now, criminals have become remarkably relaxed.”
Officer Reed shifted uncomfortably near the second patrol car. Harlan, however, did not
appreciate the calm logic. “Ma’am, I need identification.”
“No.” The word was soft, but it landed like a gavel strike.
Harlan’s face reddened. “Excuse me?”
“No,” Evelyn repeated. “You may ask. I am declining.”
“You are refusing to identify yourself during a police investigation.”
“I am refusing to produce identification without reasonable suspicion that I have
committed, am committing, or am about to commit a crime.”
Harlan stared. That was the exact moment he realized the woman on the porch did not
sound like the person he had expected to find. Her vocabulary was precise; her
demeanor was bulletproof.