January Gets Her Gunn

Chapter 1-3

“Okay, Farrell.” Gunn’s voice, just above a whisper, sounded calm. He appeared beside the burglar and shoved him around to face the wall. January flicked off her light and raised her pistol to point upward.

“Freeze! Drop it! Drop it!” Shapiro’s sharp commands came from behind her. Almost simultaneously, three deafening explosions sounded.

January froze. My God! Shots! Gunn and the burglar disappeared. A piece of plaster fell from the wall not far from where they’d been. She heard sounds of a scuffle behind her. Where’s Gunn? Did one of those shots hit him? January inched toward where she had last seen her trainer.

“Gunn?” Her voice came out in a squeaky whisper.

“Code four, Farrell. You okay?”

Thank God, he’s okay. “Yeah, Code Four, Gunn.” What the hell happened? I heard three shots. My ears are still ringing.”

“Everything is Code Four here.” That was Sergeant Wilson. “Gunn? Farrell?

“Code Four, Sarge,” Gunn answered. “We have a prisoner.”

“Good. Let’s get some lights. Alvarez, can you find some light switches?” January heard Wilson ask. She watched intently as Gunn stood, pulling up the burglar, now handcuffed.

Sergeant Wilson used his brick to call dispatch. He informed them an officer was involved in a shooting and a burglar was wounded. He requested an ambulance and the Fire Department with EMTs and a ladder truck. When the lights came on, January put her pistol on safe and holstered it.

Gunn was grinning as he approached, pushing his prisoner ahead of him. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I told you, I’m fine. It’s going to take a while before my ears quit ringing, though.” January released a breath she suddenly realized she’d been holding. “It scared me when you went down.”

“Combat reflexes. Go to ground when there’s incoming.”

“Oh!” Wipe that smirk off your face. Hell yes, I was scared. I damn near peed my pants when those shots went off. “The Corps didn’t see fit to give me that kind of experience. I guess I’ll have to get it here in Riverton.”

The grin vanished. “Not if I can help it.” Before January could frame a suitable retort, Gunn shook his head. “Later.”

Once they had everything under control, action seemed to happen in a blur, now fast, now slow. January diagnosed her sensory distortion as a delayed reaction to the past hour’s stress. As the officers gathered on the sidewalk outside the shop, she breathed slowly and evenly, striving to regain her senses of balance and control.

Too much, too fast, but wow, I made it. Didn’t lose control, pee my pants or anything! And no officers were hurt. A heady glee filled her for a few moments.

The EMTs and a ladder-bearing fire truck arrived. The firemen got the lookout and the two officers off the roof, while the EMTs bandaged the wounded burglar’s shoulder. Alvarez took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Hesitating only a moment, he offered it to her.

January managed a crooked grin. “Thanks, I could use one.” Her hands shook a little as she lit her first cigarette in three years. Wrung out, she’d almost reached the trembling stage. The faint stir of breeze chilled her as it evaporated the moisture from her sweat-soaked shirt.

Sergeant Wilson looked at her with a paternal smile. “Farrell, you sure lucked out. A lot of cops work twenty years before they get a burglar on the premises, but you got it your first night. Congratulations.”

Before she could reply, another vehicle pulled up, stopping at the curb just behind the EMT’s truck. January turned to see who else had arrived. Squinting a little in the uneven light of revolving spots, she made out the logo on the van’s side—WRVT TV, bringing Riverton’s news right home. Behind her, Wilson muttered something that sounded like, “Aw, shit.”

In a moment, Jan understood. The first person out of the van, a woman, was dressed to the nines. Her skirt was too short for the exit to be ladylike, while dangling earrings, spike heels, and heavy makeup completed her flashy look. Her blonde hair, in the latest windblown frizz, looked brittle. She approached the officers with a toothy smile. A shark homing in on blood. Oh boy.

“Well, well. Some of Riverton’s finest…what’s going down here tonight?”

“Just a routine burglary. Nothing newsworthy, Ms. Rafferty.” Wilson spoke in a flat, final tone. Then he deliberately turned away.

The blonde swung toward January. “I haven’t seen you before. You must be new. What can you tell us? I understand shots were fired.”

January fought the urge to snap a caustic remark. “Sorry, ma’am, I’ve got nothing to say. I’m not a spokesperson for the PD, just a rookie officer learning the ropes. You’ll have to get your statement from someone else.”

The ambulance arrived, creating enough confusion so no one could speak for a moment until they loaded the wounded burglar and left the scene. Officer Goldman went with them, guarding the man who didn’t seem to be seriously wounded.

January hoped she’d escape from Ms. Rafferty’s clutches, but no such luck. Obviously none of the other officers would speak to the newswoman, so she returned to January. Shoving her microphone in January’s face, she maneuvered so the young man with the video camera would shoot her profile as they spoke, and the lights would be in January’s eyes rather than her own.

“You’re an attractive young woman, too pretty to be hiding behind a badge and gun. What motivates you to become a police officer?”

“I have my reasons,” January said, “And my gender has nothing to do with it at all.”

“Oh, but it does. Women moving into new fields always interest the public. We want to know what their agenda is, what they hope to accomplish.”

January clenched her teeth, took one more deep breath, and then spoke—slowly and distinctly. “Well I might ask, since most women have enough sensitivity they don’t get off on stripping bare personal tragedy or victory to the public eye, what motivates you to be a newswoman?”

For a long moment, January held the other woman’s gaze, watching the rage build in the unnaturally blue eyes blazing at her. “Get that microphone out of my face. I’ve got work to do.”

She turned, striding over to join Wilson and Gunn, leaving the newswoman sputtering in incoherent wrath.

“Atta girl,” Wilson said. “Sophia Rafferty is no friend of the Riverton PD. She’s always trying to catch us short, embarrass us for violating citizen’s rights or using unnecessary force. I’d say you made a personal enemy tonight, though. In fact, I’d lay a bet she’ll now be out to get you, especially.”

“I hate people like that! The media seems to thrive on scratching the scabs off every wound to show the public as much gore as they can. They make me sick!” I’ll never forget the TV crew, when Dad died in the rice mill accident. God, they were like vultures. January shook her head, banishing the unwanted memories.

“Like I was saying, you lucked out, but you did real well tonight. A person would almost think you’ve done this before.” Wilson studied her as he spoke, an assessing look in his eyes.

“Thanks Sergeant, but it was Gunn who spotted the lookout.”

“I know. Everyone knows rookies never look above their eyebrows. All the same, you handled yourself a lot better than some rookies have in a tight spot. And Farrell, regardless of who did what, every officer here gets credit for the job. We’re a team. When everyone plays their positions right, we score. So take my congratulations. You did your part, right Gunn?”

“Yeah, Sarge. Farrell did a lot better than I expected.” Something in Gunn’s drawling tone made his words sound insincere. As he spoke, he grinned at January with that wide-eyed stare.

In a fey mood, January grinned back. “Thanks, Spook.” Sergeant Wilson and Alvarez broke into guffaws. Gunn glared at them all.

“All right!” Alvarez, still laughing, turned to January. “Gimme five, Farrell.”

While January slapped hands with him in a high five, Gunn kept glaring. She had just made points with a fellow officer, her first step in winning recognition on the department, where counting coup could be significant. To hell with Gunn. Call this one for me.

To Thad, the familiar jab seemed sharper than usual, maybe because he registered January’s triumphant grin. I’ll overlook this now. She’s on an obvious high, but I’ll bust her bubble soon. “Okay, Farrell, we’re primary on this call, so we get to book the other two. Shake ‘em down and put them in the car.”

January nodded and turned to the lookout. “Spread ‘em.”

“No way! No dyke’s gonna feel me up.”

“We know your preference for men, Bunny, but Officer Farrell searches you, or we do a strip search right here on the sidewalk. Got that, Bunny the Queen?” Thad kept his eyes wide open as he grinned at the unhappy burglar.

Bunny glared at him. “Screw you, Spook.” But he turned around and spread his legs. Farrell did a slow, careful pat-down. Bunny didn’t say another word.

January ran her hands up the second burglar’s leg. “Go ahead and cop a feel, girly, find out what a real man’s like.” She continued the search without a rejoinder. “Which one of these stud field mice you humping, honey?”

“Shut your filthy mouth.” Alvarez started forward, but Gunn stopped him.

“You doing the beaner, girly? Grab hold of Willie and see what you’re missing.”

When January straightened up, she looked at Gunn. “Didn’t find anything. This’un must be a Texan, big mouth, big belt buckle, and a teeny weenie.” Farrell turned back to the burglar. “Sorry fella, but I got a six-year-old nephew hung better than you. You probably disappoint your main squeeze Bunny.”

“You b***h!”

“That’s right, scumbag. You got it and don’t you forget it.” January pushed the prisoner toward the open back door of Peter Six. “Move over and make room for this stud pismire.” Closing the door, January turned back to Gunn, a wicked smile on her face. “Mission accomplished, sir.”

She’s handling the flak better than I expected. She’s salty. In fact she’s performed near perfectly, tonight. But being a cop is not a job for a woman, especially one as good looking as she is. She can do better. I’m the one to convince her she needs to. Gunn went around to the driver’s side of the car.

The drive to the jail and the booking were uneventful. Thad did the first burglar, while Farrell watched over his shoulder. Then she did the other one with no trouble. Gunn noticed she was coming down well from her high, though she looked tired.

After they completed the booking, they walked back out to the car. Thad glanced at Farrell. Only a hint of strain showed in her face and carriage. “Could you use some coffee?”

“For sure. Caffeine is just what I need now.” Farrell stretched, arching her back. “Whew, I was up tight.”

“Okay, let me make a phone call, and then we’ll take a coffee break.” At Farrell’s nod, he turned and went back into the jail.

When he returned and got into the unit, Farrell checked them back on the air.