Chapter 9 – Beach Patrol
Someone had called beach patrol.
Not Daniel.
Not Claudia.
One of the nearby families.
Two municipal officers approached from the promenade.
One looked at the fallen flowers.
Then at the group.
“What happened?”
Everyone started speaking.
The officer raised his hand.
“One at a time.”
Claudia immediately stepped forward.
“They’ve been blocking public beach access, filming people without consent and threatening me.”
Daniel’s mouth fell open.
“Threatening you?”
The officer looked at him.
“One at a time.”
Daniel pointed at Claudia.
“She kicked our sign.”
“It was blocking—”
“ONE AT A TIME.”
Everyone stopped.
The officer asked Claudia:
“Did you damage anything?”
“No.”
Lena said:
“She kicked it over.”
Claudia turned.
“It fell.”
“You kicked it!”
“It was one movement with my foot.”
Daniel laughed.
“One movement with your foot?”
Claudia pointed at him.
“Look at him.”
The officer said:
“Ma’am.”
“What?”
“Please stop pointing.”
She lowered her hand.
The officer examined the setup.
Six battery candles.
Flowers.
One wooden sign.
He looked toward the open beach around it.
“Was there more here earlier?”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“Speaker?”
“No.”
“Chairs?”
“No.”
“Commercial equipment?”
“Marta has a camera.”
Marta raised one hand.
“Private photographer.”
The officer nodded.
Then looked at Claudia.
“What access was being blocked?”
Claudia pointed vaguely.
“This entire area.”
The officer looked around.
“People can walk around it.”
“That isn’t the point.”
Daniel whispered:
“Oh my God.”
Claudia snapped:
“Stop.”
The officer looked at her.
“You need to stop engaging with him.”
Then he looked at Daniel.
“You too.”
Daniel nodded immediately.
“Fine.”
Claudia did not.
“But he’s been shouting at me.”
The officer replied:
“Then stop speaking to him.”
“I was trying to explain—”
“You have explained.”
“He doesn’t understand.”
Daniel laughed again.
The officer turned.
“Sir.”
Daniel raised both hands.
“Sorry.”
Claudia continued.
“He thinks because he’s proposing he gets to control an entire beach.”
The officer sighed.
“You are free to use the beach.”
Claudia nodded.
“Thank you.”
“So are they.”
Her expression changed.
“I know that.”
“Then what is the issue now?”
She pointed at the sign.
“They’re creating a private event.”
The officer replied:
“A small personal setup isn’t automatically prohibited.”
Claudia’s face reddened.
“So they’re allowed to do whatever they want?”
“That is not what I said.”
“But you’re taking their side.”
“I am explaining—”
“You weren’t here.”
“No.”
“So you don’t know.”
“That is why I’m asking.”
“You’re not listening.”
Daniel whispered to Sophie:
“She says that to everybody.”
Claudia heard him.
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?”
The officer stepped between them.
“Enough.”
Claudia looked furious.
“This is unbelievable.”
