Ramos stepped back and Camden brought the key forward. Without another word Camden swung the heavy piece of metal back and then forward, slamming it into the knob on the door. The door splintered open with a loud crack and Lizzie was carried on the tide of officers moving quickly through the open door and into the living room of the small house.
Lizzie had no idea what she was doing but instinctively she peeled off to her left as Dekker moved right. Lizzie scanned the room from the left corner around to the hallway. She saw the rest of the officers moving down the hallway, searching rooms and along the way calling out loudly “Clear!”
Lizzie moved to follow them but Dekker held out a hand to stop her. They both stayed in the living room, silently, guns still drawn, until the call of “ALL CLEAR!” came loudly from the back of the house.
Until this moment, Lizzie hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath. She saw Dekker holster his weapon. Taking his action as a cue that things were safe Lizzie exhaled heavily and holstered her own gun.
Officers began searching through drawers and under couch cushions but Lizzie had no idea what they were looking for. The place was a mess. The smell of burnt marijuana was so thick it seemed to have been painted into the walls. Dirty clothes were piled in various corners of the room and Lizzie could see dirty dishes scattered on every surface.
Lizzie looked around for Dekker and not finding him she went out onto the front porch to get some air. She saw Dekker standing on the curb, rifle casually slung over his shoulder, speaking quietly with Shaw. He noticed Lizzie watching them and waved her toward him. As she reached them, Dekker handed her the car keys and said, “Go get the car and load up the key.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Lizzie took the keys from Dekker and walked down the sidewalk towards their patrol car. She opened the trunk and shook off her raid jacket. She closed the trunk and drove the car back to the front of the house just as Camden was bringing the key in her direction. She got out and opened the trunk once again. She smiled gratefully at Camden “Thanks. That was pretty awesome watching you bust that door down.”
“I know, I know. I’m pretty impressive. I can see why it would be hard not to idolize me so why fight it?” He joked.
Dekker walked to the car and pushed Camden aside. “Down boy.”
Camden took a fake swing at Dekker who blocked the fake punch and delivered a fake one of his own. Lizzie smiled at the two full-grown men acting like little boys. Lizzie was happy to see Dekker smiling at least. Maybe he would be in a good mood for the rest of the day.
Camden put an end to playtime. “All right all right I gotta get outta here or O’Connell is gonna be pissed that I’ve stayed off my beat for so long.” Camden walked away but called to Lizzie over his shoulder, “Good job rook!”
Lizzie moved to get into the car but Dekker stopped her. “Let’s not go anywhere just yet. Tell me about what we just did. How do you feel? Do you have any questions?”
“I was pretty shocked that you let me do that! I really had no idea what I was doing or what we would find inside. I mean, it was like walking into a lion’s den!”
“A lion’s den, I like that. That’s a good analogy. The only one who knows what we are going to find inside is the guy who’s already inside. It’s a dangerous job going into someone else’s house, especially as dynamically as we just did.”
“Do other rookies get to do this stuff?”
“If they don’t they should. You felt like you weren’t ready? Welcome to police work! You are going to routinely go to calls for service or find yourself in situations where you have no idea what to expect. And you’ll have to act anyway. The more experience you get the better your responses will be. They will fit the situation. Hopefully.”
“I have to admit my heart was pounding a little”
“So was mine kid. It should be pounding. It’s an intense situation with a very realistic possibility of injury or death to you or to someone on the team. Heck even the bad guy could get popped, depending on what he chooses to do. But Camden was right, you did well for your first time.”
“Like how? Just so I know to keep doing it, for next time.”
“For starters, you didn’t follow Ramos down the hall. You went into the room and took your own position without waiting for someone else to tell you what to do. That’s good. You never know what’s going to happen and you can’t wait for someone else to tell you what to do.”
The radio crackled, interrupting Dekker once more.
Chapter Forty-Six
“Two Lincoln Four. Failure to yield!” Lizzie recognized Camden’s voice over the sound of his blaring sirens.
“Northbound on Parker approaching First Street. Blue Toyota, occupied three times, speeds are 45 miles per hour!”
“Crime?” Asked another voice on the radio.
“He just tossed a gun! We’re eastbound on First Street. Looks like he’s heading for the freeway.”
Dekker jumped into the driver seat and yelled at Lizzie, “Get in!”
Lizzie hadn’t even shut her car door before Dekker sped up the street to catch up with Camden.
Dekker looked over at Lizzie “Put your damn seat belt on!”
“I’m trying! Lizzie replied yanking hard on the shoulder strap. Apparently the seat belt locked if the car was moving too fast. After a few tries she managed to have it buckled and just in time. Dekker made an eastbound turn at about 45 miles per hour. The force threw her into the center console. Lizzie grabbed onto the handle of the spotlight. She held on for dear life as Dekker sped up to about eighty.
“2L4 we’re eastbound I80. License plate ,three-john-mary-lincoln-two-six-four; 3JML264. Speeds 70 mph.”
Lizzie tried not to look as scared as she felt as Dekker wove in and out of traffic. Their speed was alarming but clearly Dekker had skill. Or a death wish. Lizzie barely had time to figure out where they were going before they were on the freeway. She could see the emergency lights of at least three other cop cars ahead of her.
“You have the radio kid.” Dekker said tossing the mic into her lap
Lizzie looked at the mic in her hand and had no clue what she should do with it. The line of police cars started to slow and Lizzie craned her head to see the blue Toyota barreling onto an exit. Dust and debris on the side of the freeway kicked up into a cloud, temporarily blinding Lizzie from the scene in front of her. The cars in front of them came to a sudden stop.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Dekker slammed on the brakes and their car skid to halt in the dust alongside the freeway. He jumped out of the driver seat and Lizzie followed suit.
The dust cleared enough for Lizzie to see the suspect car had stopped and Camden was using his PA to call the occupants out. “Driver get out of the vehicle slowly with your hands in the air.”
Dekker moved forward to the passenger side of Camden’s car and Lizzie moved up to the trunk behind Camden. Several other officers moved their cars into positions to prevent civilian drivers from entering the off ramp and inadvertently into harm’s way.
“Passenger stay in the car!” Dekker yelled as he drew his gun. The third guy in the back kept turning around to look at them through the rear windshield.
Suddenly both the driver door and passenger door flew open. In a flash the driver and passenger jumped out of the vehicle and took off running in separate directions.
Dekker holstered his gun and ran after the passenger with Patterson quick on his heels. Camden ran after the driver. Ramos and Dorsey seemed to come from nowhere. They quickly moved up past Lizzie to the suspect vehicle and began yelling for the remaining passenger to get out.
Lizzie paused for a split second before taking off at a dead run after Camden. She could see him as he and the suspect disappeared over the other side of the road into a small ravine of brush. Lizzie bolted across the roadway after them. She reached the side of the road where Camden and the suspect had dropped out of sight and Lizzie paused to see if she could spot them. She cou
ldn’t see them through the trees and shrubs, but Lizzie saw a large patch of weeds shaking vigorously in the breeze as if a large animal were trapped in them. She took a step off the edge of the road and headed that way.
Lizzie couldn’t see him but she could hear Camden yelling, “Get on the ground! Get on the ground!” She was sure he was fighting with the suspect and she picked up her pace. She crashed through the last few bushes just in time to see the suspect’s fist connect with Camden’s jaw. Camden went down on one knee and the suspect turned and fled.
Without thinking, Lizzie ran straight at the suspect. In a move that would make a linebacker proud she leaped and landed square around the suspect’s neck, tackling him to the ground.
The suspect flipped over almost throwing her aside. Lizzie made a grab for suspect’s right arm as he swung a fist toward her face. She pulled her head back in time to only receive a glancing blow to her mouth. Her teeth rattled in her head but she ignited in fury.
She punched him as hard as she could, square in the nose. Lizzie could hear his nose crunch. The suspect’s hand instinctively went to his face and she used the opportunity to flip him over into a prone position. She quickly dug her knee into the guys back right between his shoulders and roughly pushed the handcuffs on to his wrists.
Camden ran up just as she pushed herself to a standing position. She was breathing heavy and her hands shook like crazy. Camden bent over at the waste catching his breath.
“Whooo gurrrrl. You kicked his ass!!!” Camden said with a whistle
She looked at him with wild eyes, “You’re welcome?”
Camden started laughing. He bent down and grabbing the suspect by the elbow, he dragged him to his feet. “Come on doofus.” Camden keyed his mic and informed dispatch, “2L4 we have the driver in custody.”
“Copy. Driver is in custody. Are there any further outstanding?”
Dekker responded, “2L6 no outstanding. We have both passengers.”
“Copy.”
Camden and Lizzie pushed the suspect ahead of them as they trudged back up the hill they had traversed. Dekker met them at the roadway and looked Lizzie over.
Camden spoke quickly before Dekker could say a word. “Man, she tackled this guy and knocked him flat on his ass! He never knew what hit him!” Camden turned his face to the suspect. “Isn’t that right, Sparky. How did you like getting your ass handed to you by a girl?”
Dekker looked at her with a hint of a smile. “Are you ok? You hurt your hand at all?”
“Nope. I’m all good!”
“How about that split lip?”
Lizzie hadn’t even noticed that her lip was bleeding. “Oh it’s nothing. It was just a little love tap. Won’t kill me.” She gently felt her bottom lip with her fingers. It hurt and it was starting to swell but she didn’t care.
“You need to go see the doctor?”
Lizzie looked at him with bold eyes. “Hell no! Let’s go find someone else to chase!” The cops around her laughed at her enthusiasm.
Dekker handed her an antibacterial wipe to clean her hands and face. “Ok slugger, how about we take it one bad guy at a time.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
The rest of the shift was a blur as dispatch served up one hot call after another. By the end of the shift, Lizzie thought there was no way she could stop the flow of adrenaline. She was running on a natural high.
Dekker pulled into the parking lot and he and Lizzie began to task of unloading. Camden pulled in next to them and after grabbing his back he approached Lizzie.
“Hey rookie, want to come to choir practice? We usually don’t let rookies come but me and the rest of the guys think you deserve it after the day you’ve had.”
Lizzie looked expectantly at Dekker.
“Don’t look at me, kid. You got an invite not me.” He chuckled.
Camden said, “You can come too, Sarge!”
“No, thanks. I try to limit how much time I spend with you young bucks. You’ll be the death of me! But Lizzie, you go. Camden’s right, you deserve it.”
“Um, sure I’d love too! Thanks.”
“Meet us in the south lot when you’re done dressing down?”
“I’ll be out in ten,” said Lizzie. There was noticeable excitement in her voice. After Camden left, Lizzie asked, “Um Dekker? Just one question, what’s choir practice?”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Lizzie bounded up the stairs to the locker room and dropping her bag down on the bench next to her locker, she took out her cell phone and called Jack. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail.
“Hey babe. I guess you guys are sleeping. I had the BEST day but I’m pretty wound up. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home. The guys invited me to something called choir practice? I don’t know what that means but I’m excited because that means I’m in! They are including me! I gotta change and get out of here but I shouldn’t be too late getting home. I feel like we haven’t talked in days. I really miss you. Ok see you soon.” She disconnected the phone and dropped it into her purse.
Lizzie hurried and changed into her street clothes. She pulled on a pair of jeans and yanked a sweatshirt over her head. It always felt so good to take her hair out of that tight bun at the end of shift. She let it fall around her shoulders and quickly ran a brush through her blonde locks. She took a little extra time and freshened up her makeup. She wasn’t sure why she bothered but it felt like the right thing to do.
Lizzie gently applied some Chapstick to her swollen bottom lip. The cut had closed and left a scab but even that couldn’t keep her from smiling. She reminded herself to be careful not to smile too big or it would split open again.
Lizzie grabbed her purse and made her way to the south parking lot. She was taken a little by surprise. The whole team was there! Music bumped from the open door of Dorsey’s car and Camden’s trunk was open.
“There she is!” said Camden, holding out a red solo cup to Lizzie.
“What’s this?”
“Drink up little sister!” answered Camden as he took a big swallow from his own red cup.
Lizzie looked down at the liquid in her cup and took a sniff. Rum and coke! “This is choir practice?” she laughed. “Wont we get in trouble?”
“Nope. Time honored tradition” Dorsey said, handing her a cigar. “Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!” He struck the lighter and held it up to Lizzie.
Lizzie had never smoked a cigar in her life! She cautiously put it in her mouth and bent towards Dorsey so he could fire up the business end. Lizzie inhaled and immediately choked. She sputtered and coughed as Dorsey laughed and clapped her hard on the shoulder. She smiled weakly at Dorsey. “Thanks” she squeaked out between coughs. She didn’t want to throw it away and risk offending him so she figured she would just stand there holding it. Lizzie sipped her drink gently. The alcohol her busted lip but within seconds the warmth spreading through her helps her not to care.
Lizzie still couldn’t believe drinking in the parking lot was allowed. She took another swallow of her drink and the worry started to fade. She felt lucky the rest of the team let her join in.
Officer Patterson walked over to Lizzie and poked her in the arm, “So, tell us Lizzie, where’d you get those fists of fury?”
Lizzie laughed, “I honestly have no idea. I’ve never been in a fight in my life!”
Ramos joked, “What? Then what did you get in to police work for?”
Camden spoke up, “Leave her alone. We didn’t all get into police work for the badge bunnies and busted lips.”
Lizzie turned to Ramos, “I wanted to be a cop because I thought I could make a difference. I really like helping people.”
The group of gathered cops laughed loudly at Lizzie’s naïve answer.
“Come on, rookie,” said Rhodes, “this isn’t the oral boards. You already have the job, you can tell us the truth. It was the fast driving that sold you, wasn’t it.”
The rest of the team laughed and Lizzie joined i
n. The comradery was nice and she felt a certain high, knowing they thought of her as one of them.
Doresy’s cell phone rang and Lizzie watched as he scanned the parking lot and surrounding areas.
“Guys,” said Dorsey, “Time to call it a night. Dispatch said someone called in a noise complaint. Let’s pack it up.”
Lizzie glanced at her watch and was surprised to see how late it had gotten. She must have lost track of time. “Ok, guys, I’m out of here!” Lizzie looked at Camden, “Thanks for the drink. Now I’m the one who owes you one.”
“Nonsense, Kid,” said Camden as he took her arm in his and walked Lizzie toward her car. “You earned it and there will be many more where that came from!”
Lizzie climbed into her car and let Camden close the door for her. Lizzie waved at the guys as she pulled slowly out of the police parking lot and headed towards the freeway.
Chapter Fifty
Jack looked at the blinking light on his phone that let him know he had a message. He opened the phone and listened to Lizzie’s voicemail letting him know she would be late. Without calling her back he laid the phone on the truck seat next to him.
He was parked in an old vacant lot across from the police station. From here he could see Lizzies car and the rest of the cops in the lot. Somewhat hidden by bushes he covertly saw her come out and walk out to meet the rest of the team.
They were all standing around the parking lot and some creep was passing out drinks and cigars. Choir practice my ass. Jack tried not to let jealousy eat at him. She wasn’t doing anything wrong just blowing off steam. Who was that guy that handed her the drink? Jack might have to take a closer look at him.
It was getting late and Lizzie gave no indication that she was leaving. Jack was putting a stop to this immediately. He picked up his phone and made a call.
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