January Gets Her Gunn

Chapter 5-4

Farrell was obviously astonished at his solicitousness. She got out of the car and went to the restroom. She moved briskly, as if to do it before he changed his mind. A few minutes later she came out, looking more normal, and got back into the unit.

“I hope you like thick soup with lots of crackers. It’s a great filler-upper.”

“Yeah, I like soup.” Farrell looked at Thad, “Thanks for the stuff. That mouth wash hit the spot. I feel almost human again. How much do I owe you for the goodies?”

“Nothing. As I said, it happens to all of us. Consider it a peace offering for my temper tantrum at the Cazador. You scared the hell out of me when you moved to protect Goldman, but you did right. I apologize for the scene out on the sidewalk. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” She hesitated a moment, as if thinking. “Gunn, does this mean you’re going to act like a human being?”

“Don’t say that, please. I am a human being, iron doesn’t burn me, and I don’t change skin.” God, she knows how to hit where it hurts.

“I know that, Gunn. I don’t really believe those old tales. I wasn’t talking about the Sidhe, but about your demonic behavior, those little sadistic tricks you pull. You go around acting as if you were some demented god. You’re good, but not that good. You ought to come back down to earth.” Farrell had not removed her gaze from him as she spoke. “You could take lessons on human relations from Senior Officer Manley.”

“Hal’s a good training officer, except he never hardens his trainees. That leaves them vulnerable to getting hurt. Being a policeman is dangerous. I try to toughen my trainees to the facts of life as a cop.”

She snorted. “You can’t graduate from ALETA without learning the hazards of law enforcement. Get real!”

“You get real, Farrell. Next time you go into the police station, go to the lobby, and look at the pictures on the wall. All those officers were murdered because they made a fatal mistake, and each went through ALETA. At least Perlman killed his murderer, but the murderers of the others are still alive and one of them is not even in prison. That’s what’s real.” Dammit! I’m getting angry again. Why can’t she be like other rookies and just go along with the program?

“There are no guarantees in life, Gunn. How about those people sitting at that red light tonight? There was no way any of those people could have prevented that semi from killing or injuring them. You didn’t ask to be born and neither did I, but the only way we can get out of here is to die. When, where and how, is just a toss of the dice. Sure, I’m not going to rush the cadence, but I’m not going to hide in a hole either.” Farrell turned her head and looked out the window, as if to say end of discussion.

* * * *

17 Aug 1982: 1925:

Thad pulled into the parking lot of the Riverton American Legion Post. Only after he’d parked and pulled his key from the ignition did he notice the unmistakable robin’s egg blue Mustang. She’s here. s**t!

He jammed the key back in the ignition, but didn’t turn it on. For fifteen minutes he sat in the car arguing with himself. Oh, what the heck, I don’t have to talk to her. I’ll just do like I always do, sit at the end of the bar and mind my own business. He removed the key again and got out of the car.

Inside, the lights were dim. He did not see January when he came in. He went on to the bar and sat down. The bartender took his order and brought him his beer.

“Boy, you sure are lucky, Gunn.”

“Why do you say that, Sam?”

“Having a partner like that.” Sam nodded towards the pool table. Thad swiveled to see January, bent over to make a shot. She was wearing tight jeans that shaped her perfect ass and made her legs look a mile long. Thad couldn’t take his gaze off of her. Watching her move, he could feel a stirring in his groin. What a woman.

January made her shot, then moved around the table for her next try. She was wearing a light cotton shirt with the tails tied, baring her midriff. It seemed to accent her breasts. With effort, Thad turned around and stared at the back bar.

“Gawd, Jan, I ain’t playing against you no more. You’re too good. Sam, give the lady another one.”

January laughed, an unrestrained peel of mirth. “Thanks, Buddy. It’s just luck.”

“No way. I bet you cut your teeth on a cue stick.” Buddy chuckled as he walked back to the bar.

“Anybody else want to try your luck?” Jan stood holding the cue stick with both hands near the tip. There was a shaking of heads and a few laughing no’s. January waited a moment. “How about you, Gunn, aren’t you’re perfect in all things?”

He half turned, but carefully kept his gaze off of her, barely registering her provocative pose, feet apart, back slightly arched. “Not everything, Farrell. I’ve never played pool in my life. I don’t know a thing about the game.” He turned back to face the bar.

January stood a moment studying Gunn, reading the tension in his tight shoulders and closed posture. She turned and put her cue stick in the rack. Going to the bar, she picked up her glass of beer and purse. She ambled down to where Gunn sat, laid her purse on the bar, and hitched one hip on the adjacent barstool, facing him.

“I want to thank you for the things you told the chief and the judge. And you were right, Gordo really is a great guy.”

Thad turned his head toward her, but kept his gaze averted. “I told them the truth, Farrell. One thing I don’t do is lie.”

“It wasn’t necessary for you to lie. You could have just kept quiet. You didn’t and I thank you for it.” January looked at Gunn for a long moment, mulling her next words. “Monday night, you were considerate. I appreciate that. I’m sorry I was as sharp about it as I was, but you’ve conditioned me to mistrust your motives. All I want is to be a good cop and I don’t want to fight with you. Okay?”

“Yeah, it’s okay.” Thad still wouldn’t look at her. “Look, you do things to me. I had my life regulated until you came along. Now I get confused. You’re good and you could work a car by yourself right now, but I don’t want you to. I want to keep you where I can protect you. Does that make sense to you?”

He seemed so ill at ease all at once. She didn’t quite know how to take it. “I suppose so, but…I’m not a china doll, Thad. You can’t baby sit me for twenty years and you know it. If I can’t make it here, I’ll try some place else. I have to have some purpose to my life.”

“True, but it doesn’t have to be as a cop. You could go to law school. You have the brains to be a damn good lawyer, right in there with Belen. You could be a nurse like Willie Hunt. She’s an angel in disguise, though she hates my guts. She’s the best thing that ever happened to that hospital. You don’t have to be a cop.”

“The same thing could be said about you, Thaddeus Gunn.”

“No, not really.” He turned and finally looked at her. “Hell, this is not going to get us anywhere. And this is no place to talk. If I buy a six pack, will you go someplace private and talk with me?”

“Sure, why not? Let me go powder my nose.”