“I wasn’t going to.”
She nodded, appreciating his compliance. “I’m going to retrieve it while you remain right here. Is the vehicle unlocked?”
“Yes.”
Carol took a step forward. “Be careful, Officer! He could have a weapon.”
“Ma’am, I have asked you to stand back,” Ruiz snapped. “You can help by following instructions.”
Officer Cole opened the minivan door and popped the center console. She pulled out Marcus’s wallet, a heavy manila folder of medical forms, two apple juice boxes, a pack of wet wipes, and a worn Bible. No weapon.
She opened the wallet. “Marcus Elijah Hill?”
“Yes.”
She pulled out a second ID card. It bore his photograph, a state seal, and the text: BRIDGEWAY FAMILY CENTER - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
Officer Cole walked back. “What is Bridgeway Family Center?”
“It’s a nonprofit two blocks from here,” Marcus explained, lowering his arms slightly as the tension broke. “We run after-school programs, tutoring, meals, and emergency childcare for working parents in the area.”
Carol folded her arms tight across her chest. “How convenient.”
“Enough,” Officer Ruiz told her sharply.
Marcus looked at the officers. “Sophie and Caleb’s mother works at St. Anne’s Hospital. Her shift ends at six. I have signed, notarized permission forms in that folder, and her direct number is in my phone.”
Officer Cole opened the manila folder. Inside were emergency contacts, allergy lists, health insurance cards, and a legally binding childcare authorization form signed by Jennifer Taylor.
Cole knelt to be at eye level with the little girl. “What is your mother’s name, sweetie?”
“Jennifer Taylor,” Sophie sniffled.
“And how do you know Mr. Hill?”
“He’s Pastor Marcus.”
“What does he do when your mother works?”
Caleb answered proudly. “He takes us to Bridgeway. We do our homework, we play basketball in the gym, and we help pack the food bags for the pantry.”
Officer Cole gave a gentle smile. “Did he ask you to get into the van today?”
“Yes. We were going swimming at the center,” Caleb said.
Carol pushed her way back to the front. “He offered them Disneyland! I heard him bribing them.”
Marcus stared at her in disbelief. “What?”
Caleb frowned deeply. “He said if we cleaned up our picnic trash without arguing, he’d take everybody in the program to the science museum next Saturday.”
Carol’s face flushed red. “I heard Disneyland.”