The image in the mirror wasn't all that impressive. The hair was a mousy brown in color, although keeping it cut short gave the impression of a soft chestnut. The short hair was an asset, fitting well with her occupation.
Her face was a bit rounder than she would have liked but, with the slightly upturned nose, it was acceptable. The one other feature of note was just above that nose, just below the hair; her eyes.
She was proud of those eyes, an almost golden brown. She'd been told they were called hazel. She didn't know what that meant but it was alright by her. It was a bit strange at times when she thought she saw just a fleck of green in them.
All-in-all, it wasn't bad. Some of the guys she worked with even said she was cute. She wasn't sure she liked that. At twenty-seven, she had hoped she was beyond cute.
Her fingers came up to adjust the ascot that served to replace a tie, letting her wear her shirt with open collars. Where the dark blue lapels had once boasted silver 'RPD' pins, she now saw the letters sewn onto a dark blue tape which was in turn sewn onto the collars. The letters were black. So was the sewn-on shield that now replaced the once conspicuous silver badge over the left breast of the shirt. Even her name tag was a tape with the letters embroidered in black. The silver accessories were now dress uniform only. That was fine by her.
Her parents had been proud to see 'Harrison' on her uniform when she had graduated from the Academy. They'd been a bit uncertain about her choice of profession but were nonetheless supportive. That had been five years ago. Since then, she had proudly patrolled the streets of the suburb just northwest of Memphis, Tennessee. Raleigh was a good-sized town in its own right, and she was enjoying the work and the growing experience.
Giving her hair one last quick combing, she left the bath and returned to her bedroom. There, she inventoried the equipment on her duty belt and fastened it on. Sidearm, taser, two pairs of cuffs, asp. She'd get her radio at the precinct.
Locking up her apartment, Officer Anne Harrison headed for her car and work.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The shift briefing was just that, brief. There wasn't a lot going on in the precinct at the moment. Besides, morning watch tended to be slow in this zone and the cooling temperatures of early October would make it even slower. It was Memphis weather; warm, sometimes hot days, cool nights sometimes approaching cold. The crew could expect some very quiet shifts, likely leaning on boring. That wasn't always a good thing.
As she started for her squad, Anne heard the watch commander call her name.
"Harrison, would you come in here for a couple of minutes?"
Reacting to the Lieutenant's summons, she reversed directions and walked into his office.
"Coffee, Anne?" Lieutenant Gillespie asked. He maintained a completely professional yet cordial relationship with his officers. They were his responsibility, and he took that responsibility seriously. He was known as a demanding but even-handed supervisor, and his officers were loyal to him to an extreme.
"No, thanks, sir," she replied, sitting down in the chair that he pointed to. "What's up?"
Taking a sip of his own coffee, the shift supervisor asked, "You've been riding solo for quite a while, haven't you?"
"Maybe a year now, I think. Since late last August."
"Well, we've got another officer transferring in tonight. He was assigned to the South Zone coming out of the Academy. Then he was sent back to the Academy as an instructor. He's just coming off a two-year stint there. You mind going back to riding with a partner?"
The woman shrugged. Her response was the obvious. "Depends on the partner, sir. A lot of guys don't like riding with a female. Is he going to be junior or senior to me?"
"I don't think either of you is junior or senior," Gillespie revealed, "I believe you went to the academy together."
Her eyes widened, her curiosity piqued. "Really? What's his name?"
Crossing to his office door, the Lieutenant pulled it open. "Parker, you wanna come in here now?"
"Parker?" the woman repeated. "Lee Parker?"
She came to her feet as an athletic looking officer just over six feet tall walked into the office. He looked athletic because he was an athlete. He'd played football in both high school and junior college and still meddled with basketball. Dark hair and dark eyes gave him an almost evil look. If he'd wanted to be an actor, he probably could have been a vampire.
Nodding to the Lieutenant, the transferee smiled at the woman. "Hiya, Peanut! Long time, little lady!"
"Lee!" she grinned, extending her hand. "How ya doin', Stud Muffin?"
Gillespie's eyes narrowed, a curious grimace crossing his features. "Stud Muffin? Peanut? Something going on here I should know about?"
Parker chuckled, shaking his head. He followed Harrison to the chairs the Lieutenant pointed to as he retook his own. "No, sir," he explained. "We were training partners at the Academy. She helped me with academics and marksmanship, I helped her with PT and martial arts. We kind of lost touch when we graduated."
"She helped you with marksmanship?"
"Yes, sir. I had a lot of bad habits I had to break. Grew up thinking I was Dirty Harry or Wild Bill Hickok or something like that. Even back then, she was a crack shot."
"Lessons must've been pretty good, considering your range scores."
Harrison smiled. "He's a good student, sir. He didn't argue, just listened and did what he was told."
"Well," the commander chuckled, "that's different. Most of the officers I know would be embarrassed to be instructed by a female. Kudos to both of you." Redirecting his attention to the male, he asked, "You're a martial artist?"
Parker shrugged. "Nothing great, sir. I hold a brown belt in Aikido. Haven't had the time to try for a black."
"And you taught this stuff to her?"
"Just the hand-to-hand. No weapons training. She's pretty good. Quick study. She's in good shape, so she learned most of the moves fast. She practiced hard, too. Pretty impressive, really."
Nodding, the senior officer bit at his lower lip. He'd often wondered why so many of the male officers liked having Harrison as a back-up, and why some of the department's handful of females seemed somehow jealous of her.
"You need that stuff very often?" he asked the woman.
"No, sir. Comes in more handy when I'm dating."
"Sheesh. Only you, Harrison. I take it there aren't any problems with the two of you riding together?"
Anne and Lee looked at each other, trying not to grin openly. They shook their heads. "Nope," they answered in unison.
"Okay. We've got a full shift tonight. I'll tell Tracey that I want the two of you in 3155. Shouldn't be much call for a second center car. Harrison, you drive. Give Parker the grand tour. Respond if you need to, but try to stay in service. Let's treat this as an indoc shift. You two okay with that?"
Both officers nodded. The new arrival was again welcomed to the zone and the pair headed for the key locker.
- - - - - - - - -
"Not really. The North Zone is like three different areas," Harrison explained as they drove through the very early morning hours. "The eastern half is the Mall, a bunch of smaller strip malls, the main business district, restaurant row and the auto dealerships. They run along Frazier Boulevard all the way into Frazier itself. That can be a little misleading, because the back wing of the mall loops around to the north of some of the easternmost subdivisions.
"The western half is like two different zones. The northern part is high-end subdivisions for the blue noses, the southern section is less expensive housing for the rest of us. Still pretty good stuff, but nothing like the north."
"So, do we patrol the entire zone or just our beats?"
