“See,” Rodgers said with a smile. “There it was, right where you tossed it before you gave yourself up to me without a struggle.”
Devon rolled his eyes.
Rodgers’ backup and the transport vehicle pulled into the alley at about the same time.
Rodgers was soaked with sweat from the chase and crawling around in the alley He decided to sit himself down and watch the sky brighten while his colleagues worked. It was a warm and muggy morning, but not nearly as bad as summer in West Palm Beach where he had spent most of his early career. He had moved up here to DC to become what some people disparagingly call a “kiddy cop.” He had come for reasons known only to himself. Rodgers knew that life as a DC Youth Division officer could be as dangerous, or more so as a homicide dick in West Palm Beach. This morning’s activity had proved that in spades.
Now came the boring part of the job. He had to see to the kid’s transfer and secure the chain of custody of the gun he recovered. He had reports to write at the Youth Division. After that he would have to wait in the office of Corporation Counsel until a prosecutor was ready to talk to him about the case. The prosecutor would grill him on the morning’s events and decide whether or not to bring juvenile charges against the child.
If charges were filed, Rodgers would have to wait around in D.C Superior Court until a decision was made as to whether or not he would be needed to testify at an initial hearing. Rodgers figured he might get free of this case by 2:00 p.m. if he was lucky. Then maybe he could get some sleep before his next shift which began at midnight. The only good thing was the over time.
Rodgers and the rest of the officers finished up with the crime scene at about 6:40. Rodgers caught a ride over to the station with his partner, Maria Dias, who had joined the Youth Division ten years ago. She had been a beat cop before that. Maria was a pretty woman of ordinary height and breadth She had medium brown hair and brown eyes. Her breasts were her only extraordinary physical feature. Shelf tits, Rodger’s uncle in Florida would have called them. The way her bosom jutted out in front of her was amazing.
Maria had been his partner since he had joined the Division. She was tough as nails and took shit from no one. She was cool as a cucumber in a crisis. She was an expert at Judo. She knew the city like the back of her hand, having grown up in DC. She was a pleasure to ride with.
“What happened on your end, Maria?” Rodgers asked as he got into the squad car.
“A lot,” Maria replied shortly. “I think it was lucky the boy took the gun. Someone might have died in there this morning if there had been a gun in the apartment. Mama’s boyfriend was in the living room and had the little girl, Lily, around the neck when I got into the apartment. That was when your guy bolted.
“I heard a gun shot out back right after you went out the kitchen door. I was afraid the kid shot at you, but things were happening so fast in the house that I couldn't get out to back you up. So I called in for help. I couldn’t say which way you were heading and didn’t have the time to look. I told the dispatcher to get as many units into the area as possible.
“Once mama realized I wanted to take the kids into custody, she grabbed little Marky by one arm and dragged him into bathroom. Marky’s about four years old. Momma locked the door behind her. I went after the boyfriend to get him the hell away from the little girl, Lily.
“By this time the other units started to arrive. I subdued the boyfriend and placed him under arrest. Mack processed him for transfer. “Then I interviewed Lily.”
“Lily told me she’s twelve years old. Her mamma’s boyfriend wanted to pimp her. Her Momma was willing to go along with it but Lily refused to dress up and hit the street. Big daddy laid into her with his fists. Lily kneed him in the balls so big daddy put his hands around Lily’s neck and started to choke her That’s what got your kid all upset. A neighbor must have heard the ruckus and called the child abuse hot line.”
“While I was interviewing Lily, Mack was trying to convinced Momma to come out of the bathroom and give Marky to us. When she did come out she was high as a kite and wanted to fight everyone in the room. Mack was arresting her at about the time I learned that you had made your collar safely. I wanted to get out of there so I came by to pick you up.”
“God, what a nightmare,” John said.
“Some family, huh?” Maria replied as she lit a cigarette. Maria pulled the squad car into a parking space outside of the building which housed DC’s Youth Division. The two officers got out of the car.
“Well, I guess we’d better write this up tuit suite.” said John. “It sounds like both of us are going to be doing probable cause hearings today.”
“What a pain in the ass,” Maria grumbled. “But the sooner its done, the sooner we sleep. The coffee’s burning on the hot plate and the donuts are getting stale as we speak. Let’s go grab some breakfast.”
They strolled into the building in a comradely silence. It was 7:00 and the morning shift was just coming on duty. Officers worked 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to midnight, or midnight, to 8:00 a.m. Most cops arrived an hour before their shift started in order to dress, chat and for roll call.
John and Maria grabbed their donuts and coffee and headed for their desks. Maria’s desk was closest to the front door. John looked at Maria’s desk as he passed by. It was a disaster area. It was covered with paper and files. Photographs of friends and family members were stapled to the bulletin board next to her computer. Candy wrappers, wads of used paper, paper cups and soda cans littered the floor surrounding her trash can.
Thank God the days of indoor smoking are over, Rodgers thought as he looked at Maria’s desk. Add the smell and mess of cigarettes and the desk could be condemned as a toxic waste dump site.
Rodger’s desk was neat by comparison. John prided himself on having an ordered mind. He would have done well in the military he thought, suddenly remembering his earlier dream. There were no little personal touches on or around Rodgers’ desk. Rodgers had very few personal ties and had not taken advantage of tentative overtures of friendship made by colleagues and other Youth Division employees since his arrival in DC. Each time he thought of reaching out he reminded himself that he had a private agenda.
Rodgers booted up his computer and got to work. He ignored his phone which began to ring the minute he sat down. It took him less than an hour to complete his incident report. As he was about to leave, Maria walked into his cubicle..
“John," Maria said. "Did you know you were voted Mr. Youth Division?” she asked, laughing. "I just got an E-Mail about it.”
“No. This is news to me," John replied. "What on earth is Mr. Youth Division?”
"It’s a little known popularity/beauty contest conducted by secret ballot by the women employees of the Youth Division. But there hasn’t even been a candidate in years. I have no idea who resurrected it. I don’t even know who won it last."
“Great,” John said sarcastically. “So what does it get me? A scholarship to cosmetology school? A date with the Mayor? Modeling contracts in biker magazines?”
Maria snickered. “It’s a great honor and privilege,” she advised him with a note of fake wonder in her voice. “You’ve been recognized as the most desirable man to grace the halls of Youth Division this year."
“Oh my God, you’ve got to be kidding me,” John groaned. “Please tell me it ain’t so.”
Maria snorted with laughter. “Oh John , this is the funniest thing to happen here in years. Don’t tell me you don’t love it. I’m riding with the sexiest man in the police department.”
“I don’t love it,” John said through clenched teeth. “I don’t even remotely like it. I feel like I just had a bad nude photo of me displayed over the Internet without my permission. Its insulting.”
”John Rodgers I’m surprised at you,” Maria chided playfully. “Where is your sense of humor? Your southern laissez faire attitude? Where’s your masculine pride, your opportunistic nature? You could go far with a title like this. Think of all the babes out there just waiting for you to give them the nod.”
“Give it a rest, Maria,” I’m forty six years old, not sixteen. I don’t want to be a sex object.”
“If you say ‘been there, done that,’ I’m gonna puke,” Maria warned.
“I don’t mean that, Maria, and you know it. I’m a private guy. I hate the idea of every woman in the building looking at me and wondering how I perform in bed. That’s disgusting. Its enough to put me off sex permanently.”
“Now that would be a waste. No. It would be a national tragedy for women.”
“Do you want to go to bed with me Maria?” John suddenly asked. He was furious. He backed her up against the wall, using his masculinity as a weapon.
She could feel his heat.
If only he knew.
“Jesus, John, I was just kidding around.” She shoved him back.
He felt a connection. A sudden rush of arousal coursed through him. He backed off. “Of course you don’t, he said brusquely. I know it and you know it. So don’t talk like that. Its inappropriate.”
“All right already. I didn’t know you were so touchy. I’m sure the girls didn’t mean anything by it. It was done in fun to break up work place tension. You know. Give people something to laugh about.”
