I tried vainly to ignore the smirks of the rest of my shift as I took my place for briefing. Distracted, I ignored the usual rhetoric of stolen vehicle descriptions and business checks that our fearless leader loved to throw at us before every shift.
I read the crumpled paper in my hand to find out what new horror I had to face. It was a week long class on developing community and police relations. Great, I knew I was going to have to pay for wrecking that damn patrol car. Maybe I could still get out of it. I waited until the patrol assignments were read out and then I made a bee-line for the sergeant’s desk. A firm grip on my shoulder brought my forward progress to a sudden halt.
“Are you going to wait for your partner, or do I have to smack you in the back of the head so that I can catch up?” I looked down at the short figure who had so boldly told me off.
“Sorry, Liz. I need to talk to Sarg. I have to get out of this friggin’ class next week.” I held up the offending paper.
“So, finally making up for that car you crashed?” She laughed and held up her own paper. “I pissed the old man off, too.” We both started laughing at our mutual bad luck. “You know we should just go and do it. If we are gone for a week, somebody else will be bound to screw up back here.” Liz shrugged, “I’m just gonna go and enjoy the vacation. The thing is in Florida, for God’s sake.” My temper wavered a bit, cooled off by the concept of at least having someone pleasant to spend the week with. Of course, pleasant would not be a word that most people would use to describe Liz. She was only about 5’6” tall, but her attitude and skill made up for her short stature. And out of the confines of her uniform and bullet-proof ves... Læs hele novellen
