Eyes averted from the few folks being escorted in handcuffs, she crossed to the desk where a young-looking officer sat behind a glass partition. The woman cast Deven a polite smile as she approached. “Hi, may I help you?”

“Yes, I’d like to speak to Officer McKinney, please.”

“Is she expecting you?”

Good question. Deven glanced around the busy lobby. She hadn’t thought to return Officer McKinney’s call yesterday. Now she was kicking herself for being so careless. “She left me a message that she needed to speak with me.”

The officer nodded and picked up the desk phone to make the call. “What’s your name?”

“Deven Reynolds.”

“Hm, that is an interesting name.”

Deven nodded but didn’t comment. She knew what the officer meant since she’d heard it more times than she could remember. Deven was an “interesting” name for a girl. Her father’s homage to the baseball legend, Devon White. It had certainly been a conversation starter throughout middle and high school.

It wasn’t long after the officer hung up the phone that Officer McKinney strolled from one of the back offices and headed their way. Like the woman behind the desk, she too, offered a polite smile before gesturing for Deven to follow her. That little smile thing must’ve been in their rule book. It did little to make Deven feel welcome or comfortable. Probably because they both knew her presence there was not on the most desirable of terms.

They passed a few cubicles before she was led into a cramped office towards the back of the precinct. Deven had to step in and behind the door just to afford Officer McKinney enough room to close it. Then she took a seat in one of the weathered guest chairs with upholstery dingy from use or age, or both.

The desk was in utter disarray with papers and folders littering the tabletop in skewed stacks. A half-eaten Caesar salad rested on top of the keyboard along with a Powerade and, wouldn’t you know it, a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. McKinney quickly made a weak attempt to shuffle some of the clutter out of the way, though she decided to leave it be when it was clear there was nowhere else to put it.

“Sorry about the mess.” She gestured sheepishly to her desk. “Lots of fires and not enough time.”

Deven nodded though she didn’t know how to feel about that. What would that mean for her sister’s case? “Well, I appreciate you calling me so quickly.”

“Yes, of course. Though I hate you had to waste a trip down here.”

“Well, this is important, and I figured it was best discussed face-to-face.”