unsettled him.

Not Sullivan's surprise.

The moment before it.

The moment when nobody knew his title.

That was the honest moment.

After the credential appeared, Sullivan became cautious.

Respectful.

Almost frightened.

But before that, Sullivan believed Elijah was simply an elderly Black man standing beside a car.

That was the part Elijah couldn't stop thinking about.

His phone rang.

His daughter.

He answered.

"Dad?"