"By the deputy chief."
"Yes."
Mercer crossed his arms.
"Identification."
Darius studied him.
There it was.
Not an outrageous request on its face.
Police headquarters had security protocols.
Visitors identified themselves.
But they were outside.
Darius had not attempted to bypass security.
No crime.
No emergency.
No suspicious behavior beyond standing beside an expensive car while being unfamiliar to Mercer.
Darius decided to ask one question.
"Why?"
Mercer's jaw tightened.
"Because I asked."
Darius almost sighed.
He had heard that answer thousands of times.
From officers.
Supervisors.
Parents.
Teachers.
People who confused authority with explanation.
"That's not a reason."
Mercer stepped closer.
"You're outside a secured police building."
"So are approximately fourteen other people."
Mercer glanced toward passing officers.
"They work here."
"You know every one of them?"
Mercer's face reddened slightly.
"You trying to be difficult?"
"No."
"Then show me ID."
Darius placed the leather portfolio on the open rear seat.
His wallet was inside his jacket.
He could have ended the interaction.
Pulled the credentials.
Watched Mercer's face change.
Perhaps enjoyed it.
But Darius had learned long ago that what people did before they knew who held power told you more than what they did afterward.
He kept his hands relaxed.
"Officer Mercer," Darius said, "I'm going to ask you one more time."
"What?"
"Why do you believe I'm a problem?"
Mercer stared at him.
"You don't look like the chief."
Darius waited.
The sentence hung between them.
There it was.
Not suspicion.
Not protocol.
Something else.
Darius looked at the man's badge.
"How long have you been with Briar City?"
"Twenty-seven years."
"That's a long time."
"Long enough to know when somebody doesn't belong."
Darius nodded.
"Apparently."
Mercer reached toward Darius's shoulder.
"Step aside."
Darius didn't move.
"I'm not blocking the entrance."
"Move."
"No."
Mercer's eyes hardened.
"You want to make this difficult?"
Darius looked directly into his eyes.
"No."
He paused.
"You do."
Mercer's hand came up.
For a second, Darius thought the man was going to point toward the entrance.
Instead, the officer slapped him.
The sound cracked across the sidewalk.
Darius's head turned with the impact.
Silence followed.
Moreno froze behind the glass.
A delivery driver stopped.
Two officers near the parking area stared.
Darius slowly turned his face back.
His cheek burned.
Mercer stood breathing heavily.
Nobody moved.
Darius touched his cheek once.
Then lowered his hand.
He did not strike back.
He did not shout.
He did not even curse.
He simply looked at Officer Frank Mercer.
Then he said:
"All right."
Mercer seemed almost disappointed.
"What?"
Darius straightened his jacket.
"Now I know."
"Know what?"
Darius picked up his portfolio.
"What this department needs."
The front doors opened.
Deputy Chief Raymond Harris came running outside.
"Chief!"
Mercer turned.
His face drained of color.
Darius looked at Harris.
"Good morning, Raymond."
Harris stopped.
He looked at Darius.
Then Mercer.
Then Darius's cheek.
"Oh, God."
Darius nodded toward the entrance.
"Let's go inside."
Harris stared at Mercer.
"Officer Mercer..."
Mercer swallowed.
"Sir, I didn't know."
Darius stopped.
He turned.
"That's exactly the problem."
Then he walked into headquarters.
Behind him, Frank Mercer stood motionless.
For the first time in twenty-seven years, he understood what it felt like to discover that authority did not always announce itself.
Sometimes it simply walked through the door.
The Oath
The headquarters erupted.
By 8:31, everyone knew.
Not the official version.
There wasn't one yet.
There were rumors.
The new chief had been attacked.
The new chief had threatened an officer.
The new chief had provoked Mercer.
The new chief had been slapped.
Someone said he had punched Mercer back.
Someone else said Mercer had arrested him.
By 8:40, three different stories were circulating on the fifth floor.
Darius ignored all of them.
He sat in a conference room with an ice pack against his cheek.
Mayor Elaine Foster stood near the window.
Deputy Chief Harris sat across from him.
City Attorney Melissa Grant had arrived five minutes earlier.
"Tell me exactly what happened," the mayor said.
Darius did.
No exaggeration.
No omission.
No dramatic language.
When he finished, the mayor closed her eyes.
"I am so sorry."
Darius shook his head.
"Don't apologize for someone else's decision."
"He assaulted you."
"He slapped me."
"That's assault."
"I know."
Harris shifted in his chair.
"Chief, Mercer is..."
Darius looked at him.
"Be careful."
Harris stopped.
"With what?"
"With the sentence you're about to finish."
Harris sighed.
"He's been here twenty-seven years."
"That isn't an excuse."
"No."
"Is he good at his job?"
Harris hesitated.
"Yes."
"Then we'll investigate him fairly."
"And if he's found guilty?"
"Then we'll act."
The mayor looked at Darius.
"You still want the oath ceremony?"
Darius smiled.
"Of course."
"Today?"
"Why not?"
The mayor looked at his cheek.
"You were assaulted forty minutes ago."
"And I'm still chief."
Harris smiled.
"Technically, you've been chief since midnight."
Darius looked at him.
"Then I suppose I wasted eight hours."
For the first time that morning, everyone laughed.
At nine o'clock, the ceremony began.
The press gathered.
Cameras filled the room.
City council members sat in the front.
Police commanders stood along the walls.
Officers filled the back.
Darius walked to the podium.
His cheek still showed a faint red mark.
Reporters noticed.
Of course they did.
One asked:
"Chief Cole, can you comment on the incident this morning?"
Darius looked toward the mayor.
Then back at the cameras.
"The incident is under investigation."
"Did an officer assault you?"
"Yes."
"Will that officer be fired?"
Darius paused.
"The investigation will determine the appropriate action."
Another reporter raised her hand.
"Chief, are you already experiencing resistance from inside the department?"
Darius smiled slightly.
"I've been here forty-three minutes."
The room laughed.
Then his expression became serious.
"I think it would be premature to call one person's actions the culture of an entire department."