The elder police lieutenant stared blankly as I peppered him with questions. Occasionally he would look past my shoulder, back to his phalanx of riot-geared cops and a huddled group of shouting protesters bound in orange mesh netting.
"Hey! Eyes back here," I snapped my fingers and the entranced officer's misdirected gaze returned to my mascara'd smokey eyes. "That's better. Now where are the threats coming from?"
"The alleyway... You said you found someone... hurt in the alley..." The officer dumbly stared at the bags of garbage piled around us.
There had been no one hurt in the alleyway. I'd lured him around the corner to verify a dangerous rumor circulating among the Occupy Christopher Street protesters. I brought a sweet smelling stick of burning incense close to the man's face and blew the curling smoke into his nostrils. I clarified my question, "There might be a terrorist attack on Christopher Street. Do the police know anything about it?"
"Keep the protesters contained... Watch for cameras... Overtime is overtime..."
