Chapter 6

I was driving in the police car back on patrol. Sitting next to me was Slim Jackson. The slim was from when he was younger and had not grown to his full size as he called it now. Slim was also Black not mocha by Black as a moonless night.

“I’d ask you how you’re doing but that your here tells me you’re working past it.”

“It’s a fight every day, I can focus on what I need to rather than sit and ponder.”

“I can understand that. Some of my cousins have died over the years it can eat you up. I saw that with the aunties.”

“I appreciate your riding along and babysitting me.”

“They would not have given you your weapon back if they thought you needed babysitting. I asked to ride with you since it is required after you have been off on leave.”

“You’re all evaluating me to see if I have shined the Doctor on?”

“Have you?”

“I’m past thinking of harming myself or others. I’m still grieving but this will pass as times does what I am hearing if not quite believing yet.”

“It does, just takes us all at our own pace.”

“That makes sense.” I had turned into what was the local make-out place for the high school kids and sometimes older people and we slowed down to ensure things were not getting out of hand. Right then out of hand came driving up toward us slowly.

Two naked young women were walking on the side of the road and an older caddy driving alongside. I flipped on the lights and chipped the siren and his eyes looked ahead then. Slim focused the side light on his eyes then illuminated him and I focused my light at the feet of the two women. The car stopped and Slim and I exited the vehicle. Slim took the driver and I walked over to the women.

“Hello, ladies.”

“Hello, officer.” They replied in near unison.

“Trouble I take it.”

“What gave you that clue?” The closer of the two asked.

“It’s a nice evening but not many others are out for a stroll in nature in their natural states as it is. Especially this late in the evening.”

“We don’t want to ask him to give us back our clothes when he is going to require us to get back in the car to get them.”

I looked over and the driver was out of the vehicle now and Slim had his license in hand as he was questioning him.

“Officer Johnson, can you ask him if the ladies can retrieve their clothes?”

I heard Slim call for backup then on my radio, “He’s refusing to allow anyone entry into the vehicle.”

“It appears he is not going to allow you to retrieve anything. I have a couple of blankets in the trunk I can give you and then you can wait in the squad car until backup arrives.” They followed me and I pulled out a couple of the thin mylar blankets and handed them to each of the ladies.

“You can sit in the back while we wait for backup.” We walked over and I opened the door. The first one sat in, scooted over, and then the second sat. I left the door open and then walked around to the front of the unit, opened my door, and used the radio to call for a supervisor. Then I stopped and started the tape recorder and left it sitting on the seat.

“I’m going to go talk with my partner. Be back in shortly.” I closed the front door and walked over to Slim.

“Who’s this?”

“This is Jerry Mathews”

“Hello, Jerry. Interesting situation we have here.”

“They decided to get out of the car and walk.”

“Naked?’ I asked.

“Yes, naked.”

“Were they naked when they got into your vehicle?”

“No sir, they took off their clothes in the car.”

“Why did they get out if they were naked?”

“We disagreed and they went out to walk. I was asking them to get back in and they refused.”

“And you will not let us into your vehicle to retrieve their clothes?”

“No, I will not allow you entry into my vehicle. You need probable cause then there is none here.”

“You understand that makes us all the more curious.”

“Be that as it may curiosity is not probable cause.”

“Then you understand that we can’t let you into the vehicle at the moment because you could have a weapon there.”

“I understand your concern, that does not hit the probable cause level either.”

Slim shook his head slowly up and down in agreement and then went and flashed his light into the vehicle. He walked all around doing that and then came back.

“Please turn around, we’re going to place you in cuffs until the backup arrives. You’re not under arrest it is simple for our safety and yours.”

Jerry turned around and Slim placed him in handcuffs and helped him lean against the car. Then he and I walked away so we could discuss this.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“It’s hinky but there is no crime other than an infraction of those two-walking naked down and him driving on the wrong side of that street.”

“They don’t seem all that upset, and he’s got to be hiding something in the vehicle.”

“He’s right there is no probable cause for him refusing to allow us in.”

“Do you think those two have an expectation of privacy with the door open?”

“Did you get their names and story?”

“Not yet?”

“Yet?”

“Back to my question first. Do they have an expectation of privacy with the door open?”

“I would say no.”

“You heard me call for the supervisor, I did that from the unit.”

“I heard.”

“I might have turned on my tape recorder before I left the unit and closed the door.”

He was laughing then. “You’re a sneaky bastard.”

“I saw it one time on some television show. This is not likely to go anywhere but a goat. What I wanted was the truth of it and those two are not upset enough so it’s something hinky and now they have been working to get their story straight while we are out here.”

Just then more units showed up and they parked behind ours with their lights off, but the rollers were going. No need to silhouette us. As they came over one was the backup and the other the sergeant who was working patrol this evening.

“What type of mess have you landed us Slim?” The sergeant asked.

“Not me Sergeant.” And we went on to explain the naked women, the man leaning in cuffs on the hood of his vehicle, and his refusal to allow us entry into his vehicle. Then a quick note of the two women in the back of the squad car with the door open and my tape recorder running.

“We don’t know the names of the women.”

“No identification on them when I encountered them.” Backup snorted.

“Didn’t think to ask?”

“No way to verify so why bother until we got them dressed and they had access to their identification.”

“True enough.”

“Suggestions?” The sergeant asked me.

“By now the two in the back have discussed their story enough to have it down pat so asking them is unlikely to get us more than that. Of course, my enlightenment to them of the tape recorder might get this open and above board quicker.”