Others asked whether Naomi had provoked the confrontation.
Naomi refused every interview.
Aaron returned home late Sunday night.
He found her sitting in the study.
She had changed the furniture around because she could no longer concentrate where she had been sitting before.
Aaron stood in the doorway.
"You okay?"
"No."
He walked over and sat beside her.
"I saw the video."
"I know."
"How are you feeling?"
Naomi looked at her hands.
"Angry."
"Good."
She looked at him.
"Good?"
"Anger tells you something mattered."
She smiled weakly.
"I don't want this to become about me."
"It already is."
"That's what I hate."
Aaron took her hand.
"Then make it about what happened."
The next morning, Naomi received a call from a federal ethics officer.
Because she was a sitting judge, there were questions about whether her position might influence the investigation.
Naomi immediately insisted that it must not.
"I don't want special treatment."
"You are entitled to protection."
"Protection isn't the same as privilege."
The investigation proceeded.
The body-camera footage was reviewed.
The neighbor videos were collected.
Daniel gave a formal statement.
Evelyn gave another.
The teenager who filmed the encounter provided his original recording.
And then something unexpected happened.
The department discovered that Ryan had been the subject of three previous complaints.
All had been dismissed.
One involved a Black man who said Ryan had stopped him outside an apartment complex because he "didn't look like a resident."
Another involved a Black woman questioned outside an expensive condominium.
The third involved a teenager who had been accused of trespassing in a park.
In every case, Ryan's reports described the subjects as "uncooperative."
The department began reviewing them again.
Daniel was asked to explain why he had not reported his concerns earlier.
He admitted the truth.
"I was afraid."
The investigator asked him:
"Afraid of what?"
"Losing my job."
"Or losing Ryan's approval?"
Daniel looked down.
"Both."
The answer troubled him.
He had joined the police department because he wanted to help people.
But he had slowly learned how easy it was to confuse loyalty with silence.
Naomi learned about Daniel's statement later.
She asked to speak with him.
They met in a quiet conference room.
Daniel looked nervous.
"Judge Greer."
"Naomi is fine."
He nodded.
"I want to thank you for telling the truth."
Daniel swallowed.
"I should have stopped him sooner."
"Yes."
He looked surprised by the direct answer.
Naomi continued.
"But admitting that matters."
"I feel terrible."
"You should."
Daniel looked down.
"But feeling terrible isn't enough."
"I know."
"What will you do differently?"
Daniel thought for several seconds.
"I'll speak up."
"When?"
"Before something happens."
Naomi nodded.
"That's the answer."
Outside the building, reporters were waiting.
Naomi walked past them without speaking.
One shouted:
"Judge Greer, do you believe Officer Holt is racist?"
Naomi stopped.
She turned.
"I believe conduct should be investigated carefully."
Another reporter shouted:
"Do you think he should lose his job?"
Naomi answered:
"I think consequences should follow facts."
Then she walked away.
That evening, the police department released a statement.
Officer Ryan Holt had been placed on administrative leave.
An internal investigation was underway.
Three old complaints had been reopened.
The department also announced a broader review of property-contact procedures and officer conduct during civilian encounters.
Naomi read the statement.
She didn't celebrate.
Instead, she looked toward the garden.
The roses were beginning to recover.
Some petals had fallen.
The soil was still uneven.
But new buds were forming.
Aaron stood beside her.
"Looks like they're coming back."
Naomi nodded.
"They usually do."
Two weeks later, the department held a public hearing.
Naomi had no official role in the investigation.
She attended only as a citizen.
The room was crowded.
Reporters filled the back rows.
Community leaders sat near the front.
Ryan Holt entered with an attorney.
He looked different.
The confidence was gone.
During the hearing, the investigator presented the evidence.
The video was played.
The room became silent.
Then came the body-camera footage.
It showed the first encounter.
Ryan's questions.
Naomi's answers.
His repeated demands.
His comment about whether she belonged.
Then the second encounter.
The hose.
The shouting.
The fall.
The moment Naomi revealed her credentials.
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Then Ryan's attorney stood.
"My client believed he was dealing with a suspicious individual."
A woman in the audience whispered: