Dalton grabbed Danielle’s shoulder and shoved her toward the front door. "Get them out to the car! Now!"
They walked out into the cool evening rain, surrounded by patrons who were no longer looking at the floor. Aaron Cole stepped onto the sidewalk behind them, holding his phone high to record the officers shoving the cuffed agents into the rear of the patrol cruiser.
Inside the car, the sisters sat shoulder to shoulder in the dark.
"You recorded the time?" Danielle whispered.
"Seven-forty-two," Dominique replied softly. "Dalton kicked federal property at seven-forty-four. Kyle showed visible motor impairment while operating his belt harness. Mark initiated physical contact at seven-forty."
Danielle smiled faintly in the darkness of the backseat. "Let's see how the desk sergeant handles the paperwork."
The Booking Desk
The doors of the Twelfth Precinct swung open with a heavy bang as Dalton marched the twin sisters through the secure processing entrance.
Desk Sergeant Patricia Owens—a twenty-two-year veteran with silver hair and a reputation for strict procedural compliance—looked up from her terminal. Her eyes swept over Dalton’s disheveled uniform, his flushed face, and the two women in handcuffs behind him.
"What do you have, Rick?" Sergeant Owens asked, her pencil hovering above the ledger.
"Disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and resisting arrest," Dalton barked, tossing a scribbled notepad onto the desk.
Danielle stepped up to the counter before Dalton could speak again. "Sergeant Owens, my name is Special Agent Danielle Carter, and this is Special Agent Dominique Carter. We are active-duty special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We were assaulted and unlawfully detained by Sergeant Dalton and his officers at the Pine Hollow Bar."
Owens stopped writing. She looked at Danielle, then at Dominique, noting their calm composure and the total absence of panic in their eyes.
"Where are your credentials?" Owens asked quietly.
"Officer Stevens currently has my purse," Danielle stated. "Agent Carter’s credential wallet was kicked across the floor of the establishment by Sergeant Dalton after it was presented to him."
Owens turned her head toward Mark Stevens. Her voice was flat, dropping an octave into pure warning. "Hand me her purse, Mark."
Mark swallowed hard, his hands trembling slightly as he unzipped Danielle’s bag and laid the dark leather wallet on the high counter. Owens opened it, pulled out the gold shield, and checked the official identification card against her terminal database.
The screen flashed green: ACTIVE STATUS — PUBLIC CORRUPTION DIVISION.
Owens closed the folder slowly. She looked up at Dalton, her eyes narrowing into cold daggers. "Did you verify their identities at the scene, Rick?"
"They were causing a disturbance, Patricia!" Dalton yelled, stepping closer to the desk. "They were threatening officers!"
"Did you verify their credentials when they were presented?" Owens repeated, her voice deathly quiet.