Deadly Deceit, page 7
“Dallas PD, meet Officers Jolene Preston, Donna Erixon, Christian Preston, Keith Perrault, Tristan Jennings, and Cooper Haliburton from the Marilynn Police Department.”
A round of applause circled the room, hoots and hollers welcoming them warmly. The Lieutenant continued, introducing Officers Tim Clancy and Gina Mendez from Falls City, as well as the four Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
“For this week,” Dale said, once the officers had been released to reclaim their seats, “The visiting officers will be working with their own partners. Next week, we will be partnering each of them with one of you, to make the cooperation more obvious to the public.”
More applause sounded, and the Lieutenant moved on to handing out the patrol assignments. When he was finished, Dale released the officers to their duties.
“Is it just me,” Christian asked as he and Jolene left the building, “or does it seem strange to be in uniform right now?”
Jolene shrugged and used her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. The Dallas Police Department doors faced east, placing the early morning sun directly in their faces as they exited the building.
“I think it’s just you, Chris,” she replied, “It feels normal to me. Just another day on the beat.”
Christian followed Jolene to their cruiser and climbed into the passenger seat. Because they were just on loan from the Marilynn department, the pair would be patrolling their route in their MPD car. The morning news had announced that Dallas PD, along with representative officers from surrounding departments, would be working together to protect the community until the bomber was caught.
This meant that there would be cars from Marilynn, Falls City, and Polk County patrolling the streets of Dallas for the foreseeable future.
“How was Joe this morning?” Jolene asked as she maneuvered their cruiser onto the street. After they’d arrived home the night before, Joseph and Christian had left Jolene alone to handle her wife. When they parted ways, Christian was trying to explain his sister’s ire to his husband.
“He was excited for the first day of school,” Christian replied, pausing to type their patrol route into the computer’s log. “He’s going to talk to Christie today, to apologize for last night. I explained that if the sexuality of those officers isn’t a factor, it puts both of us in more danger. I also explained that the fact that all the officers were women, doesn’t mean that only female officers are the targets. Dallas’ female-to-male-ratio is the biggest in the state. The women outnumber the men, four to one.”
Jolene’s eyes boggled, and she stared, open-mouthed, at her partner. “You’re kidding. Is it really that big of a difference?”
Christian nodded. “I was talking to some of the guys in the locker room, while I was stowing my stuff. They said that there are twenty-five beat cops in Dallas, and only five of them are men.”
“Wow,” Jolene replied, taking a left hand turn onto Academy Street, “I had no idea. Did anyone say anything about the bombings?”
Christian shrugged. “Not much. We were mostly acquainting ourselves with each other. Jennings, Perrault, and Haliburton are friends with some of the Dallas and Polk County boys, so we mostly just introduced ourselves and our departments. What about the girls? Any insight from them?”
“Not really,” Jolene replied, pulling the car to the curb near the entrance to the city park. They were to monitor the area for speeders who liked to race past the park as they left the school zone, one block up.
“But, Donna and I did learn that all of the straight women think you are just the cutest thing they’ve ever seen.”
Christian rolled his eyes. Despite his effeminate presence, he was forever fending off the advances of women who obviously had no gaydar. “Gross,” he grumbled.
Jolene laughed. “Oh, come on, Chris,” she teased, “Are you telling me that none of those women stand a chance of turning you?”
Christian’s head turned slowly and dramatically toward his partner. “Maybe one,” he replied with a grin, “The one that spoke up during briefing. She looks masculine enough. Like Joe, but with tits.”
Jolene snorted hard. “Oh, my God, Chris,” she said, waving her hands as the tingling in her nose brought tears to her eyes, “That hurt. Her name is Blaze Colfax, and I doubt you are feminine enough for her. One of the other officers told me that her fiancée was the first officer killed this year. She’s only been back from a leave of absence for a couple of weeks.”
All humor left Christian’s face, replaced quickly with remorse and empathy. “Oh, shit,” he said, “I didn’t know. Now I feel awful.”
Jolene patted her brother-in-law on the arm. “I won’t tell anyone what you said, Chris. Now, quit distracting me. We have speeding tickets to write.”
As if waiting for her words, a bright red sports car zoomed past their cruiser, going much faster than the posted 25 mph. Flipping on her lights, Jolene pulled the car away from the curb and gave chase.
***
“Hey, Christie, you got a minute?” Joseph knocked lightly on the door to the empty classroom.
Christina looked up from her papers and smiled, nodding for him to enter. “Sure, Joe, what’s up?”
Joseph approached her cautiously. Christian had opened his eyes to the cause of her anger the night before, and he felt horrible for having upset her.
“I just wanted to apologize, for last night. I was stupid, and Chris made me see just how dumb I sounded. I never should have been so dismissive of your fears, especially considering how close to home this could get.”
Christina studied the man standing before her. Joseph exuded confidence in everything he did, just like Jolene. And, just like with Jolene, she found it adorable when he was ashamed of himself.
Joseph was fidgeting with the pleat of his trousers, his fingers tapping nervously against the khaki fabric. His eyes, typically focused on the object of his attention, darted around the room as he did his best to avoid her gaze.
Feeling sympathy for her brother-in-law, Christina stood from her seat and moved to stand in front of him. She brought her hands up to cup his cheeks, forcing him to look her in the eye.
“Thank you, Joe,” she said gently, “I really am terrified about what could happen, and I’m glad you now understand why. Apology accepted.” With that, she leaned up on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek.
It was an innocent show of affection, one she’d used countless times before. But, to those not included in their ruse, the gesture appeared much more intimate.
“Should you really be doing that here?”
Joseph and Christina turned as one. Joseph chuckled and slipped his arm around Christina’s waist, “Probably not, but what man in his right mind would pass up a kiss from such a gorgeous creature?”
Christina rolled her eyes and kept her expression neutral as she waited for Staci Lawson to vacate her doorway. “Is there something you needed, Ms. Lawson?”
Staci crossed her arms over her chest, a disapproving crease forming between her brows. “I just wanted to see if you have a student named Brett Aldrich in your class during third period.”
Christina stepped out of Joseph’s arms with a frown, and moved to check her roll book. She flipped the pages back, stopping when she reached the right class. “Yes, I do, why do you ask?”
Staci stepped into the room, her eyes roaming over Joseph as she addressed Christina. “He’s listed in my class for the same period. When I called his name, one of the other students said he was in here. I just wanted to make sure, before I marked him as absent. I’ll let the office know about the double scheduling.”
Christina didn’t notice the way Staci was undressing Joseph with her eyes, but Joseph did. Eager to get away from the woman, he sidestepped her and moved behind the desk with Christina.
“I’ll see you at home,” he said, kissing her quickly on the cheek before making a hasty exit. Christina offered him a quick wave, before turning back to her attendance sheet.
“Staci,” she said with a frown, “Will you check your roll book again? I have Brett on my list for next period as well. I wonder if yours is the same.”
Staci flipped open her book and scanned the list of names registered for her next class. Sure enough, Brett Aldrich was listed.
“Hmm,” she said, “Must have been a clerical error. Since he’s already been in here once today, send him my way if he shows up, please?”
Christina nodded and made a notation next to the boy’s name. Assuming their business was done, she was surprised when she looked up to find Staci still standing there, a look of confusion on her face.
“I don’t get it,” Staci said without prompt, “I’ve been after Joseph for years. I go out of my way to look good for him, I’ve always made it clear that I’m interested, but he doesn’t even spare me a second glance. How did you do it?”
“Do what?” Christina asked, canting her head slightly.
“Keep him interested enough to marry you,” Staci replied, her tone indicating that her answer should have been obvious, “That little show I just walked in on is the first time I’ve ever seen you initiate any kind of affection toward him. I mean, it’s common knowledge that you two have been involved forever, but it never seems like you are interested in his proximity.”
“I took his name, Staci,” Christina replied, lifting her hand to show off the beautiful ring Jolene had picked out, “Obviously I’m interested. Why do you care so much? Joe made it clear, ages ago, that he wasn’t interested in you.”
“That’s exactly why it bothers me so much,” Staci admitted without malice, “I mean, I know I’m not as pretty as you, but I’m not hopeless, either. I’ve never had a problem getting a man that I set my sights on, until Joe. What is it about me that put him off?”
Christina rolled her eyes. Oh, Staci, if you only knew. Instead of giving voice to her thought, Christina took a different approach.
“It could have been a number of things,” she replied honestly, “For starters, Joe is huge on respect. Even after he made it clear that he was with someone, you continued to pursue. That’s incredibly disrespectful, and not just in Joe’s eyes. Anyone in a relationship would think that.”
Staci shuffled her feet, but didn’t interrupt.
“Second,” Christina went on, “You tried way too hard. You wore clothing that bordered on inappropriate, which Joe sees as a lack of genuine respect for oneself. If you’re so insecure about yourself, that you have to show off your body to get someone’s attention, you’re never going to find the person you are meant to be with.”
“Is that why you are always so covered up?” Staci asked, genuinely curious.
She’d worked with Christina for almost six years, and she’d never seen the woman in anything that revealed more than her neck and forearms. Hell, she’d never even seen Christina’s shoulders.
Christina chuckled and shook her head. “No,” she replied, “I stay covered because of my tattoos. I don’t want to spend all day answering student questions about them.”
Staci’s eyes widened. “Tattoos? You’re covering tattoos?”
Christina nodded. “Didn’t you look at the wedding pictures? My dress showed off most of them.”
Staci flushed slightly. She’d spent the entire congratulatory picture show drooling over Joseph in his tux. “I guess I wasn’t paying that much attention,” she admitted sheepishly.
Christina giggled. She’d figured the woman’s attention would have been on Joseph. Christina could have been stark naked in those photos, and Staci wouldn’t have noticed.
“Anything else?” Staci asked, returning to the topic of Joseph.
Christina shook her head and sighed. “Just be yourself, Staci. The right man is out there, waiting for you to start being true to yourself.”
“Thanks, Christie,” Staci said, glancing at her watch, “Can I ask you one more question?”
Christina nodded and pulled a stack of papers out of her desk drawer. She moved away from the desk, and started placing the pages on each of the desks in the room.
“Why would you give me pointers on how to catch your husband’s attention?” Staci stayed put, her eyes following the woman she envied.
“I didn’t,” Christina replied with a shake of her head, “I gave you pointers on how to catch the attention of any man who is worth the effort. If someone is truly interested in you, it won’t be for the amount of skin you show, or the way you paint yourself up. You’re a beautiful woman, Staci, but you’re also smarter than you let on. Intelligence is much sexier than most people want to believe. Do you really want someone who only cares about your looks?”
Staci didn’t respond. Instead, she mulled over Christina’s point. That was something Staci Lawson rarely did. She typically took another woman’s advice with a grain of salt, never bothering to give it a second thought. But, Christina’s words took root in her heart, making her doubt everything she’d ever known about relationships.
Before Staci could formulate a reply, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. With a sigh, Staci thanked Christina and went back to her own classroom.
***
“Goddammit, I said don’t run from me!” Jolene panted breathlessly as she wrestled to cuff the man’s hands behind his back.
“Get the fuck off me, bitch!” the man screamed, fighting to dislodge the officer. Her knee was in the middle of his back, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t get her to budge.
“That’s Officer Bitch, Buddy,” Jolene huffed, moving her knee so she could yank the scrawny junkie to his feet, “and, I told you not to run.”
“What the fuck you want from me?” the man asked, offering resistance with every step Jolene took toward the patrol car, “I didn’t do nothin!”
“You didn’t do nothin?” Jolene asked mockingly, “You mean to tell me that wasn’t you we just saw smash in the windshield of that Charger?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know what you seen?” the junkie snapped, “It was an accident.”
Jolene laughed and turned the man to face the car, so Christian could do the pat down. “An accident? Seriously? You were just randomly swinging a metal baseball bat around, and the windshield just jumped right in front of it?”
“Fuck you,” the man spat, kicking one foot in Jolene’s direction.
“Sorry, Buddy,” she said, easily dodging the man’s shoeless foot, “You’re not my type.”
“You look like you prefer black dudes, anyway,” the man grumbled as Christian manhandled him into the back of the car.
“Nope,” Jolene replied with a smirk, “I like ‘em short and pretty. Gets my heart to fluttering every time.”
Christian snorted loudly, bringing the junkie’s attention to him. The man took in Christian’s effeminate features, his dark hair, and the height difference between him and Jolene.
“So,” the man asked with a disturbing, toothless grin, “How long you two been fuckin on the job?”
“Hey,” Christian snapped, “Don’t talk to my wife like that.”
The man raised his eyebrow at the firm command. He glanced at Christian’s chest, then at Jolene’s, noting the shiny name plates that identified the officers.
“Sorry, man,” he said to Christian, “Congrats on snagging a redhead. Seems like all the women cops here in Dallas are all dykes. You got lucky.”
It was Jolene’s turn to snort. The junkie obviously didn’t notice that their patrol car said Marilynn Police on it. “Alright, Buddy, let’s get on with this. We got other stuff to do today. Start with your name.”
The junkie gnashed his missing teeth at Jolene, but answered when Christian reiterated his partner’s question. Content to let Christian handle the man, Jolene ran his information through the computer. She was hardly surprised to see that he had an active warrant.
“Wow, Clarence,” Jolene said, her eyes reading over the available information on the warrant, “You seemed like such a nice, upstanding guy.”
“I’m a fucking pillar of the community, yo,” Clarence replied with a cackle.
“I can see that,” Jolene replied with a low whistle, “Rape, assault, vandalism, more rape, countless distribution charges. It’s a shame we’re going to have to take you in.”
“Fuck you,” Clarence grumbled.
“We’ve been over that,” Jolene said as Christian secured the man in the back seat, “You’re not pretty enough for me. Let’s go for a ride.”
The ride to the station was quiet, the silence only broken by Clarence’s unintelligible mutterings. Once they had the man secured in a holding cell, Jolene and Christian made their way toward the locker rooms.
After changing out of their uniforms, the pair handed over their patrol logs to the desk sergeant and clocked out for the day.
“How do you think the day went?” Jolene asked, tossing the keys to Christian. She rubbed at an ache in her knee, from where she’d bounced it off the sidewalk when she’d tackled Clarence.
“Joe said it went great. He thinks this year’s kids are going to be a challenge, though. Apparently, he had to confiscate almost two dozen cell phones during his classes.” Christian pulled the car out of the parking lot and turned it toward home. “What did Christie say?”
Jolene shrugged and pulled out her phone. “She hasn’t texted me,” she muttered with a frown. It wasn’t like Christina to not send her wife at least one text during the day.
Christian frowned as well. “Maybe she’s just been super busy? The first day is always hectic, maybe she just hasn’t had a chance.”
“It’s possible,” Jolene conceded, tapping out a quick message to Christina. She hit send and leaned her head against the headrest. “So, what did you think about patrolling Dallas today?”
Christian shook his head. “I think Dallas needs to stop handing out driver’s licenses. I never realized how many people ignore traffic laws here. Shit, that woman we ticketed for passing the stopped school bus genuinely seemed surprised that she wasn’t allowed to do that!”
“That was funny,” Jolene chuckled, “I was dying, trying not to laugh out loud when she called you a stop sign Nazi.”
A round of applause circled the room, hoots and hollers welcoming them warmly. The Lieutenant continued, introducing Officers Tim Clancy and Gina Mendez from Falls City, as well as the four Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
“For this week,” Dale said, once the officers had been released to reclaim their seats, “The visiting officers will be working with their own partners. Next week, we will be partnering each of them with one of you, to make the cooperation more obvious to the public.”
More applause sounded, and the Lieutenant moved on to handing out the patrol assignments. When he was finished, Dale released the officers to their duties.
“Is it just me,” Christian asked as he and Jolene left the building, “or does it seem strange to be in uniform right now?”
Jolene shrugged and used her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight. The Dallas Police Department doors faced east, placing the early morning sun directly in their faces as they exited the building.
“I think it’s just you, Chris,” she replied, “It feels normal to me. Just another day on the beat.”
Christian followed Jolene to their cruiser and climbed into the passenger seat. Because they were just on loan from the Marilynn department, the pair would be patrolling their route in their MPD car. The morning news had announced that Dallas PD, along with representative officers from surrounding departments, would be working together to protect the community until the bomber was caught.
This meant that there would be cars from Marilynn, Falls City, and Polk County patrolling the streets of Dallas for the foreseeable future.
“How was Joe this morning?” Jolene asked as she maneuvered their cruiser onto the street. After they’d arrived home the night before, Joseph and Christian had left Jolene alone to handle her wife. When they parted ways, Christian was trying to explain his sister’s ire to his husband.
“He was excited for the first day of school,” Christian replied, pausing to type their patrol route into the computer’s log. “He’s going to talk to Christie today, to apologize for last night. I explained that if the sexuality of those officers isn’t a factor, it puts both of us in more danger. I also explained that the fact that all the officers were women, doesn’t mean that only female officers are the targets. Dallas’ female-to-male-ratio is the biggest in the state. The women outnumber the men, four to one.”
Jolene’s eyes boggled, and she stared, open-mouthed, at her partner. “You’re kidding. Is it really that big of a difference?”
Christian nodded. “I was talking to some of the guys in the locker room, while I was stowing my stuff. They said that there are twenty-five beat cops in Dallas, and only five of them are men.”
“Wow,” Jolene replied, taking a left hand turn onto Academy Street, “I had no idea. Did anyone say anything about the bombings?”
Christian shrugged. “Not much. We were mostly acquainting ourselves with each other. Jennings, Perrault, and Haliburton are friends with some of the Dallas and Polk County boys, so we mostly just introduced ourselves and our departments. What about the girls? Any insight from them?”
“Not really,” Jolene replied, pulling the car to the curb near the entrance to the city park. They were to monitor the area for speeders who liked to race past the park as they left the school zone, one block up.
“But, Donna and I did learn that all of the straight women think you are just the cutest thing they’ve ever seen.”
Christian rolled his eyes. Despite his effeminate presence, he was forever fending off the advances of women who obviously had no gaydar. “Gross,” he grumbled.
Jolene laughed. “Oh, come on, Chris,” she teased, “Are you telling me that none of those women stand a chance of turning you?”
Christian’s head turned slowly and dramatically toward his partner. “Maybe one,” he replied with a grin, “The one that spoke up during briefing. She looks masculine enough. Like Joe, but with tits.”
Jolene snorted hard. “Oh, my God, Chris,” she said, waving her hands as the tingling in her nose brought tears to her eyes, “That hurt. Her name is Blaze Colfax, and I doubt you are feminine enough for her. One of the other officers told me that her fiancée was the first officer killed this year. She’s only been back from a leave of absence for a couple of weeks.”
All humor left Christian’s face, replaced quickly with remorse and empathy. “Oh, shit,” he said, “I didn’t know. Now I feel awful.”
Jolene patted her brother-in-law on the arm. “I won’t tell anyone what you said, Chris. Now, quit distracting me. We have speeding tickets to write.”
As if waiting for her words, a bright red sports car zoomed past their cruiser, going much faster than the posted 25 mph. Flipping on her lights, Jolene pulled the car away from the curb and gave chase.
***
“Hey, Christie, you got a minute?” Joseph knocked lightly on the door to the empty classroom.
Christina looked up from her papers and smiled, nodding for him to enter. “Sure, Joe, what’s up?”
Joseph approached her cautiously. Christian had opened his eyes to the cause of her anger the night before, and he felt horrible for having upset her.
“I just wanted to apologize, for last night. I was stupid, and Chris made me see just how dumb I sounded. I never should have been so dismissive of your fears, especially considering how close to home this could get.”
Christina studied the man standing before her. Joseph exuded confidence in everything he did, just like Jolene. And, just like with Jolene, she found it adorable when he was ashamed of himself.
Joseph was fidgeting with the pleat of his trousers, his fingers tapping nervously against the khaki fabric. His eyes, typically focused on the object of his attention, darted around the room as he did his best to avoid her gaze.
Feeling sympathy for her brother-in-law, Christina stood from her seat and moved to stand in front of him. She brought her hands up to cup his cheeks, forcing him to look her in the eye.
“Thank you, Joe,” she said gently, “I really am terrified about what could happen, and I’m glad you now understand why. Apology accepted.” With that, she leaned up on her toes and placed a kiss on his cheek.
It was an innocent show of affection, one she’d used countless times before. But, to those not included in their ruse, the gesture appeared much more intimate.
“Should you really be doing that here?”
Joseph and Christina turned as one. Joseph chuckled and slipped his arm around Christina’s waist, “Probably not, but what man in his right mind would pass up a kiss from such a gorgeous creature?”
Christina rolled her eyes and kept her expression neutral as she waited for Staci Lawson to vacate her doorway. “Is there something you needed, Ms. Lawson?”
Staci crossed her arms over her chest, a disapproving crease forming between her brows. “I just wanted to see if you have a student named Brett Aldrich in your class during third period.”
Christina stepped out of Joseph’s arms with a frown, and moved to check her roll book. She flipped the pages back, stopping when she reached the right class. “Yes, I do, why do you ask?”
Staci stepped into the room, her eyes roaming over Joseph as she addressed Christina. “He’s listed in my class for the same period. When I called his name, one of the other students said he was in here. I just wanted to make sure, before I marked him as absent. I’ll let the office know about the double scheduling.”
Christina didn’t notice the way Staci was undressing Joseph with her eyes, but Joseph did. Eager to get away from the woman, he sidestepped her and moved behind the desk with Christina.
“I’ll see you at home,” he said, kissing her quickly on the cheek before making a hasty exit. Christina offered him a quick wave, before turning back to her attendance sheet.
“Staci,” she said with a frown, “Will you check your roll book again? I have Brett on my list for next period as well. I wonder if yours is the same.”
Staci flipped open her book and scanned the list of names registered for her next class. Sure enough, Brett Aldrich was listed.
“Hmm,” she said, “Must have been a clerical error. Since he’s already been in here once today, send him my way if he shows up, please?”
Christina nodded and made a notation next to the boy’s name. Assuming their business was done, she was surprised when she looked up to find Staci still standing there, a look of confusion on her face.
“I don’t get it,” Staci said without prompt, “I’ve been after Joseph for years. I go out of my way to look good for him, I’ve always made it clear that I’m interested, but he doesn’t even spare me a second glance. How did you do it?”
“Do what?” Christina asked, canting her head slightly.
“Keep him interested enough to marry you,” Staci replied, her tone indicating that her answer should have been obvious, “That little show I just walked in on is the first time I’ve ever seen you initiate any kind of affection toward him. I mean, it’s common knowledge that you two have been involved forever, but it never seems like you are interested in his proximity.”
“I took his name, Staci,” Christina replied, lifting her hand to show off the beautiful ring Jolene had picked out, “Obviously I’m interested. Why do you care so much? Joe made it clear, ages ago, that he wasn’t interested in you.”
“That’s exactly why it bothers me so much,” Staci admitted without malice, “I mean, I know I’m not as pretty as you, but I’m not hopeless, either. I’ve never had a problem getting a man that I set my sights on, until Joe. What is it about me that put him off?”
Christina rolled her eyes. Oh, Staci, if you only knew. Instead of giving voice to her thought, Christina took a different approach.
“It could have been a number of things,” she replied honestly, “For starters, Joe is huge on respect. Even after he made it clear that he was with someone, you continued to pursue. That’s incredibly disrespectful, and not just in Joe’s eyes. Anyone in a relationship would think that.”
Staci shuffled her feet, but didn’t interrupt.
“Second,” Christina went on, “You tried way too hard. You wore clothing that bordered on inappropriate, which Joe sees as a lack of genuine respect for oneself. If you’re so insecure about yourself, that you have to show off your body to get someone’s attention, you’re never going to find the person you are meant to be with.”
“Is that why you are always so covered up?” Staci asked, genuinely curious.
She’d worked with Christina for almost six years, and she’d never seen the woman in anything that revealed more than her neck and forearms. Hell, she’d never even seen Christina’s shoulders.
Christina chuckled and shook her head. “No,” she replied, “I stay covered because of my tattoos. I don’t want to spend all day answering student questions about them.”
Staci’s eyes widened. “Tattoos? You’re covering tattoos?”
Christina nodded. “Didn’t you look at the wedding pictures? My dress showed off most of them.”
Staci flushed slightly. She’d spent the entire congratulatory picture show drooling over Joseph in his tux. “I guess I wasn’t paying that much attention,” she admitted sheepishly.
Christina giggled. She’d figured the woman’s attention would have been on Joseph. Christina could have been stark naked in those photos, and Staci wouldn’t have noticed.
“Anything else?” Staci asked, returning to the topic of Joseph.
Christina shook her head and sighed. “Just be yourself, Staci. The right man is out there, waiting for you to start being true to yourself.”
“Thanks, Christie,” Staci said, glancing at her watch, “Can I ask you one more question?”
Christina nodded and pulled a stack of papers out of her desk drawer. She moved away from the desk, and started placing the pages on each of the desks in the room.
“Why would you give me pointers on how to catch your husband’s attention?” Staci stayed put, her eyes following the woman she envied.
“I didn’t,” Christina replied with a shake of her head, “I gave you pointers on how to catch the attention of any man who is worth the effort. If someone is truly interested in you, it won’t be for the amount of skin you show, or the way you paint yourself up. You’re a beautiful woman, Staci, but you’re also smarter than you let on. Intelligence is much sexier than most people want to believe. Do you really want someone who only cares about your looks?”
Staci didn’t respond. Instead, she mulled over Christina’s point. That was something Staci Lawson rarely did. She typically took another woman’s advice with a grain of salt, never bothering to give it a second thought. But, Christina’s words took root in her heart, making her doubt everything she’d ever known about relationships.
Before Staci could formulate a reply, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. With a sigh, Staci thanked Christina and went back to her own classroom.
***
“Goddammit, I said don’t run from me!” Jolene panted breathlessly as she wrestled to cuff the man’s hands behind his back.
“Get the fuck off me, bitch!” the man screamed, fighting to dislodge the officer. Her knee was in the middle of his back, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn’t get her to budge.
“That’s Officer Bitch, Buddy,” Jolene huffed, moving her knee so she could yank the scrawny junkie to his feet, “and, I told you not to run.”
“What the fuck you want from me?” the man asked, offering resistance with every step Jolene took toward the patrol car, “I didn’t do nothin!”
“You didn’t do nothin?” Jolene asked mockingly, “You mean to tell me that wasn’t you we just saw smash in the windshield of that Charger?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know what you seen?” the junkie snapped, “It was an accident.”
Jolene laughed and turned the man to face the car, so Christian could do the pat down. “An accident? Seriously? You were just randomly swinging a metal baseball bat around, and the windshield just jumped right in front of it?”
“Fuck you,” the man spat, kicking one foot in Jolene’s direction.
“Sorry, Buddy,” she said, easily dodging the man’s shoeless foot, “You’re not my type.”
“You look like you prefer black dudes, anyway,” the man grumbled as Christian manhandled him into the back of the car.
“Nope,” Jolene replied with a smirk, “I like ‘em short and pretty. Gets my heart to fluttering every time.”
Christian snorted loudly, bringing the junkie’s attention to him. The man took in Christian’s effeminate features, his dark hair, and the height difference between him and Jolene.
“So,” the man asked with a disturbing, toothless grin, “How long you two been fuckin on the job?”
“Hey,” Christian snapped, “Don’t talk to my wife like that.”
The man raised his eyebrow at the firm command. He glanced at Christian’s chest, then at Jolene’s, noting the shiny name plates that identified the officers.
“Sorry, man,” he said to Christian, “Congrats on snagging a redhead. Seems like all the women cops here in Dallas are all dykes. You got lucky.”
It was Jolene’s turn to snort. The junkie obviously didn’t notice that their patrol car said Marilynn Police on it. “Alright, Buddy, let’s get on with this. We got other stuff to do today. Start with your name.”
The junkie gnashed his missing teeth at Jolene, but answered when Christian reiterated his partner’s question. Content to let Christian handle the man, Jolene ran his information through the computer. She was hardly surprised to see that he had an active warrant.
“Wow, Clarence,” Jolene said, her eyes reading over the available information on the warrant, “You seemed like such a nice, upstanding guy.”
“I’m a fucking pillar of the community, yo,” Clarence replied with a cackle.
“I can see that,” Jolene replied with a low whistle, “Rape, assault, vandalism, more rape, countless distribution charges. It’s a shame we’re going to have to take you in.”
“Fuck you,” Clarence grumbled.
“We’ve been over that,” Jolene said as Christian secured the man in the back seat, “You’re not pretty enough for me. Let’s go for a ride.”
The ride to the station was quiet, the silence only broken by Clarence’s unintelligible mutterings. Once they had the man secured in a holding cell, Jolene and Christian made their way toward the locker rooms.
After changing out of their uniforms, the pair handed over their patrol logs to the desk sergeant and clocked out for the day.
“How do you think the day went?” Jolene asked, tossing the keys to Christian. She rubbed at an ache in her knee, from where she’d bounced it off the sidewalk when she’d tackled Clarence.
“Joe said it went great. He thinks this year’s kids are going to be a challenge, though. Apparently, he had to confiscate almost two dozen cell phones during his classes.” Christian pulled the car out of the parking lot and turned it toward home. “What did Christie say?”
Jolene shrugged and pulled out her phone. “She hasn’t texted me,” she muttered with a frown. It wasn’t like Christina to not send her wife at least one text during the day.
Christian frowned as well. “Maybe she’s just been super busy? The first day is always hectic, maybe she just hasn’t had a chance.”
“It’s possible,” Jolene conceded, tapping out a quick message to Christina. She hit send and leaned her head against the headrest. “So, what did you think about patrolling Dallas today?”
Christian shook his head. “I think Dallas needs to stop handing out driver’s licenses. I never realized how many people ignore traffic laws here. Shit, that woman we ticketed for passing the stopped school bus genuinely seemed surprised that she wasn’t allowed to do that!”
“That was funny,” Jolene chuckled, “I was dying, trying not to laugh out loud when she called you a stop sign Nazi.”
