Chương 12: First Day (2)
As I walked out of the briefing room, I approached my TO, Officer Angela Lopez. She was a Latina woman, and the first impression she gave off was one of strictness.
Seeing me, she said, "Follow me, super rookie. You're under my command now." Hearing her say this, I sighed, knowing that "super rookie" was going to be my new nickname.
I followed her to the gear room, where we checked out our equipment. She then led me to her patrol car and commanded me to call it "the shop," as she considered it our workspace. Officer Lopez began to test my knowledge by asking various protocol questions, which I answered fluently. She nodded approvingly.
She then sat in the driver's seat and motioned for me to sit on the passenger side. After double-checking everything, we began our patrol.
"Today's your first day, so we'll start with the routine stuff: traffic stops, responding to calls, and getting to know the neighbourhood," she explained.
I nodded, absorbing everything she said. Our first call came in shortly after—a report of a possible burglary at a house a few blocks away. We arrived and Officer Lopez took charge, knocking on the door and shouting, "Police!" Moments later, a woman came down the stairs looking wet. We confronted her about the possible burglary and soon apprehended her and her girlfriend. Apparently, the girlfriend had climbed up to the window to meet her, spotted by a neighbour, all as part of their new fetish.
We sat them down in the backseat of our shop. As Officer Lopez pulled me aside for a conversation, I noticed the two girls getting intimate in the back of the patrol car. I quickly pointed it out to her, and we both ran to separate them, making for a very comical situation.
Half an hour later, we were outside the police station, back in our car after processing the arrest. I sat in the passenger seat, still smiling and occasionally laughing at the memory of the incident.
Hearing this, Officer Lopez glared at me. "I don't want this news to spread, so you better keep your mouth shut and don't tell anybody, or I will make your police life a living hell. Do you understand, super rookie?"
I immediately put on a serious expression and mimed zipping my mouth. I didn't want this to spread either, as John and Lucy would never let me live it down if they heard about it.
Throughout the morning and noon, we responded to various calls—a shoplifting incident, a noise complaint, and a domestic disturbance. Each time, Officer Lopez guided me through the procedures, offering tips and correcting my mistakes.
Around 1 o'clock, the radio crackled with news of a fleeing suspect two blocks from our location. Officer Lopez responded affirmatively, sounded the siren, and drove off. Moments later, I saw John and Lucy chasing the suspect on foot. Officer Lopez sped up, drove around them, and stopped the car. "Go on, stop him," she commanded.
I immediately stepped out, ran, and appeared in front of the suspect. Startled, he tried to change direction, slipped, and was tackled by Lucy, who successfully cuffed him.
John, stuck between a fence gate, looked frustrated. Seeing this, I took out my phone, snapped a picture, and then broke the lock to free him. Now, I had something to embarrass John with. Our TOs arrived at the scene, and the suspect's phone started ringing. Officer Talia Bishop approached, took the phone, and informed us of some bad news: the apprehended man, who clearly had a mental disorder, had forgotten his child, Lucas, in a car. We immediately got a description of the vehicle and raced to find it.
I was worried about the child's safety in the hot weather. Officer Lopez and I drove around the neighbourhood for an hour, searching for the vehicle. Just as I was about to lose hope, the radio crackled with the best news of the day: John and Officer Bishop had found the child alive.
Relieved, Officer Lopez and I looked at each other and sighed. She then drove us to an alley near the police station where four food trucks were parked. She informed me that this was where the officers from our station had lunch.
We separated, she went to eat with Bradford and Bishop, and I joined John and Lucy.
Over lunch, Lucy complained about Tim Bradford and his difficult ways, while John recounted his heroic child-saving story. I stayed mostly silent, with nothing exciting to add, except for the incident I had promised never to talk about. After eating, we returned to our patrol.
The rest of the day was uneventful, consisting of a few traffic stops, writing some tickets, and two misdemeanour arrests.
Half an hour before the end of our shift, Officer Lopez stopped the car and told me to switch seats with her. I did so and got into the driver's seat. "Show me your driving skills so I can trust you with my shop," she said. I drove according to her instructions, becoming a puppet under her control.
We finally reached the police station, and I parked the car. Turning to her, I asked, "So, how did I do?"
"You're decent enough, so from now on, I appoint you as my driver," she said arrogantly, giving me permission to drive from then on.
Amused, I responded, "Your wish is my command, my lady."
She smiled, then quickly put on a business face and said, "Follow me." She led me to the station's shooting range.
"Now, show me your shooting skills so I can trust you with my life in any unexpected situation," she said, the seriousness in her voice evident. I understood the gravity of her words and put on a serious face as I began shooting.
I demonstrated my shooting capability and accuracy, switching from pistols to rifles, to machine guns, and finally to a sniper rifle.
After seeing my skills, she stood in awe. Recovering, she said, "Damn! You really are a super rookie. I thought everyone overestimated you, but it turns out I severely underestimated you."
She waved and dismissed me, still staring in shock.
As I walked out of the station, I received a text from Lucy, urgently asking me to meet her and John at our favourite bar. I drove straight there and found John looking listless, with Lucy trying to cheer him up.
I approached and inquired about the situation. I learned that John and Bishop had responded to a domestic dispute where a tough macho husband hinted at possible abuse from his wife. John dismissed it, thinking it was a lie. Later, they received another call from the same house and found the husband dead, stabbed by his wife. John was experiencing guilt over not following up on the earlier hint.
I knew we couldn't do much for him, so I said a few words to cheer him up and ordered some drinks. Later, Lucy and I went home together.
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