Chase N' Justice

Nelson interrupted, "You've seen his work pop. He did the school mascot at the stadium that Mom loves, you know the huge stag."

Owen nodded and pointed at me as if to ask YOU? "Not one of my better works, I wanted to make the head bob around as if it was challenging an opponent while rutting. The school board demanded it be made static, they were afraid of the liability."

With that Owen counted and recounted the deposit. "$10,726.42 exactly. I wish Nelson had this level of discipline."

Owen presented me my bank book, deposit slip, and temporary debit card. He also handed me the completed direct deposit slip for the county. "Chase, welcome to the First Bank of Dixon County family."

* * * *

I was exhausted at the end of the day as I headed west on Fairsprings RD. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Walker's new unit flash it's blue LED lights at me as he was headed to work. We pulled to opposite sides of the road. I put the window down arching my back making doe eyes at him. I spoke in a high falsetto, batting my eyes like a coy southern belle, "Why deputy, is this some kinda bust?"

He shook his head laughing as he crossed the road sayin, "If it were, your boyfriend would be disappointed!" He looked around to see if we were alone then leaned in the window and kissed me. Then he went into over-protective cop mode.

"Chase, why is the remote mic in the charger. Where is your duty belt and vest?" I knew that I was supposed to wear them whenever I was in the car, but it was all so large and uncomfortable. The belt pinched when I sat. I was fortunate, I was saved by the car sputtering and dying. Walker used the time to teach me how to clear the error and restart it from under the hood by myself.

With the car now running again, Walker pointed to the back seat and told me to put my duty belt and vest on.

The normal deputies uniform was NYPD Blue top and bottom. The investigators, SWAT, and senior day staff wore khaki slacks and a black shirt. The Explorers wore gray shirts and black pants. The Sheriff wanted to come up with a different color scheme for me, so I would stand out and people would know I was not sworn, but I was on the payroll. He simply flipped the day staff uniform upside down I'd wear a khaki or white polo shirt and black trousers. Walker and I looked like a checker board standing side by side.

He taught me how to trigger and clear the remote trigger and panic alarms on both the radio and the in-car camera. "When you're driving in a marked unit, you really need to use these like second nature. People will lie and file complaints on you just to make your life miserable. The cameras keep honest cops out of trouble, they protect you from false claims."

That was the same message we received for the last four years in the Explorer program. The camera is the dispassionate observer. In every argument there are three sides; the antagonist, the protagonist, and the truth.

He put his hand on my ass and drew me in. "Kenny and I fired up the smoker today. I left dinner for you in a foil pack in the oven to keep it warm. "

"Walker, God I wish you could take me here and now. It sucks being on opposite shifts from you. I wish I jumped you yesterday."

"Chase hon, it'll make Friday even better. A first time should be perfect. You deserve perfect." With that his lips brush to cross mine and he turned and walked to his cruiser. If he could make me feel this good from a kiss alone, how good would sex be with him? I loved how his ass moved in those khaki cargo pants. This was going to be a long 4 days.

What made it worse was that he was on 12-hour overnights. But I was on an 8 hour day shift. My shift started when the officers day shift started because the Sheriff wanted me in for morning stand up. That way I could find out what's going on out on the road. But what it meant was, I was there two hours before day staff was, and I'd leave normally four hours before night shift came in. Today was the exception.

Walker decided how we would be using that time. First, after my shift, I would have to hit the gym with one of the deputies, working on arms, legs, chest or endurance. Then we would have our meal together and he would hit the gym. He liked starting his day in the gym. It was a great plan, but as a general once said no battle plan has ever survived contact with the enemy.

When I got home I discovered the foil pack in the oven. I was still learning my way around Walker's home. I was still exploring the cabin to find where things were like cleaning supplies, and kitchen utensils. He and our neighbor Kenny smoked a little venison over hickory and applewood. Those two were great in the kitchen, even if the kitchen was outdoors. I on the other hand could burn water.

* * * *

Walker called me on the cell phone a few times during his shift. So I would get used to answering through the wristwatch. He told me it was the newest technology and had a lot of neat features he hoped we wouldn't have to use.

I had a habit of misplacing things. There was an app that would allow me to find the cell phone from the tablet, Or the wrist watch from the cell phone with the touch of a button. He said the technology worked even if they were stolen, leading the police right to the thieves front door if, they had Wi-Fi.

Walker told me just to watch some television and key down from the excitement of the day. I was flying 5 miles high. Keying down was not in the cards.

The cabin that Walker's daddy left for him was really cool. Because it was on the hill he had something that was unique this close to the lake. It had a basement. Walker built the coolest man cave in the county with a big screen TV, stadium seats, and a workout room with its own shower.

Then there was the utility room, that's where the washer and dryer were as well as the big storage. Walker had his hunting freezers down there. Where he would store the meat from hunting season to stretch throughout the year.

* * * *

Tuesday morning began with the old cruiser stalling out on me again. I was grateful for Walker's wonderful gifts. He talked me through the procedure to clear the error and start it up again. As it sparked back to life, a couple rednecks in a flatbed pickup drove by and laughed as they yelled out Found On Road Dead. I hated that car, I knew it wasn't the model. Every fleet has that one car that has that gremlin in it that can't be killed.

I groaned as I walked into stand up and the shift commander tapped is watch. Walker just smiled in my direction knowing what happened. I sat down next to him and he slid the remnants of his dinner to me. "I guess you haven't had time to get breakfast." I shook my head as I wolfed down the remnant of his shrimp and grits.

After the briefing Captain Sunday asked me to stay behind. As soon as the doors closed, Walker was on his way home, and I was alone with the Captain. I began to grovel, "I'm sorry sir. I should have left a little earlier. I know the car is dodgy. I should have planned accordingly. "

He laughed and rubbed my head. "Chase you need to loosen up... the problem is not you. That car has given every deputy a problem since it entered the fleet in 2012."

He handed me a piece of paper, In bold letters at the top it said vehicle anomaly report. "This is the only way we're going to get that damn piece of crap out of this fleet before it gets someone hurt. I know you can write. Document what went wrong, all the symptoms. We're going to bury the motor pool in paperwork on this piece of shit."

He made a motion at the window and reserve officer Grady came in. "With this being your first real day, you got a busy one. You know where all the field offices are in the county. We've had a few incidents and we need to collect the paperwork for the Magistrate's Office to request search and arrest warrants. I want to send Grady with you today in case there any ruffled feathers or procedural bumps. If all goes well I'll send you out by yourself tomorrow or Thursday. "

I was a little insulted, but I also recognized when the time came, I wouldn't be allowed to jump straight from the academy behind the wheel of a cruiser. There would be a field training program.

This was just like FTO for my civilian duties. Grady was a nice guy but he was a little old-fashioned. He also had that old man smell, that I really didn't like much. I did recognize he knew everyone in this county.

We picked up the folders that needed to be taken up to the magistrate's office from patrol, records and command. Turned in the vehicle anomaly report to the motor pool, who shook their heads not believing it.

We called-out on the radio to dispatch and began our run. I would love to say that this facet of the job was nonstop excitement. That would be a lie. In fact the key element was boredom, and miles, and miles, of empty miles.

Any time we saw one of our deputies performing a traffic stop, Grady would have me pull to the side of the road about a quarter-mile behind to watch their back. "Road deputies worked single person vehicle assignments. If God forbid something happened to them, they would be alone for a very long time." A cold chill went down my spine when Grady informed me of that. I thought of my Walker.

While Grady was plain-spoken, he was also blunt as a brick. "So Chase, I understand you and 'Skip' Justice are queer for each other." He saw the blush on my face. "Son I don't care who you fuck. I just wanted you to know my butt is made for out only." Then he began laughing as if it was some huge joke.

I knew Grady knew Walker better than I, and I had a burning question. "Grady, How did Walker get that nickname Skip?"

He chuckled then told me he gave him the name. "That was one of the saddest days of my career son. I was on foot patrol when I heard two shots. Came upon the restaurant and found a little boy huddled over the bodies of his parents. The shooter saw me and dropped his weapon. I was cuffing him and reading him his rights, when Walker picked up the shooters discarded gun. Had to talk the firearm from that boy's hands. It was so long ago I forget exactly what I said, but I ended with 'son you cain't just skip justice.' I started calling him Skip after that. The name stuck."

The old man rubbed the back of my neck and continued, "He was a trooper all the way through the trial and sentencing. In the end the shooter got the justice he earned and was put to death. The rat bastard didn't even try to appeal. It was during the trial I learned how special you are son. I pretty much hand held Skip through the trial. He told me how you comforted him and helped him settle into foster care. You got a good heart Chase, and the two of you deserve each other."

The rest of the day consisted of us running in and out of offices all over the county picking up and dropping off envelopes and folders to each location. Eating mediocre fast food and drinking substandard coffee in between deliveries. The car stalled out twice more. When we made it back to the home office, I filed yet another vehicle anomaly report. A report I was positive would be ignored. Then Grady and I delivered our run sheet to the Captain.

"Chase, Grady thinks you'd benefit from one more day with him. He'd like to show you some of the hiding places. Places that people think we don't know about. Grady was a road deputy for a very long time. The man also knows about every shortcut in this county. Rumor has it he's made a few of them."

I made the entries into my timesheet for the day and then headed to the locker room. Eric was there, he pointed to my name on one of the empty lockers. At that moment, what others would dismiss as a stupid plastic name tag, to me it was as if it were written in solid gold.

After 40 minutes of running and 10 minutes of sprinting on the treadmill. Eric led me through a grueling weight training session. It focused on increasing my upper body strength. An hour and a half after we begun he and a few of the other deputies were patting my sweaty back telling me I did a good job and Eric lead me back into the locker room to shower.

Eric followed me to the diner and had dinner with Walker and I. Walker thanked Eric for following me to the diner. "I just don't trust him driving that damn car. It failed 3 times today. "

I smiled and said, "Four actually."

"Fuck the take-home car. We're going to get you a reliable vehicle and you can pick up whatever piece of crap they want you driving around the county from the station. Hell you can use my AMX." He loved that car, my mouth fell open at the offer but I realized there were larger issues.

I replied back sharply, "And if you, or one of guys need, an interpreter in the field in a hurry? The car may not be one hundred percent reliable, but I am. I'm not going to slap the Sheriff's face my first week on the job. How many civilian employees have a take-home vehicle?"

He dropped his gaze knowing I was right. I continued, "I'll be good, you taught me how to fix the problem. It's not gonna be an issue. At most I'll be down a minute and a half, maybe two minutes, while I start the car again. I can't see that causing too much harm for me. I'd rather be stuck in the gremlin infested vehicle than any one of you guys."

We walked out to our vehicles as the sunset. Eric took off for his house, and Walker took me in his arms. He kissed me and slowly parted my lips with his tongue. My tongue softly stroked the underside of his.

Approaching headlights interrupted our passion. The last thing we wanted to deal with was getting called to the Sheriff's office for public displays of affection between two male employees. The people are kind enough around here, but they don't want their nose rubbed in it. It is not fair, but what in life is?

Walker cupped my right ass cheek. "See you in the morning sweetheart. This is going to be a long week."

* * * *

The vehicle made it in to the station the next morning without any issues. The patrol captain pulled me aside and said, "24 hours and we've already got our first complaint on you. The boys in the motor pool are a little annoyed with the number of vehicle anomaly reports. I am so glad that Grady initialed them. Keep it up. We'll get that piece of crap out of this fleet one way or the other."

Grady and I made the rounds. Along the way he showed me some of the county I had never seen. Grady had a story for everything. He knew everyone's business, and the location of every abandoned farmhouse and factory in the county. It was if he had his own internal GPS and every single hiding place was marked and cataloged for future knowledge. He told me sometimes you have to know the history of a place in order to be able to pass information on in the clear.

It was a good day, until we found 'them.' There's an old axiom in law enforcement, sometimes shit is dumped on you, sometimes you just fall into it. This would be the latter. I saw the shapes on the side of the road, two lumps. Initially I thought it was roadkill. Then Grady told me to stop the vehicle. He drew his weapon from his ankle holster. I put out the 10-33 (Emergency at this station all others ceased transmitting) and gave our location. Grady told me to increase it to a first responder / medical emergency, men down.

We approached the two bodies on the side of the road, Grady's head was on a full swivel. Looking for everything that was out of place. I reached down and checked for a pulse both men were dead and their bodies cold. Their lips were cyanotic. One man had ligature marks around his neck. Hell, they damn near cut his head off. The other had a gaping hole in the center of the chest. I recognized the uniforms the men were wearing and I gave the officer down call. I reported both men were State Corrections Officers.

Deputy Eric Gonzalez was next on scene. He had me sit in his suv with Rocco. One of the Corrections Officers was his old partner. The partner had left the sheriff's office for a bigger paycheck. Within 15 minutes the Sheriff and the mobile command post were there. The State Police also arrived, as well as a few of the city cops. The scene was awash with white, red, and blue lights. The Sheriff approached Grady and I. He put his hand around the back of my neck, "Are you okay son?" he asked.

Grady responded for me, "The kid did good Sheriff. He followed the textbook to the letter. He briefed the first officer to arrive which were our footprints, and what was touched. He even made it back to our car before he threw up. As I recall that was better than you did as a rookie at your first homicide."

Trembling I looked at the sheriff and said, "It's not quite how I imagined my third day on the job."

He grimaced and rubbed my neck harder, "But it is part of the job, and the fact that you're still alive to do it, is a good thing. Give your statement to Eric and the troopers, then go home early, and call it a day. Cindy will close out your timesheet."

The Sheriff had Eric take my statement, while he debriefed Grady. The state of course took over primary jurisdiction. The Sheriff offered whatever support we could give. The troopers briefed him with the identity of the five prisoners who were on the way to Lieber Correctional Institution. Three were death row convicts, a serial rapist, and a methamphetamine cooker/dealer.

Investigators analyzed the scene and said that it appeared two vehicles, probably a sedan and suv, were involved in addition to the transport van. One guard was still unaccounted for, a brand new corrections officer named Chris Stevens. The patrol commander was wondering how he was going to tell his wife and daughter. Eric offered to notify his old partners wife and the State Police investigators gave him permission to do so.

The Troopers thanked us for looking out over the Corrections Officers and securing the scene until the real officers could arrive. The sheriff rubbed my neck again and told me, "Go home. Bring Walker up to speed on the events and have him call me. I'll bring Grady back to the office, now you just go home son."

I wasn't going to make the man tell me again. I climbed back into the car and put it into gear. Of course it immediately stalled. After quickly clearing the error and starting it, I was once again on my way. I entered the cabin quietly, locking the door behind me. I walked back to Walker's room. I could hear him snoring. Part of me wanted to let him sleep, but I knew what the sheriff wanted.

I climbed onto his bed and held him. He woke up as I began sobbing on his chest. "What's wrong little guy. It can't be that bad. Did you get fired?"

He pulled me close as I told him the story. When I gave him the names of the two dead corrections officers, he said shit. He knew them both. I told him how Eric was handling the notification of one of them with our agencies Chaplin. He told me he hadn't met the missing man. I also told him how the Sheriff wanted me to brief him. He wiped the tears from my eyes and kissed my forehead. Then his lips softly kissed their way to mine. These were not passionate kisses they were just comforting ones.

I knew what was coming next. He grabbed his cell phone and called the Sheriff. He was in speaker mode as he gathered his uniform. The Sheriff called him in to shift 4 hours early. He was directed to assemble the rest of the SWAT team. He wanted every abandoned building in the county swept and cleared. The Sheriff's final words put a chill down my spine. "Take no chances. If they offer even a little resistance, skip justice, just put them down."

Walker took me down into the basement. Opening the gun locker he handed me a pump action shotgun. "Chase, you keep this in arms reach. When I go out, lock all the doors. If anyone tries to get in without a key, you shoot them twice and call ME first." I nodded in acknowledgement. "Patrol and I'll swing by during the night to sweep the neighborhood. Keep the door locked!"