by Ryan Garner
Jennifer had found that she enjoyed pulling the live streaming video from officer's Mobile Video Recorders and watching them to ensure the local police were conducting themselves in an appropriate manner. However, she had never expected to stumble across something like this and especially not with the likes of John Lawrence. Of all people she stood to draw more satisfaction from catching him violating protocol than she would have from anyone else. His close and now well known friendship with Karina had always annoyed her. Darren, Karina's present boyfriend was one thing, Jennifer understood the need for temporary sexual gratification, but John was something entirely different. Jennifer believed that Karina belonged to her. She had her own suspicions about John and Karina’s relationship, but she had chosen to keep her ideas under wraps, at least until the appropriate time. What she had just seen suggested that the hour for her strike was closer than what she had originally anticipated. Something was obviously off about that traffic stop, she had watched John multiple times before and he had conducted himself very differently in those instances.
Glancing over at the touch screen tablet computer which was positioned between the driver and passenger's seat of her vehicle she studied the aerial satellite view of the location where John's patrol car's GPS signal was originating. She was only about two miles away and could be there relatively quickly.
Jennifer reached out and using her index finger touched the upper corner of the translucent MVR feed that was displayed on roughly half of the vehicle's windshield. This in turn minimized the view, reducing it down to a much more manageable 6” x 6” square. She then placed the fingertips of her entire hand around the video feed and with a flick of her wrist “threw” the MVR view over to the far right corner of her Tahoe's windshield where the video feed doubled in size to a 12”x12” square for easier viewing from across the passenger compartment. A subtle smirk danced across her face as she shifted the vehicle into gear and began to drive towards John's position.
….
Jennifer sat in her Tahoe watching the strobing effect of the blue lights from the internally mounted light bar which was affixed across the very top of her windshield. The random color patterns danced off the paint of the Explorer which now sat parked in front of her. She reached over with her right hand and tapped a few different spots on the tablet computer which was still positioned close to her seated position; it quietly beeped in response to her actions. She then pulled a cloth sleeve over her left forearm. The snug fitting piece of black cloth covered almost the entire area from her lower wrist to just below her elbow joint and contained a small pouch with a see through plastic cover.
Retrieving what appeared to be a smartphone , but what was really another much smaller touch screen computer out of a charging cradle located in the center console she carefully slid it into the cloth sleeve's see through pouch. The transparency of the plastic allowed her to easily see and access the touch screen display of the small computer which was now affixed to her arm.
Jennifer opened her vehicle's door and gracefully exited the black SUV. She walked stealthfully towards the parked Explorer cautiously making her way up its side. She heard the window rolling down as she neared the driver's side door.
“License and registration, sir.” she said in a flat tone as she aimed her flashlight into the passenger compartment of the vehicle searching for anything suspicious. However, she was initially not able to locate anything.
“Yes, ma'am.” Peter Jansen said as he again reached over to his glove box to retrieve his vehicle's registration. “May I ask why you stopped us?” he then inquired.
“No...” Jennifer quickly responded which immediately garnered a confused and slightly annoyed look from Jansen as he handed over his driver's license and registration to her. Snatching them out of his hand Jennifer slid both documents under the clips of her pens located on her breast pocket. Glancing over at Mrs. Jansen, it was easy to see how frightened she was.
“I'm going to need for you and your family to step out of the vehicle.” Jennifer then ordered in an authoritative tone.
“Why?” Jansen asked his voice growing more concerned.
“Because I told you to.” Jennifer shot back as she reached over and touched a few spots on the touch screen computer attached to her arm, a moment later there was a subtle beep in response to her actions.
“You know we were just pulled over about a mile up the road by one of your fellow officers.” Jansen said.
“That was NOT one of my fellow officers.” Jennifer responded in a cold tone.
“Peter, maybe we should...” Peter Jansen quickly looked over at his wife cutting her off in mid-sentence. He then looked back at Jennifer.
“Ma'am, respectfully we've already been through this once tonight already and I don't think it's reasonable or fair for you to do this to us again.” A devilish smirk danced across Jennifer's face when Jansen spoke.
“So unwise...” she whispered to herself, but loud enough for Jansen to hear her. He reacted to her comment with a puzzled, yet worried look.
They stared at each other for another few seconds in an odd moment of silence. Jansen wondered why the NGP Officer was just standing there seemingly waiting for something to happen.
Just then, he heard a low rumble. It started far off in the distance, but within seconds it was nearly on top of them. The low pitched growling sound began to resonate throughout the entire area and was so loud it was shaking the Explorer which he and his family were in. The windows of the vehicle began to vibrate violently as the wind outside the car began to swirl around and even though Jennifer had her long black hair pulled back in a tight pony tail it too began to whip around her beautiful face. Jansen's son who was now crying and his wife fearfully looked around the area surrounding them trying to understand what was happening.
Suddenly, bright light from a pair of spotlights enveloped them and moments later an F-35B Lighting II emerged from the darkness behind the set of stopped vehicles. The massive Pratt & Whitney F135 engine which had been rotated towards the ground in order to assist with hovering produced a deafening roar. Even though she was quite pleased at the situation, Jennifer could not help, but wince slightly at the powerful sound. The menacing looking fighter jet which had been painted pitch black instead of the military gray slowly circled around from its position behind the group to one in front of the stopped SUV's.
The F-35 had no markings whatsoever on the fuselage, save for that of a large solid white Minotaur which was displayed on the outside of both tail fins. One could easily see that the externally mounted stealth gun pods which contained GUA-12 Equalizer 25mm cannons were trained on the stopped SUV. The fighter's lateral bomb bay doors were also open displaying several AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles.
The wind churned around the Explorer and seeing the fear and anxiety in all the occupants’ eyes made Jennifer's smile grow. Even though the sound of the jet engine was still pounding through the area both she and Jansen could hear what was said over Jennifer's radio microphone which was clipped to her shoulder epaulet.
“Watcher 242...on scene.” The pilot of the F-35 confidently stated.
“Sir...” Jennifer said with a large, sultry smile, “...I strongly suggest you exit the vehicle...NOW!”
CHAPTER 13
Gasping for breath, Jennifer rolled naked over onto her back towards her side of the bed. She raised her head up slightly off the pillow and ran her fingers through her disheveled and sweaty black hair pushing it out of her face. As her breathing began to slow a devilish grin made its way across her face.
“You're pretty good…for a rookie.” she said in a playful tone.
Blushing from the high praise of the beautiful older woman Chris could not help, but respond with a small boyish grin before speaking.
“Thank you.” he said coyly while smiling.
“Once we get past your little bit of nervousness I think you'll be even better. We will certainly have to make sure you're allowed to ride with me on a
more regular basis.” Jennifer quipped as she pushed against Chris's bare shoulder with her hand.
“Certainly wouldn't be a problem with me.” he said, his face still brimming with a smile.
“Good...” the National Governing Police seductress responded before pausing briefly. She stared at Chris with her own provocative and beautiful brown eyes.
“How would you feel about training with me on a more permanent basis?” She asked. “I think you have the potential to make a great NGP Officer.”
The flattery left Chris momentarily speechlessness. For a new officer the prestigious position that she was now offering him was indeed an exciting proposition. Nevertheless, he felt somewhat unsure and Jennifer immediately saw the doubt in his eyes.
“What's wrong?” she asked in a tone that was meant to be interpreted as soothing.
“Well I'm not sure.” he responded before quickly adding, “Don't get me wrong it looks like an awesome job, but...”
“But what?” Jennifer asked to which Chris produced a small smirk.
“I kinda like being a street cop.” he answered. “I mean provided I’m with a training officer that actually lets me do something.” Chris chuckled slightly after making this statement.
“Who’s your current training officer?” Jennifer asked even though she already knew everything there was to know about Chris after reading his personnel file in full.
“Normally they have me with Morrisey. He's okay, but to be honest he's pretty lazy…well actually he’s a lot lazy.” Chris laughed, “I've also ridden with John Lawrence several times, along with a few other officers. Things seem to be pretty different depending on who I’m with.” Jennifer's eyebrows perked up when she heard John's name mentioned. She found it odd that Chris singled him out among all the other officers he had ridden with.
“I remember I checked in with you a night you were riding with John. How did things work out for you there?” she asked.
“Pretty good, he's a nice guy. A little distant at times, but I enjoy training with him. He seems like he's really out there trying to change things for the better; that’s the kind of officer I want to be.”
“Distant? What do you mean?” Jennifer asked, carefully probing for more information.
“He appears to be a bit of an outcast from the rest of the squad. They don't seem to like him that much. I haven't really been able to get a straight answer from anyone as to why, but I think some people view him as a loose cannon or some kind of rogue officer.”
“Do you think he is?” Jennifer asked.
“Well, the command staff, many supervisors, and quite a few officers certainly seem to think so. I've been told to do pretty much the exact opposite of whatever he tells me.”
“But…do you think he is out of control?” Jennifer asked continuing her inquiry.”
“No…” Chris finally responded before stopping to think for a brief moment.
“I think they have him all wrong. At least he doesn't come off that way to me. He wants to make a difference in the people’s lives he comes into contact with; especially those that really need his help. And that’s what being a police officer is all about, making a difference and helping those that can’t help themselves. But, more than that, I feel like he's trying to prove something...though I don't know what it is or who he's trying to prove it to.”
“Sounds like you two are getting close.” Jennifer said to which Chris shrugged his shoulders.
“Working the line with someone for twelve hours straight, night after night can do that, but I haven't really been able to get much more out of him other than what I've just told you.” Without even thinking Chris continued with his next statement. “I think he's much closer with one of the dispatchers, though I haven't heard him mention her in a while.”
“Which dispatcher?” Jennifer immediately asked barely managing to rein in her own jealous tone. Chris thought for a moment.
“I think her name is Karina?” he said.
“Oh yes...” Jennifer replied in a sly tone. “I'm familiar with her.” Very, very familiar... she secretly thought to herself.
“He made it sound like they were pretty close. For a little while I suspected they may have been dating, but I don't think so anymore.”
“They're not.” Jennifer responded her voice growing a bit more curt, which puzzled Chris.
“How do you know?” he asked.
Sensing that she might have unintentionally revealed her true nature and goals, Jennifer offered another enticing smile.
“Oh I just hear things…a lot of things.” she said in a sexy voice before leaning over and kissing Chris, forcing silence to again encroach upon the room.
So easy...she thought to herself as she pressed her lips against his. To further distract Chris and guarantee that he would not continue his line of questioning, Jennifer pulled herself back on top of him. She had always found that she was particularly skilled at manipulating the attention of her lovers; especially the younger ones. It was a relatively simple task that she used often. Jennifer and Chris continued to kiss as the sounds of heavy breathing filled the room.
…..
John walked down the long hallway of Wilmington PD's main station. Shortly after arriving for duty that evening Sergeant Gelman had quietly informed him that he was being ordered back to Captain Bennie Davis's office, for the second time in a week no less. While he suspected that he was being brought back to the captain's office for another verbal lashing regarding his unauthorized vehicle pursuit, Gelman's intentional vagueness about the purpose of the meeting made him more apprehensive than normal.
Walking through the interior office entranceway John and Gelman stepped into Davis's secretary’s office. It was already well past 5 o'clock so she had long since left her desk, but the captain’s door was open. Gelman cut in front of John and walked briskly up to the door, a moment later he motioned for John to join him in the room.
Entering the large office John saw that Captain Davis was seated behind his large wooden desk, but to his surprise there were two other men sitting inside the office as well. Both men were dressed in suits, relatively expensive suits for department attire none the less. Seated side by side the middle aged man closest to John had green eyes, short black hair that was just slightly balding, and a full mustache. He was a bit husky, probably from neglecting his time at the department's gym after spending long hours behind a desk for years on end.
The other man was noticeably older than the first, probably in his early fifties at least. His shaved head helped to hide his receding hair line, but one could still easily tell that it was there, especially against his pale white skin. His gold rimmed glasses sat perched atop his pointed nose and his thin frame exuded the aura of a desk jockeying, paper pushing supervisor.
John knew there was only one explanation for the identity of these two men. They were part of Wilmington Police Department's Internal Affairs Unit. A special branch of the police department (of most police departments for that matter) that functioned more like the National Governing Police and had done so for decades before that particular federal police department had been brought into existence. Seemingly operating above the law in many cases, they were what even John viewed at times as a necessary evil; though one that routinely over inflated itself with its own self-importance. Hiding behind words such as truth, integrity, and maintained professionalism as a guise, IAU officers within Wilmington PD and across the country routinely sidestepped the constitutional rights of numerous officers in their quest to find “the whole truth.” It was quickly learned, often before new recruits graduated from the academy that one should never trust the IAU investigators. When John was still in training a veteran officer had once told him, “Never lie to IA, they already know all the answers to what they're going to ask you. But, also never volunteer any information to them. If they don't ask you, don't tell them.” It had been advice John had lived by during his own internal investigations. Though he had never met with them in his ca
ptain’s office before, he had, too many of his supervisors’ chagrin, interacted with them on more than one occasion.
Besides the lack of a uniform, the fact that there were two men was an obvious clue to their identity. You never saw a lone Internal Affairs officer, there was always at least two of them together at all times. The running joke within the department was that IA officers always had to travel together for fear of retribution from the officers that they had investigated, disciplined, or helped to fire. While this sour jest was untrue and nothing more than an attempt to humorously dismiss most officers’ uneasiness towards the Internal Affairs Unit John had a much more sardonic explanation for why they always traveled together. He believed that Internal Affairs officers always preferred to hunt in packs.
“Oh, good John you're here.” Captain Davis said in an artificially friendly tone as he stood from his desk and made a hand gesture beckoning for him to enter. His unexpectedly affable nature immediately put John on edge. The captain had never before chosen to call him by his first name. In fact, the captain rarely chose to acknowledge John's presence at all unless it was to deride him for something. Something was definitely wrong.
John took a cautious step into the captain's office following Sergeant Gelman who sat down in one of the four chairs that were in front of Davis's desk. This left only one chair for him to sit in. It was directly between Gelman and the closest IAU officer. John felt his heart rate increasing as his anxiety continued to grow worse. As he reluctantly made his way over to the last remaining seat the captain spoke again.
“John I'd like to introduce you to Sergeant Blackshear and Lieutenant Caspar, they're with Wilmington's Internal Affairs Unit.”
The introductions were completely unnecessary, John already knew who they were and now recalled seeing them skulking around the police department’s numerous different district houses and the main station. Like hungry rats in a maze after a prized piece of cheese they scurried about doing the police chief or division major's bidding.