He glanced at the crumpled pharmacy bag on the pavement.
The bottle inside had survived.
Adrian picked it up.
“I’ll drive you.”
Malik looked suspiciously at him.
“You Internal Affairs guys give rides?”
“Today we do.”
CHAPTER THREE: THE PEOPLE NOBODY BELIEVED
Malik’s grandmother lived on the fourth floor of an apartment building in West Bellhaven.
Her name was Evelyn Carter.
She opened the door before Malik knocked.
The first thing she did was pull him into her arms.
The second thing she did was look at Adrian.
“You police?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Did you hurt my grandson?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Then come inside.”
Malik gave her the medicine.
She checked the name.
Exactly as promised.
Then she noticed the redness around his neck.
“What happened?”
Malik sat at the kitchen table.
For several seconds, he could not speak.
The adrenaline was fading.
His hands began shaking.
Adrian had seen it before.
People often appeared calm during danger.
The body saved panic until later.
Evelyn sat beside him.
“Baby?”
Malik stared at the table.
“He was going to put me in jail.”
She looked at Adrian.
“What?”
Adrian explained carefully.
Not every investigative detail.
Just what Malik had experienced.
When he reached the clear plastic bag, Evelyn’s expression changed.
“You saw him pull it out?”
“Yes.”
“You recorded it?”
“Yes.”
“You have it?”
“Yes.”
Her shoulders dropped.
The relief was painful to watch.
Adrian realized why.
She was not only relieved that Malik was safe.
She was relieved somebody had proof.
“Thank God.”
Malik looked at her.
She gripped his hand.
“Because they would’ve believed him.”
Nobody answered.
They all knew it.
Officer Mercer would have written the report.
Malik would have denied everything.
Prosecutors would have received an officer’s sworn statement against the word of a frightened nineteen-year-old.
Maybe charges would eventually collapse.
Maybe not.
But even an accusation could change Malik’s life.
Missed classes.
Legal fees.
A record.
Jail.
A scholarship lost.
A job background check.
All because Mercer had one small bag in his pocket.
Evelyn turned toward Adrian.
“How long have you known?”
“Known what?”
“That officer was doing this.”
Adrian chose his words carefully.
“We suspected serious misconduct.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
He looked at her.
“Months.”
Her expression hardened.
“And he was still carrying a badge?”
“We needed evidence.”
“You got evidence today because he picked my grandson.”
Adrian said nothing.
“What if you hadn’t been there?”
Again, no answer.
Evelyn nodded.
“That’s what I thought.”
The question followed Adrian back to headquarters.
What if he had not been there?
Captain Sloan stood in the evidence room while technicians processed Mercer’s clothing and patrol equipment.
The small bag had been sealed.
Fingerprints would be tested.
