Lieutenant Mark Hensley stepped out of the first cruiser, looking severely stressed. From the state sedan emerged Lena Morales, a top state investigator, carrying a heavy secure-evidence case. Morales bypassed Camille entirely and walked straight to Officer Doyle.
“Officer, do not touch your camera, radio, cruiser computer, phone, notebook, or anything inside your vehicle,” Morales ordered, her voice leaving zero room for interpretation.
Doyle pointed a shaky finger. “She was refusing to identify herself.”
“Her body camera will show otherwise,” Camille said, holding up her bruised wrists.
Lieutenant Hensley plastered on a placating smile, clearly desperate to de-escalate. “Commissioner Bennett, I’m sure we can sort out this misunderstanding—”
“Director Bennett,” Camille corrected sharply. “And absolutely nothing will be sorted out informally.”
Hensley’s face tightened. Camille had heard his name before. In fact, his name was at the very top of the list in her blue folder—the supervisor who had rubber-stamped every single one of Doyle's baseless detentions over the past two years.
“Lieutenant,” Camille said, taking a step toward him, forcing him to hold her gaze. “Your officer just unlawfully detained a state official, performed an illegal search and seizure of protected justice department documents, and attempted to intimidate civilian witnesses. This isn't a misunderstanding. It is the exact systemic violation my division was sent here to investigate. And she just handed us the perfect case study on a silver platter.”
Morales systematically began stripping Doyle of her equipment.
Items Seized for Immediate State Review:
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Doyle's Body-Worn Camera
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Patrol vehicle dashcam hard drive
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Radio transmission audio logs
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Doyle's handwritten duty notebook
“Am I fired?” Doyle whispered, finally realizing the magnitude of her error as Morales placed her badge in a plastic evidence bag.
“That is for your internal affairs captain to decide,” Camille said, turning away from the disgraced officer. “But you will be answering to the Department of Justice.”
Camille picked up her leather shoulder bag, gently brushing a speck of dust from the strap. She offered a nod of profound gratitude to Judge Langford, who tipped his cane in return.
Ignoring the lieutenant, who was now frantically whispering into his cell phone, Camille adjusted her posture. Her wrists ached, but her resolve had never been stronger. She had a job to do.
With the morning sun still shining brightly over the pristine lawns of Hawthorne Ridge, Dr. Camille Bennett squared her shoulders once more and continued her walk toward Evelyn Price’s house.