Davis looked away.
Miller suddenly seemed very interested in the pavement.
Then Patricia Wells, Greenwood Mall's public relations director, rushed outside.
"Captain Carter, on behalf of Greenwood Mall, I want to apologize for this unfortunate misunderstanding."
Denise slowly turned toward her.
"Misunderstanding?"
Patricia stopped.
"Your employees followed me because of my race."
Phones continued recording.
"You accused me of theft without reviewing your cameras."
Denise held up her wrists.
"You physically detained me."
She looked toward Reigns.
"And your police officer assaulted and handcuffed me without evidence."
Patricia swallowed.
"We will conduct a complete investigation."
"No."
Denise pointed toward the mall.
"Preserve every camera recording from the moment I entered the building."
"Of course."
"Preserve security radio traffic."
Patricia's expression changed.
Just slightly.
But Denise saw it.
And that tiny reaction planted a question.
What were they afraid the recordings would reveal?
The First Lie
That evening, Denise opened the incident report.
The first line made her stomach tighten.
Reigns had written that she had been:
Hostile.
Combative.
Physically aggressive.
Unwilling to comply.
He claimed she had attempted to pull away.
He claimed she had struck his arm.
He claimed she had repeatedly interfered with a lawful investigation.
The report was beautifully written.
Professional.
Detailed.
Convincing.
Almost entirely false.
Her longtime friend Carla Johnson arrived carrying Chinese food and a thick folder.
Carla was a defense attorney.
She read the report silently.
Then looked up.
"He's covering himself."
"I know."
"He also knows you're suspended if Internal Affairs takes this seriously."
"They have cameras."
"Videos help."
Carla shook her head.
"But departments have ways of saying footage lacks context."