January Gets Her Gunn

Chapter 4-3

“You sure, Mattie? I don’t want to come back here again tonight. If I do, you know what that means.”

“No sir, you won’t have to come back. Ole Walter and me, we don’t want to go see that ole judge Gruenner again.”

Perez nodded before he turned to the old man. “Walter, you go on in and get dry. Then go to bed, before I have to take you in for indecent exposure.”

Walter didn’t say a word as he scuttled for the house, eyeing Mattie. As soon as the door slammed behind him, Mattie giggled. “He’s jest like a chile. Get’s himself caught with a hand in a cookie jar. He’s gonna be careful about stickin’ his hand in there again. Ain’t no fool like an old fool, and officers, me and Walter is two of ‘em.” She giggled again and turned to go into the house. At the door, she looked back over her shoulder. “Reckon I’d better go warm him up some. Good night.”

“Good night, Mattie.” Grinning broadly, Officer Perez shook his head. “Let’s go, Farrell, and fight crime.” He chuckled all the way to his car. At the car, he turned back. “Follow me down to La Casita. We’ll park there and have a smoke. Okay?”

“Sounds good to me.” January got in Peter Six and reported on the air right after Peter Seven. Being a real cop felt good. She’d arrived on the scene in good time, the call turned out well, and she hadn’t had to make any life or death decisions.

She drove to the restaurant behind Perez. He swung Peter Seven around in a U-turn in the parking lot and turned off the lights. January pulled up to the right of the other car and stopped with her head lights off. Carlos Perez got out of his car and leaned against the rear door, reaching into his shirt pocket for a cigarette.

“Thanks for the backup, Jan. Old Spook couldn’t have gotten there any sooner.” He lit his cigarette and looked at Jan as he blew smoke out. “Something happened tonight. Wilson wouldn’t have taken Gunn off for a conference, otherwise.”

Lighting her own cigarette, January got out of her car. “Carlos, I probably shouldn’t talk about it. But, yeah, something has happened. Gunn and I had some words. I figured he was going to cut my string. I did something at the drive-in that could have caused some trouble, but it didn’t. When the sarge asked me about it, I told him everything, including that I felt that I didn’t have anything to lose. Then Gunn told him about our words. That’s when he told Gunn to get into Four.”

“Okay, Jan. I’ll keep it under my cap for now. And look, if it means anything to you, the guys on this shift think you’re great. You might be another Norma Pruitt. You’ve heard about her, haven’t you?”

“Oh yes, I’ve heard lots about her. I even met her at ALETA. She talked to all the women trainees.”

“Great! I didn’t know her—she’d gone up to the Attorney General’s office by the time I came on the job. Ken Wilson was my trainer but she’d broken him in. He’s a damn good cop and a good boss. He said you reminded him of her, except you aren’t as hard.”

“Wow! That makes me feel ten feet tall. I really appreciate you telling me this. You know, I’ve been having a lot of doubts. Gunn doesn’t give many pats on the back.”

“Yeah, he’s rough on newbies. Speaking of the devil, look who’s turning into the lot. We just got caught.”

January looked around. When she saw Peter Four roll up, her good feelings drained right out.

Damn, why couldn’t I have had thirty minutes more?

Sergeant Wilson got out of the car, approaching Carlos and January. “What happened at Mattie’s?”

Carlos Perez started relating the incident. When he got to the part where Mattie said she was cooling Walter’s motor off, he guffawed. January couldn’t help laughing out loud too, seeing the whole scene replayed in her mind.

Even Sergeant Wilson grinned. January noticed Gunn had joined them. He stood there, gazing at her with hooded eyes. She felt as if someone had thrown cold water on her. Shivering, she reached into her shirt pocket for another cigarette. Her hands shook as she held the lighter flame to the end. Gunn darted his glance around, but mostly he watched her. What’s going through his mind?

Gunn stood watching January while Carlos briefed Wilson. She’s beautiful when she’s angry, but she’s more beautiful when she laughs. God, she’s getting under my skin. I don’t think I can take being with her forty hours a week for much longer. Wilson is already comparing her to Ninja Nan Pruitt. He says Farrell has better control of her temper. Damn her, why does she have to be so desirable?

He heard bits and pieces of Perez’s story, but enough to know January had conducted herself properly. Perez praised her to the sergeant, who gave Gunn a meaningful look.

Wilson turned to January. “How did it feel, being on your own?”

“Scary, but it was great.” January smiled at Gunn as she said it, but her eyes were not smiling.

She’s still angry with me. Why does that bother me? I’ve never been bothered before by a rookie being angry, so long as they learned. Wilson suggested they break up the party and get back on the road, interrupting Gunn’s thoughts.

Back in the car, Gunn called in to dispatch, informing them he was back in Peter Six. He turned to January, with his eyes hooded and a genuine smile. “You made it down there in record time. How’d you do it?”

“I just thought for a minute about the most direct route, with the least traffic lights and stop signs. I went Code 2, and drove maybe ten over the speed limit.”

“Good thinking.” How am I going to say this? I’m not used to eating crow. “Farrell, uhmm, just drive where you want. If you have questions, ask. I’ll try to answer them the best I can. If we get a call, just take it as if I’m not in the car. Okay?”

“You quitting on me?”

“No, not really. I…uhmm…I’m going to try to do something different. My usual style isn’t working with you. You’re too intelligent and astute to be intimidated. I’ll advise, if I think it’s needed. Otherwise, I’ll just observe and critique.”

“Did Wilson chew you out?”

“That’s not his style. Let’s say I got lesson number two of Ken Wilson’s theory of gender relations.” Ach, I’m no good at this. Sarcasm doesn’t work with her. “Okay. No, he didn’t chew me out, but I felt like a teenager who’d kept his daughter out too late. I don’t know about your family and I still believe it is unwise to talk about such things while on duty, but if you want a foster-father, Ken Wilson is ready to take the job. And, no, he didn’t say it, but I can read between the lines.”

“That makes you jealous, doesn’t it?”

“On the contrary. I do not want to be your father, or father figure.” No, I want to be your lover. No, not that either. I don’t know what I want. “Actually, if we let him, Ken would be the father of every cop on this shift. That’s the kind of guy he is. He doesn’t bawl people out, but when he has a talk with you, you feel you need a step ladder to scratch a snake’s belly.”

“In some ways, that was my dad, I know what you’re saying. But Dad could tell you how the cow ate the cabbage, in twenty-five words or less. No profanity, either, but he left you feeling about five fathoms lower than whale crap.” In the light of the dash, he saw her smile, just a slight, gentle smile, remembering.

She is sure salty. It’s more than just those six years in the Corps. I’m going to have to find out more about her. She knows how to act around men and not stir up ideas. I bet she could be sexy if she wanted to be. Most of the time though, she’s just January Farrell, rookie cop.

“What’s a zanjero?”

The sudden question caught him off guard. “Huh? Oh, a zanjero. That’s Spanish for ditch digger. Around here, it means a ditch walker. All crops are irrigated, and each farmer gets an allocation of so many acre feet. The zanjero is the guy you see with a shovel, going along the irrigation ditches, making sure the entire field gets irrigated. Why’d you ask?”

“I saw it on a report and wondered.” She slid a glance at him, then looked quickly back to the street.

“Where are you from, originally?”

“Northern California. We have irrigation up there, but I never heard that term.”

“Well, there are kids growing up in Riverton that have never heard it either. Most city kids don’t have any interest in agriculture.”

“I grew up in a small town, and my father was a manager of a rice mill. Rice is a water intensive crop and yet I never heard that term.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re closer to the border here. I don’t know.”

“Okay, I was just curious. Thanks for telling me.”

Gunn nodded absently. She’s devious. I remember that report, the one about the latest rape. I bet she looked it up, and she was just checking to see if I would give her a straight answer. I guess after tonight, she’ll have doubts.