Chapter 4: Back to the Grind

Ten days after the IA lieutenant threatened to fire me, I was standing between Ruger and the Chief of Police. The chief is giving us each a commendation.

"Our local Tactical Squad raided a drug house to arrest the residents. During the routine raid, one of the dealers attempted to take Officer Thomas's life with this ten inch knife." The chief held up a clean plastic bag with the knife inside. It was pure theater for the press.

"In the process of defending herself Officer Thomas was forced to fire two shots at the drug dealer. The drug dealer, a felon well known to the Aster Police, was killed instantly. Officer Ruger was backing up Officer Thomas and was forced to shoot a female suspect in order to prevent her shooting officer Thomas in the back. The female suspect was killed instantly as well.

Though we regret the loss of any life, we are extremely pleased that the two officers were not killed or injured. This afternoon we are here to commend these two brave officers for their courage and good sense."

"It is worth noting that both suspects are implicated in at least three homicides. It appears from the physical evidence that both suspects participated in the brutal murders of at least two of their competitors and one police officer in Tryon. The weapon used in the officers shooting was found during the search of the residence. It as in fact the same weapon the female suspect pointed at Officer Thomas's back."

I leaned over to Ruger and whispered, "You know it was 'give us the commendation or fire us'?" I asked.

"Of course, you killed a black man to save a dog. You are lucky he was wanted for a whole lot of black on black crimes. If not you probably would have been charged with something," Ruger said.

"No doubt, but I shot him to save myself," I suggested.

"I was there remember?" Ruger asked.

"Officer Thomas, would you explain exactly what happened in that house?" one of the reporters from Tryon asked.

"It was a routine drug raid that turned into a shoot or die situation. Those things do happen now and then, I'm told."

"Is this the first man you have killed?" she continued.

"No, I was forced to kill some men during a Taliban Ambush a couple of years ago. Those were the first men I killed," I replied. "How about you Ruger, was this your first?" I was trying to get the attention off me.

"Yes this was the first woman I was forced to kill," Ruger said.

The news conference went on down that path for several more minutes before it wound down. When it ended Marshal from IA cornered me in the hallway. "You were lucky both times, now try to stay out of trouble," she demanded.

"I just hope I'm not the kind of person who attracts trouble. Some folks do you know. It just comes to them no matter what they do," I suggested.

"If that is the case, we will be seeing a lot of each other," she said.

"In that case next time bring flowers and candy," I said.

I drove straight home to let Harry out. Even though he was perfectly behaved I put him on the cable to do his business. A stray female in heat walking by might well trump his training.

"Would you do me a favor please," Sudie asked as I stepped from my car.

"If I can sure," I replied to the old lady.

"I need someone to reset my computer," she said angrily. I know how to use it, I just can't figure out how to reset the damn cable. Some idiot knocked out our power and everything stopped working."

"Let me put Harry out and I'll reset everything while he is doing his thing," I said. I walked into my tiny apartment before I went into Sudie's equally small place. I decided that Harry was the laziest dog in the world, when he wasn't working. He managed to drag his ass off the bed and check me out for new smells. First he made sure I wasn't in heat, then he checked out the smells on my clean uniform. I led him to the back door where I attached the cable to his collar and sent him out into the world or at least our back yard.

While Harry wandered around the back yard searching for just the right spot to leave his feces, I went into Sudie's part of the house and began to reset clocks and her Internet connection. "That should do it," I said as I headed for the door.

"Wait a minute I have something for you," she said. She said it as she handed me a plastic box with three donuts.

"You should not have done this," I said.

"Horse shit, my daughter brought me a half dozen and I can't eat them all. I know all cops love donuts." she said.

"Yes, occupational hazard," I agreed. Those donuts were headed for the break room at work, not my ass, I decided.

Harry and I went for a jog on the city park trail. That trail ran several miles around the marina. The trail would have gone on for ten miles, if it had covered the complete reservoir, but there was a highway bridge, complete with a walkway, which cut the run to just over five miles. The jog went just under an hour. I was exhausted when we returned, but Harry was just warming up. He could have gone ten more miles at least.