January Gets Her Gunn

Chapter 8-3

“Hi, Jan. Ready for tonight?” Ray’s smile was genuine.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Her own smile felt pretty wan.

“The butterflies are at it, aren’t they?” At January’s nod, Ray grinned. “The anticipation is the worst part. You’ll do okay, and then wonder why you were up tight. I had a classic case of jitters my first nights alone. For a week or so, the guys called me Saint Vitus. But they backed me and helped me get through it. They’ll do the same for you. Dan and Andre are the closest and they’ll be there when you need them.”

“Thanks, Ray.” January handed him the board.

Dan Voukovich and Andre Banks came in together, laughing over some joke. They took seats on either side of January. Andre leaned forward, “Hey, Dan, did I tell you the one about the dizzy blonde in a fur coat?”

“No, but I know about the jittery red-head in a blue suit.” Dan grinned widely.

“All right, you guys. It’s bad enough without you two trying to be clowns.” January chuckled in spite of herself. They really are just like brothers!

“Hey, Jan, loosen up. You’re in good hands.” Andre spread his hands in front of her.

“Yeah!” Dan held his hands out cupped together. He looked serious. “Jan, don’t sweat it. We’ll be there. Okay?”

“We got the whole world in our hands,” Andre sang.

“Nah, just the south side of Riverton.” Carlos Perez stood behind Andre, smirking. “Don’t pay any attention to these two nuts, Jan. Just be cool, real cool.” Carlos went and sat by Ray.

“Carlos is right. Be cool and don’t bust your buns trying to back either one of us. We’ll take care of each other and you too.” Dan was dead serious. “We know you’re jittery and you’re not real familiar with your area, so stay cool until you’ve got it down pat. And if something don’t feel right, sit tight until we get there. Ten-Four?”

“Yeah, Ten-Four. Thanks, guys.” Jan smiled at them all. “I know the rules.”

“Rules doan mean nuttin’!” Andre growled. “You think of January Farrell. We won’t steal your calls from you, but we’ll be there ASAP and you wait for us. We’s the Safety-First Squad, Dan and me. That’s the onliest rule there is.”

Andre grasped her wrist. “Listen to me Jan. We don’t fight crime. We sweep up the pieces. So don’t go outta here thinking you’re a one-woman anti-crime wave. Sleepyville is Sleepyville, so don’t go looking for trouble, it’ll find you soon enough. Patrol and get to know your area, don’t worry about tickets or anything until Friday night when Marcel will be in the car with you.” He let go of her wrist. “I’m not saying you’re not capable, but you need time to know your area. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I understand what you are saying. But if I can get there, can’t I back as a learning experience?”

“Sure, just don’t bust your butt.” Andre grinned. “You’ll do awright, lady. Just be cool.”

Thad Gunn entered the room. He nodded distantly at Jan and the two beside her, moved up front and sat down. The sergeant was right behind him.

There wasn’t much for the sergeant to brief. “Okay people, you all know that Farrell is now Peter Eleven, Area Five.” Ken Wilson looked around the room. “Farrell, Eleven is last on coffee and meal breaks. Unless another car is tied up, we go right up the line from Seven to Eleven. If in doubt, ask me or dispatch. Okay?”

“Yes Sarge.” January felt the blush heat her face. It felt weird to be the center of so much attention.

The sergeant nodded. “Okay, I don’t expect you to do a lot in the next few nights but put miles on the car, learning the area. If you get a call, wait for back up. I’ll check on you about once an hour, if possible. I won’t always speak to you. I got five other cops to check on. But, I’ll see that you’re Code Four and then be on my way. If you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask me, Six, or Dispatch. That’s our jobs and the only stupid question is the one that doesn’t get asked.” He picked up his notebook and grinned at January. “Okay, kids, let’s go fight crime.”

Out in the parking lot, January did her walk around and inventoried her unit’s trunk. There was a Winchester 12-gauge trench-gun in the trunk, just like the shotguns she was used to in the Marine Corps. “Hi, old fellow.” She took the gun out of its rack and checked it over, including the ammunition in the tubular magazine.

“You handle that baby like you’ve used it before.” Sergeant Wilson suddenly appeared, standing beside the car.

“Sure have. I walked a bunch of posts with one of these in the Corps.”

“Great. A lot of people are afraid of them.”

“I would be, too, if I was looking down the bore.” January chuckled.

“That’s not what I meant. The people I’m talking about are afraid to shoot them.” Wilson looked disgusted.

January nodded. “I know about that. I own two twelve gauges, both lighter than this baby, and they kick a whole lot harder. I feel a lot better, knowing this old fellow is close by. In fact, I wouldn’t have been near as scared in Carling’s if I’d had this gun in my hands.”

Wilson grinned, “I didn’t think you were any more scared than the rest of us. For a newbie, you did fine that night.”

“When those shots went off, I just knew Gunn had been hit. I nearly embarrassed myself.” January put the shotgun back in its rack.

Wilson chuckled, “You weren’t alone, January. We were lucky all six of us didn’t have to go home to shower and change uniforms. All those Code Fours were sure sweet music to me. I was real jittery there for a minute. Manny is still apologizing about missing that guy. It was you and Sal Shapiro who brought the whole thing down.”

“I think I was on autopilot. I surprised myself and sometimes I still wonder how I kept from blowing it.” January shrugged and shook her head.

“Call it what you want. It makes no difference. You did it right and that’s all that’s important.” Wilson walked up to her and patted her shoulder gently. “You have the potential to be an outstanding cop. I have confidence in you, but I want you to take your time and develop that potential. You don’t have to prove a thing. You already have.” He turned and started back to his car. “Let’s go to work.”

As January pulled out of the parking lot, she noticed that Peter Six was gone. She had not seen it leave, nor had Gunn said one word to her. All the other guys have tried to cheer me up and encourage me. You’d think Gunn would be in the lead. After all, I’m his trainee and somewhat still his responsibility. I’ll have to ask the guys if he was that way with them.

As she drove south on Centennial, January felt exhilarated. She hoped some of the passing cars noticed that she was alone. She tried to look nonchalant, though she was wound up tighter than a spool of new barbed wire.

I wish Daddy and Joe could see me now. I know they’d be proud. She sighed. I’d give almost anything if Thad had said something. He does have a heart. What about that pistol and pendant. They weren’t cheap and Willie is one of his most outspoken critics. He knew it too, because he told me that Willie didn’t like him. Damn you Thaddeus X.M. Gunn, I gotta get you outta my head.