“Step away from the equipment.”

Malcolm blinked once, then lifted both hands slightly, ensuring his phone was visible. “Good morning, officer. I’m just checking the condition of the playground.”

“I said step away.”

Malcolm lowered his phone slowly to his side. “My name is Malcolm Avery. I’m the mayor of Riverton. I’m documenting safety hazards for an emergency repair request.”

Tyler laughed. It was short, sharp, and entirely empty.

“The mayor,” Tyler sneered. “Sure. And I’m the president.”

Malcolm studied the young man carefully. He knew most of the department’s leadership, but not every patrol officer by face. Later, Malcolm would learn the truth about Tyler Vance: he was a transfer from a smaller town eleven months earlier, possessing a file wiped clean with "no sustained misconduct"—a bureaucratic code often meaning complaints had been buried and witnesses intimidated.

But in that moment, Malcolm only saw a young officer who had decided the whole story before asking a single honest question.

“We’ve had vandalism out here,” Tyler said, closing the distance between them. “Metal stripping, graffiti, damage to city property.”

“I understand,” Malcolm replied, his voice even. “I am not damaging anything. I am photographing a hazard.”

“In a hoodie before seven in the morning?”

“Yes. On my run.”

Tyler’s eyes swept over Malcolm’s worn shoes, the gray hoodie, the phone with the cracked screen protector, and his sweat-darkened collar. He did not see the man who signed his paychecks, appointed his Chief, and had spent the last year trying to root corruption out of City Hall. He saw a category. And in Tyler's mind, that category was always guilty.

“Hands where I can see them.”

Malcolm lifted both hands higher. “Officer Vance, my wallet is in my back pocket. My city ID is inside it. You can verify exactly who I am in ten seconds.”

Tyler stepped closer, his jaw tight. “You people always have a story when you get caught.”

Malcolm’s eyes cooled instantly. “You people?”

“Turn around. Hands on the fence.”

“Officer, this is a mistake.”

“Last warning.”