Chapter Ninety Five – Cruel Injustice

It was a young uni that showed up to deal with the commotion. He was definitely somewhat green, but he was old enough that he'd evidently made it through his on-the-job training since he hadn't come in with a partner. Olivia was slightly curious about that. Unless he was on foot patrol he should have a partner with him, but he wasn't and he didn't. Either his partner had just left and there hadn't been time to find him a new one, or he was enough of a pain that nobody wanted to partner with him. She was hoping it wasn't the latter reason. If it was even if the law was on her side she could have a hard time getting through to him.

Olivia eyed him as he walked toward them and pegged him right away. His expression was cold, and he had this air about him that screamed arrogance. Her eyes narrowed. He was going to look down on her for sure, but she knew the law. She was on the right side of it. He wasn't going to be able to strong arm her, especially since she'd been a cop and knew their tactics.

"Ben, let me handle this," she whispered in warning.

He didn't get a chance to respond before the cop took charge of the situation.

"What's going on, sir?" he asked the clerk as his eyes flickered icily to Suvi.

"This is a high class establishment and I won't tolerate having any animals in here. This woman had the audacity to bring a dog in and now she refuses to leave."

"Because he's a service dog and legally has to be admitted," Olivia stated coolly.

The cop's eyes snapped to Olivia.

"Ma'am, I will get to your explanation in a minute."

Olivia felt a touch of heat sizzle through her, but she fought it down. Even though she hadn't been even remotely hostile, his tone may have simply been because he wanted to be sure that an argument didn't erupt. She still wasn't all that pleased with how he'd talked to her though. It made it sound like the clerk was the victim and not her.

"Sir, you've asked them to leave a few times? Have they become hostile?"

"Multiple times and they've been defiant."

Defiant? They hadn't been defiant. She might have been demanding, but it had been civil and reasonable.

"And I did see a sign on the door stating no pets," the cop said before turning to Olivia. "Ma'am, did you see the sign?"

Olivia almost sighed in exasperation. Why was he asking her that? She'd already said Suvi was a service dog.

"I did, but it doesn't apply to him. As I said before, he's a service dog."

"I see," he replied, voice hard. "Quite a few people claim their pets are service animals even when they aren't simply to be able to take them into places of business. You don't appear to have any kind of disability that would require a service dog. Can you prove your animal is one?"

Olivia's expression didn't change in response to the question, but that was only because of her training as a detective. She was both flat out stunned and edging toward furious. Ben didn't even try to conceal his surprise. His mouth simply dropped open in a gape.

"I thought people couldn't ask you that," he said to Olivia.

"They can't," she replied before turning blazing eyes on the young uni. "He has no more legal standing to ask me that than he does to ask me to leave."

The cop didn't appear at all bothered by that and didn't change his position in the slightest. He almost looked bored when he addressed Olivia in what basically amounted to a monotone.

"Ma'am, if you can't prove your animal is a legitimate service dog then I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

His mind was evidently made up, and Olivia could see where the outcome was headed. She definitely didn't like it. Seeing someone in the NYPD, the agency she'd spent years working for, ignoring the law and acting the way this uniform was acting was almost embarrassing. It was ridiculous. She wasn't going to back down. Let him figure out what he was going to do, but she would win in the end. Whether she actually wanted to visit the jewelry shop or not, it was the principle of the thing.

"There is no proof beyond me telling you that's what he is. He has a vest on and is behaving appropriately. You can't ask us to leave."

"Yes, I believe that I can, and I am going to ask all of you to leave. Now."

There was authority in his voice, but Olivia wasn't afraid of authority. This authority was wrong, plus she'd been a cop. He couldn't intimidate her. Let him do his worst. She was going to stand up for herself.

Ben, however, was not used to facing down cops. (Well, besides Olivia and she didn't really count.) The growing tension and Olivia's continued refused to back off and let the matter drop was making him nervous. He had no idea what could happen if she kept pushing, and he didn't want to see her suffer. Continuing the fight just didn't make sense. He swallowed hard and couldn't help regretting coming here. What should have been a nice day was turning into a total disaster. He was all for leaving and trying to redeem the day somewhere else.

"Liv…"

She shot him a dark look, and he immediately shut his mouth.

"No," she returned in a voice like bedrock. She wasn't going to be moved on this issue.

There were a few moments of silence as the uni sized Olivia up. What he got from her would decide his next course of action. Based on his next reply, he'd seen Olivia for exactly what she was. Unmovable. If he wanted to get her out he would have to pull out all the stops.

"Ma'am, it's your decision. You can either leave now or I will arrest you."

Olivia's eyes widened.

"Arrest me? For what? Walking into a store with my service dog like it's my legal right to do?"

"For being a public nuisance."

"Liv, come on. Let's just go," Ben pleaded as he grabbed her upper arm. This was getting way out of control, and he didn't want to see her arrested. Not for any principle and definitely not for a piece of jewelry.

Olivia ignored Ben and met the cop's eyes firmly, hers blazing with an almost unearthly fury. She spoke to Ben even while looking at the cop.

"I'm not going anywhere. He has no right to arrest me."

"Last warning. Leave the premises now or you'll be arrested."

"No."

The cop shrugged and unsnapped his cuffs from the back of his belt. When he went to snap them around Olivia's wrists Ben's eyes went wide, nearly bugging out of his head. His girlfriend was being arrested.

"Olivia!"

"It's alright, Ben. It won't stick. He's making a mistake."

As the final cuff snapped closed around Olivia's wrist the uni began the Miranda rights.

"You have the…"

"…right to remain silent," Olivia cut him off. "Anything I say can and will be used against me in a court of law. I have the right to an attorney. If I cannot afford one, one will be appointed to me." She shot a dangerous look at the cop over her shoulder. "You're making a serious mistake, arresting the owner of a service dog and a retired detective to boot."

The uni simply rolled his eyes at her and started pushing her toward the door.

"If you know the laws well enough to cheat by passing off a pet as a service dog then I'm sure you know enough to pull the same stunt by claiming to be a cop. I'm not going to fall for that though. All you're doing is digging yourself in deeper. Impersonating a police officer is a serious crime."

He paused at the door, one hand on Olivia's shoulder and the other holding her wrists, when he realized Suvi was still following along by Olivia's side. Her being arrested meant nothing to Suvi. It was still his job to look after her.

"Sir," the cop said, addressing Ben. "You're going to need to take the dog or it will be impounded."

Again with the "it." Olivia barely resisted grinding her teeth together. Ben was at a complete loss for what to do. He couldn't let Suvi get impounded, but he couldn't imagine taking him away from Olivia either. It would be a huge risk and definitely not a good idea. What was he supposed to do though?

"Liv, will you be okay without him?"

"It'll be his ass if I'm not. Take him and call Cragen. Meet me at the precinct."

"That dog isn't coming into the precinct or your husband will be arrested too."

Olivia rolled her eyes both at the uni's error with Ben's title and the ridiculous threat. When Ben got to the precinct sparks were going to fly, but they definitely would be flying the way the uni wanted.

"Do it, Ben. I'll see you there."

"Okay."

He took Suvi's leash from her and grabbed onto Suvi's collar as well. Based on previous experience he knew that Suvi was not going to like being separated from Olivia. At all.

As Olivia was being hustled out of the store Suvi whined pitifully. It shattered the anger that had built to massively high levels inside of Olivia. She looked over her shoulder at Suvi and smiled sadly.

"It's alright, buddy. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Try in a few days once you're arraigned and out on bail," the cop replied.

He sounded a little too smug, like he was actually enjoying the situation. It was even more annoying than the fact that she was being arrested. How the hell had this guy gotten to be a cop anyway?

"We'll see."

They would see very soon.