“We’ll help you with your paper, Julie.” Connor helped Ellie into the passenger side seat.
“Yeah, Jules, we’ll give you enough stories to sour you on the sacrament of marriage for the rest of your life,” Ellie added as Julie entered the backseat area.
“Oh wonderful,” Julie replied without enthusiasm.
* * *
Ellie parked her Jeep Comanche outside Connor’s apartment building on 2nd Street. She listened to the train whistle from a Capitol Corridor train leaving Jack London Square AMTRAK Station for Sacramento. Not for the first time did Ellie wonder why in God’s name Connor would live in an apartment across the street from a train station. The local panhandlers were out in force accosting the morning commuters on the sidewalk fronting the station, and railway station platform. She took a deep breath, hoping to calm the urge to rout them from the station and give the people a break, even though it was not her beat. A sharp lancing pain under her upper left rib cage reminded Ellie of yesterday’s bruising during the altercation with Fanny. She looked up at Connor’s building wondering why he wasn’t on the sidewalk like usual. They commuted to work together, taking turns driving because they lived only a couple miles apart.
Ellie heard yelling and turned toward the train station again. A woman held a very small child in her arms while balancing a large bag strapped over her shoulder. She shielded another little girl with her body while warning off one of the panhandlers. The bearded hulk of a man in dirty jeans and tattered khaki, foul weather coat kept blocking her path. He kept sticking his hand out at her as the woman tried to edge away into the station. At the same time Ellie began exiting her Jeep to help, the woman let go of the little girl’s hand behind her, reached into her jacket pocket and produced a spray can. The first blast went directly into the bearded man’s eyes. He howled out something unintelligible while trying to twist away as he covered his face. Ellie laughed as the woman kept blasting him until he was writhing on the sidewalk. Ellie jogged across the street, making sure the woman could see her coming.
“I told you! I told you not to come any closer!” The woman was screaming at the downed man, trying to get another open shot through his defenses.
The man rolled away from her. The woman ran forward, kicking him solidly between the legs as they were splayed out. The man’s huge frame jackknifed. He forgot all about his pepper sprayed face and clamped both hands to his groin, keening whimpers squeaking forth from his clenched jaw. Ellie, chuckling in appreciation of the event without a shred of sympathy, spotted a couple of the man’s cohorts running toward the scene from their spots on the platform. Ellie held her hands out in calming fashion, seeing the woman was on her last nerve. The woman’s daughter clung to the back of her coat, calling out Mommy over and over while the child in her arms cried.
“It’s okay, Ma’am… it’s okay,” Ellie soothed.
Ellie saw recognition of her uniform by the lady. The woman dropped to one knee, hugging her little girl to her as she made cooing sounds at the crying baby she held. Ellie faced the wild looking partners of the man rocking in agony at her feet. She held out her hand in a stopping gesture with attitude.
“That’s close enough! Unless one of you two has a spare pair of nuts for this guy, there’s not a hell of a lot you can do for him.”
“Arrest that bitch!” The tall skinny one with pock marked face and wispy fuzz for a beard demanded, pointing at the woman still kneeling on the sidewalk.
“I’d put a round right between your horns first,” Ellie muttered.
“What’d you say?”
“I said we’d have to sort things out first. This man obviously attacked the woman and her kids. She defended herself.”
“Are you crazy?!” The thin man’s companion rasped out a bit shakily, since he had been nipping at the hair of the dog that bit him the night before.
Ellie took a step back, the odor of cheap booze wafting across from the speaker making her lip curl in disgust. “You… do exactly as I say, Sweetpea. Walk your ass in reverse three full paces before you speak to me again. Your breath just faded the color of my uniform.”
“You ain’t gettin’ away with this!” The tall thin one said, shaking his fist as he took a step toward Ellie.
“Oh yeah.!” Ellie grinned, gesturing for the man to keep coming. “Bring it, Gomer. I got your early morning wake up call right here.”
The man’s face went from twisted brutality to open mouthed fear as Connor appeared at Ellie’s side. Ellie glanced over at Connor with annoyance.
“Sure, run over here now, Opie, just when I’m fixin’ to get me some.”
“Remember what our boss said about being careful,” Connor whispered out sideways at Ellie without taking his eyes off the men in front of them.
“What you whisperin’, Opie?” The tall thin one chuckled at Ellie’s recent nickname for Connor.
“I was asking my partner whether the ambulance would get here before you bled out if we call them now,” Connor answered, drawing laughter from Ellie. “If you two don’t turn around and walk down the street away from the station, you both are going to have a real bad morning.”
When the two men looked at each other but hesitated, Ellie drew out her Mace.
“I don’t have any of that sissy pepper spray stuff your partner got a whiff of. Want a bite of the hard stuff, boys? It’ll grow hair on your chest.”
“What about Jerry?” The shorter drunk asked, gesturing at the man on the sidewalk.
“None of your business.” Ellie grimaced at the foul odor emanating from the man. “Unless of course you want to join him. Actually, I think you’d smell better if I Maced you.”
The man immediately backed away, holding his hands up. He stumbled, but managed to turn around and make his way down the street. The taller companion looked down at the still moaning Jerry a moment longer before following his friend.
“Thank you,” the woman said from behind them.
“No… thank you,” Ellie said, while Connor watched Jerry. “I would have paid money to see that.”
“I…I lost it… it’s just we have to visit my Mom in Sacramento a couple days a week and these… these-”
“Bums,” Ellie filled in with a smile.
“They bother us when we get here.” The woman nodded gratefully. “Then even while we’re trying to get on the train they’re still at it. My husband has to use our main car for work. Our second car is only good for getting us to the station. Why are they allowed to do this?”
“Good question,” Ellie replied, kneeling next to the woman’s daughter. “You okay, honey?”
“Yeah,” the girl answered shyly.
“My name’s Ellie, what’s yours?”
“Jessica.”
“Pretty name. Do you like riding the train?”
“I get scared… until we get on.”
“We’ll see what we can do about that,” Ellie promised, standing up again. “My partner and I don’t have this beat but we’ll try to make sure the officers that do take some extra drive bys.”
“What about him?” The woman pointed at Jerry while repositioning her bag and the baby in her arms.
Connor noted the passersby slowing to find out what was going on. “Why don’t you go in with them, El. Get this lady’s name, address, and phone number while she buys her tickets. There’s no use in them missing their train because of this. I’ll stay with Jerry.”
Ellie shouldered the lady’s bag and took the little girl’s hand. “C’mon, Jess, you get a police escort this morning.”
Connor put on Nitrile gloves. He crouched next to Jerry. “I’m going to help you up, Jerry. Then I’ll walk you in the station to the bathroom where you can douse yourself off. Can you get up?”
Jerry nodded slightly and with a moan he sat up. “I’m… I’m hurtin’, man.”
“Boo hoo.” Connor grabbed the man’s arm and helped him up to a standing position where Jerry wavered unsteadily for a moment, his eyes still closed tig
htly. “This way, and don’t touch anything unless I tell you to.”
Connor walked Jerry through the AMTRAK station doorway and into the bathroom on the immediate left. Guiding him in front of a sink, Connor kept the water running while Jerry doused his face repeatedly for five full minutes. Connor handed him paper towels. After Jerry finished drying his face and hands off, Connor made him wipe the front of his clothes with other wet towels to dilute the stray stains of pepper spray.
“I want to press charges,” Jerry groaned, the big man’s hands clutching his aching groin.
“No you don’t,” Connor replied. “I live across the street. If I ever see you here again, I’ll make you look back at what she did to you as a fond memory of good times past.”
“Are you threatening me?!” Jerry poked a finger in Connor’s chest. “You can’t-”
Connor’s left hand closed around Jerry’s right. Jerry went down to his knees in agony. It felt as if his hand was caught in a rapidly tightening hydraulic press. The bathroom door started to open. Connor pulled Jerry to his feet again. A man walked in and past Connor and Jerry without pausing. Connor pushed a calmer Jerry out the bathroom door and through the building exit.
“You can’t dis me like this. I’m a veteran,” Jerry cried out, as Connor released him on the sidewalk.
“Okay, I’ll play.” Connor took out his cell-phone. “Show me your DD214, or tell me your service number. I have a buddy who keeps a database so I can check up on all you supposed veterans. You can’t imagine how many scum sucking miscreants claim they’re vets, when in reality, they’re simply scum sucking miscreants.”
Ellie joined the two on the sidewalk, seeing the man fumbling around in his pockets as if he were looking for something but couldn’t find it. “Let me guess, Jerry’s a vet, right?”
“If he’s a vet, I’ll eat my cell-phone,” Connor remarked. “C’mon, Jer, I know you’re lying about being a vet. Show me some ID. I’m not letting you out of my sight until I find out everything about you. Do it fast and don’t hand me a library card. If you don’t have something I can ID you with we’ll take you downtown and fingerprint you.”
A look of resignation immediately came over Jerry’s features. He took out a billfold and showed Connor his driver’s license.
“House or apartment?” Connor wrote down Jerry’s Bancroft Avenue address in his notepad.
“House.”
“Figures.” Connor showed Ellie the myriad credit cards Jerry carried, which all had his name on them. He handed Jerry back his wallet. “Remember, I warned you, and I’ll be watching. Now get the hell away from me.”
“That I’m a vet shit really bugs you, doesn’t it?” Ellie grinned up at Connor’s look of disgust as Jerry walked a little bowlegged away from the station.
“How many of these clowns have I outed just in the time we’ve been patrolling together?”
“All but one and he’s still putting the touch on you.”
“Charlie’s a Korean War vet,” Connor stated defensively. “He won-”
“The silver star and purple heart,” Ellie finished for him. “I know. So how much is he hitting you for a month?”
“He’s set up better now,” Connor replied. “I helped him establish a routine and cut his expenses. He never was one of these jerks annoying people every damn day.”
“How much?”
“A couple hundred.” Connor shrugged as Ellie tugged on his jacket to get him headed across the street to her Jeep. “He’s seventy-four, El. Listening to him is like having a time machine. It’s just for a couple extra things he needs around the house.”
“I’m yankin’ your chain. You know I like Charlie. I called Donaldson while I was in the station and let him know what was going on.”
“We’re still on time.” Connor glanced at his watch as he got in the passenger side of Ellie’s Jeep and fastened his seatbelt. “How’s your ribs?”
“A little bruised.” Ellie started the Jeep and threaded her way into traffic. “Would you wrap me up when we get in?”
“Sure, I think I have some Mineral Ice in my locker too if you want.”
“Good. Hey, who has the train station beat?”
“Denny Yost and Kevin Gerard. I’ve already talked to Kevin about the panhandlers. He says Denny and him get dumped on the moment they try to break up the shakedowns at the station.”
“Maybe we need a new plan.”
“I’m listening.”
“You live across from the station. With their okay, you and I could stroll over to the station a little early and stir the pot. We’ll practice our entrapment technique and film it,” Ellie explained. “When those bozo’s get filmed, they ain’t going to like it.”
“One thing will lead to another. Soon they’ll be getting arrested for something more than panhandling.” Connor nodded with a smile. “I like it. Jerry and his buds are going to be my pet project no matter what else happens.”
“I saw you and him were bonding.”
“What’d you have planned for Jerry’s friend when I came across the street?”
“Bonding.”
Inside the precinct office, Connor turned away with his shoulders heaving. Ellie simply looked around in stunned silence, her mouth working, but nothing coming out. Pink banners, pink ribbons, pink flowers, and pink armbands were everywhere. A blown up picture of Ellie’s hands and feet sticking out from under Fanny was hung prominently over the main desk. Ladd and Arvizo were nowhere to be seen, although Connor knew they must be howling from where they were monitoring the room’s cameras. No one in the room even coughed until Ellie started braying in laughter. Then it was a free for all until Donaldson adjourned the prank.
“You okay, Ellie?” Donaldson asked, glancing up at the picture. “After that, I figured we’d be calling next of kin.”
“I’ll live… but the jury’s out on Ladd and Arvizo.”
Chapter 7
The Darkness
“Slow down and drive around the block,” Ellie told Connor. Connor turned left on Allendale Avenue from High Street as directed. “Okay, stop here.”
“No Mickey D’s salad today, huh?” Connor parked near the curb. “Okay, where do you want to eat at?”
“Do you still have the bulletin on the license plate number from the hit and run?”
“It’s on my clipboard, two sheets down. You spot something?”
“I think so.” Ellie flicked past the top sheets on Connor’s clipboard. She pulled the third sheet out. “Let’s circle. It says a late model silver Nissan Altima, first four figures UGN3. I saw one parked on High Street with at least the UG, but I missed the rest.”
“Did you see anyone around it?” Connor steered onto Allendale Avenue again.
“No, I thought we’d go by once more for a closer look. I’ll check for any indication of damage, or whether there’s also an N and 3 with the UG. I know it was a silver Altima in the 2000’s.”
Connor turned right at the first block leading back to Penniman Avenue, circling toward High Street once again. Ellie glanced and nodded as they went past the suspect car. She wrote down the rest of the license plate number and checked the DMV records on their computer.
“We have a winner. The left headlight’s busted. It’s registered to a Marvin Sample and it’s stolen. How do you want to approach it?”
“I’ll drive around until we’re two blocks down and stake it out for a bit. Maybe we’ll get lucky. Call Jas and Luis. They can take up a spot on Allendale just before High Street.”
Connor circled around, going one block further so as to increase the distance between them and the stolen car. Once back on High Street, Connor crossed over when the traffic died down, parking the wrong way along the opposite curb. Ellie contacted Jason Ladd and Luis Arvizo. Fifteen minutes later Arvizo confirmed they were in position on Allendale with their squad car facing High Street. Ellie unlocked their riot gun and removed it from its rack. Ellie left the passenger side quickly. She ran around to the drive
r’s side rear. Connor unlocked the back. Ellie slid in with the riot gun so she would not have to exit on the same side as the stolen vehicle and would have their squad car as cover.
“They sure nailed me this morning,” Ellie remarked, making Connor grin at the fact he had been timing her with the second hand of his watch.
“Twenty seconds, El,” Connor said, holding his watch up so Ellie could see he had used the stopwatch feature on her. “It was a very quiet twenty seconds though.”
“Frack you, Opie!”
“Don’t start on me with the Battlestar Galactica comebacks.”
“It means well done.”
“Liar.” Connor pointed toward the corner of Penniman Avenue and High Street. “Check those three out, Starbuck.”
A young woman in jeans below the navel with black sweatshirt cut off at midriff walked purposefully across the street. Her nearly raven black hair was tied back in a ponytail and she led two men in their twenties carrying shoulder slung black duffel bags. She stopped near the Nissan Altima and opened the trunk. The men threw their duffel bags inside the trunk.
“Move in now!” Connor ordered on the channel selected to contact Ladd and Arvizo. “Front me and seal the Altima in.”
Connor gauged the High Street traffic and shot across four lanes to end up blocking the Ultima trunk in. Seconds later, Jason Ladd drove up blocking the Nissan’s front bumper, facing Connor and Ellie’s squad car. Ellie popped up from the backseat, gripping the riot gun over the squad car roof. Connor covered the trio from the front edge of their patrol car as Arvizo and Ladd took up positions at both sides of their car.
“Get on your knees!” Connor saw resignation on the two young men’s faces. He was worried about the woman, who glanced up High Street instead of keeping her eyes on him. At the same time the men dropped to their knees, the woman sprinted up the sidewalk knowing neither police car would come after her going the wrong way into traffic.
“My turn,” Ellie said as Arvizo and Ladd moved quickly up on the surrendering youths. Ellie pitched the riot gun onto the backseat and ran off in pursuit of the woman.
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