Framed

By Willis Nordlund

After twenty years of working his way up the ladder, police officer Sam Wonder has just been promoted to captain in the Dallas Police Force. Sam earned this position, and as one of the departments most beloved officers, he receives hearty congratulations from his coworkersall except for Frenchy.

Lieutenant Napolean French is arrogant and difficult to deal with; he was also Sams competition for the promotion. He has long been at odds with his coworkers and has a thing for the chief of polices niece, even though she wants nothing to do with him. But Sams promotion sends Frenchy over the edge. Now, all he can think about is revenge.

After harassing the chiefs niecewho makes it clear that shes interested in Sam insteadFrenchy is placed on administrative leave, and Sam begins to hear rumors of his former colleagues shady past. It turns out Frenchy likes to sell drugs. When Sam starts to investigate, Frenchy takes things into his own hands. He frames Sam for murder, starting a chain reaction of tragedy that Sam is hard put to stop.

With Frenchy on the loose and Sam forced to prove his innocence, the chase is onbut bringing the former cop to justice might prove too tough for Sam to handle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781475991611

Willis Nordlund

Willis Nordlund holds a PhD in economics from the University of Utah and teaches at New River Community and Technical College in West Virginia. He has published a variety of scholarly books on employment, energy, and government programs. Nordlund and his wife, Kathryn, have two children and reside in Glen Morgan, West Virginia.

Book preview

Chapter One

Lieutenant French punched ENTER on his computer and watched his e-mail message directory flow onto the screen. The third message was titled, Wonder to Captain. Son-of-a-bitch! he hissed under his breath, the Chief screwed me again. Lieutenant French (his colleagues called him, Frenchy) and Lieutenant Wonder were officers in the Dallas Police Department and they were in the running for the vacant Captain’s position. I’ve had this shit up to my eyeballs, Frenchy thought, and I can’t let them do this to me again. He clicked on the message and read the full announcement. The more he read about how terrific Sam Wonder was the more infuriated he became with Chief of Police Thornton and Sam Wonder. I gotta be cool, I gotta be cool, he said quietly to himself. These assholes have screwed over the Frenchman for the last time. Frenchy deleted the message and logged off. He closed his eyes, placed his right forearm over his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

Sam Wonder looked out of his eighth floor office window toward the East end of the park. He had a spectacular view of downtown Dallas. The twenty years of hard work had paid off and now he planned to enjoy some of the simpler parts of his job. The two inch by twelve inch brass plate on the massive walnut desk set said, SAM WONDER, CAPTAIN. He carefully flicked a tiny piece of lint off the plate and gently rubbed out a small smudge. He positioned the desk set exactly in the center of the top of his large oak desk, about six inches from the outside edge. The celebration of his promotion to Captain had been spirited and warm. Sam was known as the policeman’s policeman. Through his twenty years of working his way up the ladder in the police department, he gained the reputation as being tough on criminals, but gentle on his men. He socialized with many of his subordinates, a practice that he knew would have to end with his new assignment. Captains simply had to make decisions that often times were difficult and could not be prejudiced by personal relationships. This really wasn’t his favorite aspect of the new position, but he knew it was something he would have to do.

The buzzer on his telephone intercom chirped. He pressed the TALK button and said, yes, Elizabeth?

Sir, there are two officers from vice here to see you, Officers Smedley and Stevens, she said softly.

Oh, ya, that’s right. I told those two guys to come in. Give me thirty seconds to pull something out of my file and then send them in.

Yes, sir. Would you like some coffee?

Ah, no thanks, Elizabeth. Ask those two if they would like some, will ya?

Yes, sir.

Sam pulled himself out of his over-sized judge’s chair and reached for the handle on the file cabinet. He pulled the drawer open and fumbled through several tabbed files until he found what he was looking for. As he scanned the report, he heard his office door open. Looking back over his shoulder, he waved to Officer Smedley to come in. Why don’t the two of you grab a chair over there, he said, pointing at a line of four chairs along the office interior wall, and take a load off yer feet.

As the two officers settled into the chairs, Al Smedley said, these are pretty nice digs ya got here Sam. This is the first time I’ve actually been in one of these upper level executive offices.

Sam chuckled quietly. Ya, Al, promotion has its advantages, but I plan to keep real close touch with all of my colleagues who actually do all the work around here. The two officers knew he meant them and the other police officers on the beat.

Looking at Joe Stevens, Sam said, ya know what? This is the first official action I’ve had in my new assignment. Kinda nice that it’s a positive one. Both of you guys did a fantastic job on the robbery, kidnapping case involving the Jensen family and I’ve delighted as hell to put these commendations in yer permanent files. As you both know, there will be an official, public recognition of your efforts at the annual banquet, but I didn’t want this important work to go unrecognized for the next nine months. One or both of you guys may come up for promotion or reassignment during this period and these commendations will be nice to have in your files.

Joe Stevens slid to the edge of his chair. Well, Captain, we are damned happy that you have chosen to do this. Most of the officers in the Department wouldn’t have taken the time to make the presentation early. We knew you were the right one for the promotion and I can tell ya that every single one of us is happy as hell.

Thanks, Joe, I appreciate your support. Sam rocked his chair back and put his left foot on the handle of the lower drawer on his desk. Looking at the two citations, he said, well, gentlemen, there is no audience and it doesn’t make much sense to read these citations to you two. They basically say that you did one hellava job on the Jensen case to bring it to conclusion and that the people of Dallas recognize and appreciate your professional handling of the case. You two can read the exact language at your leisure. I’m giving you the framed citation, but a copy will be put in your permanent files for others to consider in the future. Sam stood up slowly as he looked at Joe. He walked around the end of his desk and approached the two men. He extended his right hand to Joe and they shook hands graciously. Good work, Joe. I’m proud as hell to be the one to give you this. He handed Joe his framed citation.

Turning to Al Smedley, he said, and, you, my friend, I am particularly pleased. We have worked a lot of tough cases together and I know the kind of work that you do. The citizens of Dallas don’t really know how hard you work and the great service you provide to the community. Thank you, Al, and congratulations. Al nodded his head knowingly as he shook Sam’s hand. Thank you, Sam, he whispered quietly.

Taking two steps backwards, Sam said in a louder voice, okay, you two, let’s get back to work and protect the citizens of Dallas. Good work, guys. I’m real proud of both of you. Both officers shook Sam’s hand again as they left his office.

Elizabeth peeked around the door frame after the two officers had left. Big smiles on the faces of those two, she said coyly. Guess everybody likes to be patted on the back once in a while.

Motioning for her to come into his office, Sam said, ya, yer right, Elizabeth. We all like to be told that we are doing a good job and that we’re appreciated. Why don’t ya sit down for a few minutes. He motioned toward the line of chairs along the wall. After she sat down, he sat down in a chair so that there was a chair between them.

The officers in the Department are really thrilled about your new assignment, Captain, she said quietly.

Ah, Elizabeth, ah, don’t call me, Captain. Here in the office, Sam, will be just right. I guess we can be a bit more formal when others are around, but when we are alone here, Sam, will be about right.

Yes, sir, of course. I prefer to be called, Liz, too, if that’s okay?

Liz, it is, he said in a slightly louder tone of voice. Now, I know this is a new position for you and a new one for me. We’ll have to get to know each other better as we work into our new assignments. I don’t think that will be any problem. I get my own coffee; do most of my own typing; make most of my own calls. I would like you to handle my calendar; screen incoming visitors; and, develop a good filing system. I’m horrible at filing and trying to locate documents. I just haven’t developed that skill very well and its sometimes a real problem. Hell, I’ve got the original copy of my Marine Corps DD 2-1-4, some place. Can’t find it to save my life. I know I would never have thrown it away. It’s just ‘filed’ in a very good place and I know I’ll find it someday, but I’ve been looking for the last three years and haven’t found it yet.

Liz nodded her head up and down slowly as she smiled broadly. I’ll take care of you, Sam. Filing happens to be one of my strong suits. I’ve always prided myself on what I call the ‘thirty second’ rule. Once you tell me exactly what document you want, I should be able to find it within thirty seconds. If I can’t, then I think it was either mislabeled or misfiled. I’ve found that there is more of an art than science to identification and filing of documents. We’ll work on it and I’m sure it will work out great.

I’m sure, too, Liz, and I’m mighty glad to be working with you. Well, there has been some sense that this office was not accessible to the policemen on the beat, I want to change that perception from day one. I don’t want every policeman to bring all of the petty, day-to-day problems up here, but when an officer feels he needs to talk to somebody who will listen, I want to be that person. I believe in the chain of command and plan to follow it whenever it makes sense. I just want our patrolman to know that I am accessible and interested in their day-to-day concerns.

Yes, sir, I think I know what you mean. I…. The telephone rang in Liz's office. I better get that, Sam. She stood up and walked out of Sam's office. He could hear her say, Good Morning, Captain Wonder's office. It sounded kind of nice to hear the words, Captain Wonder. Sam smiled and walked back to his desk and sat down.

Seconds later, his intercom buzzed. It's the Mayor, Sam. I think he wants to congratulate you on your first day on the job.

Thanks, Liz. Sam punched the blinking line button. Good morning, Mr. Mayor. How are you? Sam had known Mayor Garcia for almost all of his twenty years on the police force. The Mayor had worked his way up through the Dallas political system and he knew how the City worked. Sam held the Mayor in high regard.

I'm fantastic this morning, Sam. I just wanted to call you to tell you how happy I am with your new promotion. The City of Dallas has wisely promoted one of its very best. Congratulations, Sam. I look forward to working with you.

Well, thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm pleased that you would take the time out of your busy schedule to call me. We have always had a great personal and professional relationship and I look forward to many more years of working with you. Your election to Mayor last Fall was one of the highlights of my personal life in recent years. You have worked hard to achieve this honor and I know you will serve the citizens of Dallas well.

Well, thank you, Sam, but I didn't call to discuss my job, we're talking about your new assignment. I'll be meeting with the City Council today to review the budget request for the Police Department for the next two years. We are planning to have Chief Thornton explain how his request was put together. I was thinking that it may make sense for the two of us to sit down at some point, informally, ya know, and talk about Department priorities. The Chief does a good job, but I think it may make sense to have another viewpoint on the budget and Department operations.

Sam was taken back a little by the Mayor's suggestion. He swallowed hard and replied, well, sure, Mr. Mayor, I would be pleased to talk with you at any time. I'm pretty new to all this, but I'd be happy to give you my views if you think they would be useful.

I think that's what I need, Sam. I need a fresh viewpoint on these issues. I sense that the Chief has gotten too close to the day-to-day operation of the Department and in some ways may have lost perspective. I'd keep any conversations between the two of us purely confidential, ya know. I'm looking for advise and guidance. Me and the City Council will ultimately have to make the decisions, of course.

Of course, of course. I’d like to work with you in any way that is helpful.

Okay, Sam, ah, I mean, Captain, the Mayor chuckled, I look forward to working with you. Just settle into your new assignment and we’ll be talking not too far down the road. Again, congratulations, Captain, and best wishes. Talk with you soon.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor and I look forward to talking with you, too. Good-bye. Sam carefully placed the receiver on the telephone cradle. He rocked back and swiveled around so that he could see out the window. I know that Garcia means well, he thought, but Chief Thornton wouldn’t like me to have direct access to the Mayor. He considers that his unique domain and would probably cause me a lot of grief if he thought I had a direct line of communications with the Mayor and City Council. Gotta be careful.

Chapter 2

Sam was an athlete. One of his passions in life was running. He had been a wide receiver on the University of Texas football team, but his first love was running the eight-eighty on the University track team. There was just something about the euphoria he felt at the end of a long run that made it all worthwhile. He always found the nearest high school with a track whenever he traveled outside Dallas. In recent years, he average between 60 and 65 miles each week. His favorite time to run was late in the evening. After the sun went down, the oppressive heat was gone and there were generally fewer people on the running paths. Often times, he would run after dark and not infrequently he was the only person on some of the paths.

Liz, he said loudly.

Yes, sir.

Without getting up, he said to her, I will probably go running this afternoon an hour or so before the end of the work day. Is there anything I have to do between three-thirty and four-thirty?

She paused for a few seconds and then said, no, sir. Your calendar is clear. The only thing after your one o’clock with Personnel is your meeting with the staff at nine in the morning.

Okay, Liz, that’s great. He stood up and walked to the door. He leaned against the door frame and said, I will probably run almost every day. I generally like to do it later in the afternoon, but we will have to see how things are scheduled around here. Do you ever run?

Picking up a cup of coffee, she replied, no, Sam, running is not one of my things. Getting sweaty and then trying to make it through the day without offending somebody is more than I can deal with. Wouldn’t be too bad if we had access to a good shower during the work day. Absent that, no running for me.’

Sounds like an excuse, he chided, we can always find excuses for not doing something. Getting sweaty is not, in my judgment, a reason for not running.

Liz pulled her mouth to one side and raised her left eyebrow. Ya, maybe, Sam, but I just don’t like getting all sweaty. If you like to run, I think that’s great. It just isn’t for me. I’m more of the ‘lay on the beach’ type of person. I enjoy watching baseball and tennis, but I’m not very athletic and have never played either sport. Naw, you can have the running thing, Sam.

He decided not to pursue it any further. Putting the pointer finger on his right hand to his lips, he said, ah, Liz, I’d like to do something for all the officers and staff in my section. I don’t know what makes sense, but I’d like some kind of activity that provides them with recognition for the good work they do. Might even give me a chance to get to know some of the officers I don’t see every day. What do ya think? What’s appropriate? I don’t want to do something that makes it look like I’m focusing on my promotion. Know what I mean?

Liz pursed up her lips as she thought. After a few seconds, she said, ya, Sam, I know what ya mean. I don’t think anything very formal will go over with these guys. Might want to think about a family-type gathering in one of the parks. Could be hamburgers and hot dogs with watermelons. All family members could come. Might be a nice way to show your interest in both the officer or staff person and their families.

Nodding slowly, Sam replied, ya, there are some nice possibilities with that type approach. People could come and go as they wanted; I’d be in the background. Could set up some simple games to keep the kids entertained. Good idea, Liz, good idea. How do you think we should do it?

Let’s just pick a Saturday afternoon and a park. Put out the word to all officers and staff in the section. I think you will have a lot of people taking advantage of it. It could be a real nice gesture and I know most of them will appreciate it.

Okay, Liz, let’s do it. I’ll take care of all the food and getting a park. If you would put together a nice invitation to everybody in the section and get it to them, I’d really appreciate that. I’ll invite the Chief and the Mayor, too. They probably won’t show up, but it’s the right thing to do. Good politics, too.

Liz smiled and chuckled as Sam mentioned the Mayor and Chief of Police. She didn’t know anything about Sam’s relationship with the Mayor, but she knew the Mayor and Chief of Police generally didn’t get along very well. It wasn’t likely that they would attend a function together, particularly if it was informal and voluntary.

Is there anybody else I should personally invite? he asked.

Pursing her lips, she said slowly, I can think of a long list, but it really depends on what you want to accomplish. All of the other Captains in the Department might be invited, or not. The City Council members might be interested in attending for political reasons. There are dozens of department heads outside the Police Department that you might want to consider, too. There is a long list of potential invitees. Again, Sam, it depends on what you want to accomplish.

You are a savvy lady, Liz. I guess I better sit back and think a little about what I do want to accomplish. My knee-jerk response is that I want the officers and staff of the section to feel involved and appreciated. Having a bunch of other department heads or politicians there might change the focus of the affair. No, I think I’ll invite the Mayor and Chief and nobody else. Sound okay?

Yup, sounds like a winner to me. What do ya think? Three or four weeks from now sound okay?

Sure, why not. That will give us plenty of time to get out the invitations and to get the park and food all set up. Let’s say Saturday, July 28. Sound okay?

We can do it. This is really going to be good, Sam. Let me know which park we will be using so that I can include it in the invitation.

Sam nodded agreement, turned slowly, and walked back into his office. He looked at the city map. All of the parks were depicted in green. There were a lot of them. He slowly ran his finger up and down the map stopping at several of the parks. Might be nice to have it at one of the parks with a swimming pool or lake, he thought. It will be hotter than hell in late July and the kids might like to swim rather than play games. After touring alternatives in all parts of the City, he turned slowly and walked to his desk. As he approached his chair, Liz buzzed him on the intercom. It’s Frenchy on line two. Without responding, he hit the lighted button on line two.

Hey, Frenchy, what’s shakin, bro?

Hi, Sam. Not a hellava lot. Just thought I’d check in with the powers that be to see what was going on. How’s the first day on the job?

Pretty slow for day one, Frenchy. Hope they all are that way. But, I suppose things will perk up once I get settled in. What’s happening down in the precinct?

Lieutenant French was a candidate for the Captain’s job. He had more time in the Department and had fully expected that he would be selected for the position. When he was passed over, he hadn’t taken it too well. There was scuttlebutt that he might appeal to the Mayor to reverse the selection of Sam. While Sam and Frenchy had never talked about the situation, it was clear that Frenchy was really upset with Sam’s selection. This telephone call was the first time the two of them had talked for the better part of a month.

Both Sam and Frenchy had served as Lieutenants in the precinct’s homicide unit. They had occasionally served on a case together, but for the most part they had different assignments. There was always a constructive competition between the two of them, but there was a clear preference by unit personnel for Sam. This always irked Frenchy. Sam had wondered about it on many occasions. He had come to the conclusion that it was primarily a personality issue. Sam was very people-oriented and Frenchy was very much a go-by-the-book type of person. He was a good technical investigator and he demanded perfection by those who worked for him. If an officer fell short in some aspect of a case or made a mistake, Frenchy always came down hard. Sam always thought that Frenchy felt guilty for the mistakes or errors his subordinates made.

As Lieutenants in the homicide unit, Sam and Frenchy were often compared by the officers and staff in the unit. On many occasions, when people were asked to volunteer for a particular assignment, everybody chose Sam. Frenchy always resented the popularity Sam enjoyed and could never figure out why it was that way. Sam had often counseled Frenchy to lighten up a little bit, but it was not in Frenchy’s personality to recognize the human side of law enforcement. He thought that Sam was too lenient with his subordinates and that Sam’s laid back attitude undermined the unit’s authority structure. Sam, of course, disagreed. As time wore on, the frustration Frenchy felt became personalized. He saw Sam as the primary focus of his problems. On several occasions, Frenchy had tried to raise criticisms of Sam’s activities with the Chief of Police and other City officials, but his overtures had fallen on deaf ears. Everybody in a position of authority knew that Sam did an excellent job and they were not prepared to admonish him because of Frenchy’s concerns. Those who knew both men recognized the tension between the two men and as a consequence discounted all of Frenchy’s comments. When the Captain’s position opened, it was generally assumed that the only two viable candidates would be Sam and Frenchy. That is how it turned out.

After an intensive round of interviews, to nobody’s surprise, Sam was selected for the position. If there had been a vote in the department, it would have turned out the same way. Frenchy simply carried too much negative baggage to be placed in the higher position and everybody, other than Frenchy, knew it. Immediately after the decision, Frenchy took three weeks of personal leave. He did not call Sam to congratulate him. He spoke disparagingly about Sam and how the Department would live to regret its decision. It was in this context that he surfaced the idea about an appeal to the Chief of Police and maybe even the Mayor.

You know, Sam, the same old shit. Too much to do and not enough time or people to do it. I’m hoping that with you in control that we will be able to change that. Sam knew he was being baited. This was one of the points of disagreement between the two of them. Frenchy always felt he was over-worked and under-appreciated. He never had enough time to do a really ‘good’ job and he never had enough staff support. Sam loved his job and often worked extra hours without compensation. He always had staff standing in line to work with him. This was simply the way the basic differences between the two styles of supervision and the handling of people played their way out.

Sam hesitated for a couple seconds. Then he said, there are many aspects of the operation that I plan to review, Frenchy. I’ll be looking for advice and guidance from all parts of the organization. I know you have some pretty strong views on a whole spectrum of issues and I plan to solicit those views when the timing is right.

Frenchy knew a brush off when he heard one. Sam’s noncommittal response was exactly what Frenchy expected. He knew their differences were fundamentally at variance and that Sam would not solicit or accept any advice that Frenchy provided. That cocky little prick ain’t gonna make a fool of me, he thought. He said, ya, Sam, that sounds like a good approach. Ya can never get too much good advice, that’s fer sure. Well, back to the grindstone. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you, Sam.

Okay, Frenchy. Thanks for the call. I’ll keep in touch. They both hung up. Sam thought, ya, sure I’ll ask that snake for help all right. Shit, he’d stab me in the back if he ever had the chance. I’m not going to give him the chance.

Sam and most of the other officers carried a Glock 22 in a shoulder holster. The Glock was is a forty caliber full-sized pistol. It is partly made of a nonmetallic material that is light weight and exceedingly strong. Only the barrel assembly and slide are made of steel. There are some steel parts embedded in the polymer receiver, but for the most part the primary steel parts are the barrel and slide. This weapon is a double action pistol, meaning that it is fired by pulling the trigger, not cocking the hammer as in many conventional pistols. By most standards, it is light weight. Fully loaded, it weighs slightly more than two pounds. Normally, a light, large bore pistol punishes its user by kicking hard when its fired. The Glock’s superior construction and superb balance mitigated a lot of the kick. By utilizing the polymer material in the receiver, the pistol ‘gives’ slightly when it is fired and in that way absorbs part of the recoil.

The Glock 22 holds 15 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition in its magazine. All of the personnel who carried the Glock were issued a special type of ammunition. The powder charge was souped up some from commercial rounds and the projectile was semi-armor piercing. The simplicity of the weapon and its high quality were appreciated by all that used them. A trained user could crank out fifteen rounds as fast as the finger could pull the trigger and place ninety percent of them into a six-inch circle at seventy-five feet. Sam particularly enjoyed the Glock and made frequent trips to the practice range. All users of the weapon were issued one hundred rounds each month for practice. Some of the Glock-users didn’t use all their practice rounds and Sam would often ask them for part of their allocation. He enjoyed the Glock more than any weapon he had ever used as a police officer.

He had never shot a person with a weapon, at least not to his knowledge. Over the years, he had been involved in many situations in which shots were fired at a suspected criminal, but he was not aware of a specific instance in which his weapon was the one that wounded or killed a suspect. He was just lucky. He knew other officers who had wounded or killed a half dozen or more suspected criminals. In several cases, officers had shot and wounded or killed individuals not suspected of crimes and it had often resulted in severe emotional responses by these officers. Several years ago, a six year old boy, playing in the street in front of a ‘crack house’ was hit in the leg with the round from a service revolver. The boy was not killed, but he did lose his right leg. The officer who apparently fired the round suffered emotional trauma that ultimately resulted in his retirement on disability.

Sam unsnapped the restraining strap from his pistol and slowly slid it out of his shoulder holster. It was a beautiful weapon. He pulled the slide back to be sure there was no round in the chamber. Most of the officers carried their weapons with a chambered round, but Sam did not. With three manual safeties built into the Glock 22, the chance of an accidental misfire was remote, but Sam did not take any chances. He practiced often in chambering a round as he pulled the pistol out of its holster and he didn’t feel it hindered his ability to quickly draw his pistol and fire a round. He pushed the clip release button and the clip silently slipped out into his hand. With the clip removed, the Glock felt feather light.

He pulled the slide back and it locked in an open position. The Glock was made for ease of operation and maintenance. Sam disassembled his weapon every day. While it was structurally different from the Glock, while serving in the Marine Corps, Sam had learned to disassemble and assemble his .45 caliber Service Pistol in the dark. It was a useful skill that transferred to his career as a police officer. The manufacturers of both types of pistols had simplified the construction of the weapons so that there were relatively few small parts and so that one could tell by touch exactly what part they were working with. Sam could disassemble and assemble his Glock in less than a minute and one half. It took a bit longer if he worked in the dark, but it always amazed him at how proficient he was without sight. As he carefully examined the Glock, he thought, I never want to lose my sight, but I can appreciate how individuals who lose their sight, adapt. He had a rifle range target, encased in a glass picture frame, on the wall next to the door. It was the target he had used to qualify as a police officer when he joined the Department over twenty years ago. Holding the pistol with both hands, he drew a bead on the bulls-eye of the target. As he drew down on the target, Liz walked into the open door way. She gave a small gasp as she looked down the muzzle of the Glock. She instinctively stepped backwards and off to one side.

As she regained her composure, she slowly walked back into his office. He realized he had frightened her. I’m sorry, Liz, I really didn’t know you were going to walk in. The pistol isn’t loaded. Sorry.

Ah, ah, no problem, Sam. It just startled me. That’s the first time I’ve ever looked directly into the muzzle of a real pistol. Kinda frightened me. You do this often?

Sam chuckled softly. No, Liz, I don’t point my pistol at people unless I plan to shoot them. Pointing at the target next to the door, he continued, I was actually aiming at that framed target next to your head. You probably don’t know the history of that target, but it’s very special to me.

She glanced out of the corner of her left eye at the target. I’m sure it is special, but you sure scared the heck out of me. If you are going to use that target for practice, maybe you should move it to some other part of the office.

He didn’t respond to her suggestion. Then he asked, what’s up?

Holding a small, yellow call slip, she said, ah, well, there are three or four officers in your old unit who would like to talk with you. I asked them what they wanted to see you about, but they weren’t very forthcoming. I kinda got the impression that it has something to do with Frenchy, but I really don’t know for sure. I told them that I would consult with you before setting up an appointment. Do you want to meet and talk with them?

Twisting on the hairs of his mustache, Sam thought for a few seconds. Then he replied, no, Liz, I don’t want to meet with them on an issue like that. I don’t want to refuse to meet with them, but I’d rather do it as part of a larger agenda. If I have them come in on that one issue it will simply turn into a bitch session that goes nowhere. I know what their basic concerns are and I’m sure they want me to come down hard on Frenchy. Maybe somebody should come down hard on him and there might be an appropriate time to do that. I don’t think the right time is the first day on the job. Call them back and tell them that I will be scheduling a number of small group meetings with officers and staff in the section and that all issues of concern will be aired at those meetings. By handling it that way, I will be controlling the agenda for the meetings. What do you think of that approach?

Smiling softly, Liz replied, very clever, Captain, very clever. I’ll get back to them. What do you want me to tell them about the timing of the small group meetings?

Fuzz it up a little. Tell them we are ‘planning’ these meetings, but don’t have a specific time set up yet. Tell them I need a little time to settle in, but that we’ll probably start having the small group meetings in the next couple weeks. Sound okay?

Yes, sir, sounds reasonable. Liz turned and left Sam’s office.

Chapter 3

Lieutenant French watched her carefully. Melinda was Chief Thornton’s niece. She had taken the job as dispatcher in the homicide unit about a year ago. Prior to this assignment she served as a receptionist/secretary in the Assistant Chief’s office. Everybody thought she got the assignments because of her relationship with the Chief, but she was competent and nobody made an issue of it. Melinda apparently planned to make her career in criminal justice. She was in the University of Texas’ Criminal Justice bachelors program. She worked hours that permitted her to carry a full academic load.

Melinda was of Irish descent. She was relatively tall. Being very thin and athletic, her height was accentuated. Frenchy was sure she wore contact lens because the color of her eyes changed occasionally. Today they seemed a deep blue-green. She had flaming red hair that she often wore at shoulder length. Frenchy liked it better in a ponytail out of the top, center of her head. When she wore it that way, it showed her long, cream-colored neck. She was wearing a pony tail today.

He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but he watched her communicate with patrol cars in various parts of the City. As she instructed the cars where to go, a small blinking red light on a huge map of the City began to pulse. There were perhaps ten or twelve pulsing lights this afternoon. Three of them were congregated in one small area indicating a significant problem of some sort. Frenchy used this situation as his excuse to talk with her. He slowly stood up and walked casually in her direction. As he walked up behind her, the smell of her perfume swirled into his nostrils. It wasn’t his favorite scent, but being it was Melinda’s, he loved it. Moving close to her right side, he asked quietly, what’s happening in the third precinct?

She glanced in his direction and responded, I’m not sure, Lieutenant, but Car 17 asked for back-up and two other cars responded. It’s in a residential area, so it probably is a domestic dispute gone ugly or something. As she talked, another car in the far Western part of the City reported a routine traffic violation stop and requested information on the vehicle’s license number. Melinda switched the call to the inquiries section. She handled the process with confidence and efficiency. Frenchy watched her thin fingers tap the various operating keys. She had fairly long finger nails, but they didn’t interfere with activities. Frenchy thought, damn, I’d like to have those finger nails sliding up and down the sides of my cock. He felt a tingling in the base of his penis as he watched Melinda work.

After watching for a half minute, he asked, what are they saying in the third precinct? Think they might want me out there?

Without turning in his direction, she said slowly, they haven’t said anything. It’s been almost five minutes since the third car arrived, so if there was a serious problem, I’m sure they would have said something by now. I don’t think they need you out there.

Ya, I suppose so. Frenchy wanted to keep the conversation going so that he could stay close to her. He pointed to the pulsing light attached to the car that had made the traffic stop. Those guys get a response from Inquiry yet?

Nodding her head, yes, she said, the car was clean. Sounded like it was an old couple on a morning drive. The officer stopped them because the man was driving erratically. Probably going to get off with a warning.

There was a short break in the activity. Melinda raised the earphones off her right ear and stretched her arms above her head. She worked her fingers into tight fists and snapped them open a couple times. Noticing that Frenchy was still standing beside her, she said, kinda busy this morning, but now things are slowing down.

After glancing around to be sure nobody was close by, he asked in a low voice, do you have any plans for dinner tonight?

She looked at him and a smile crept onto her lips. Ya, I do have plans. She knew that Frenchy and Sam were not on good terms. She decided to give Frenchy a real jolt. She continued, Sam and I are going out tonight to celebrate his new promotion. She watched Frenchy out of the corner of her eyes as he cringed. She could see his complexion redden significantly as his blood pressure rose. I think he is going to take me to one of those ritzy night clubs and then we plan to take in a Rangers’ game. Should be a nice evening.

Frenchy moved back a half step. He breathed deeply and responded, ya, that sounds like fun. Hope you two have a good time. Maybe some other time, huh?

Ya, maybe, she replied in a light, flippant tone of voice. Hearing an incoming call, she positioned the headset back on both ears and began working again. Frenchy fumed as he stepped away from her. That son-of-a-bitch, that cock sucker, he said to himself. He knows full well that I got this thing with Melinda and now I know he is rubbing this promotion thing into my face. I can’t let him stomp all over this guy. He turned and walked to his office. He closed the door forcefully, walked