Deadly Waters

by T. Alan Codder

  Sean hardened his resolve as he stood. “Okay. Paul! It’s going to be the hard way.” He looked at the paramedics. “What are your names?”

  “I’m Renee, this is Scott.”

  “Okay. When Officer Limbrose and I get pops here up on the stretcher, I want you to lock him down.”

  Renee nodded. “We know the drill.”

  Paul attached a single loop of two disposable cuffs to each of the man’s wrists. With the plastic binders hanging loose, the two officers hoisted the man up and held him still as Renee quickly and expertly removed the Taser barbs from his back.

  The old man began to struggle when Sean and Paul tried to muscle him onto the stretcher, Renee and Scott helping by holding the gurney in place to prevent the man from knocking it away. Once the officers had the man on the stretcher, Scott quickly attached one wrist to the bed using the second loop of the shackle. Paul removed the standard cuffs and helped restrain the man as Sean forced the derelict’s other wrist over so Renee could attach the second set of manacles to the bed.

  The man howled and kicked, trying to twist himself off the bed, but two more of the plastic restraints, one around each ankle and locked to the gurney, took care of that.

  Once he was fully restrained, the old man seemed to relax, and the paramedics wheeled their patient into the back of the ambulance.

  Sean blew out a breath. The old man was surprisingly strong and had fought them to the bitter end.

  “Good job, Officer Limbrose. Go back to the station and fill out the incident report. Be sure to highlight that I ordered the use of the Taser and gave the order to fire.” Sean looked at Paul a moment. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Just a little shook up is all. First time I’ve ever drawn my weapon on the street, even if it was just the Taser.”

  “Here’s to hoping it will be your last,” Sean said.

  “Amen to that, sir.”

  Nineteen

  The next evening, after a full day in the office and his weekly afternoon stroll through the downtown area to wake himself up, Sean was packing up to go home and looking forward to a little down time.

  He didn’t have to cover Danny’s shift tonight since it was the first of Danny’s two scheduled days off. Tomorrow was Saturday, and then he would rotate to cover Danny’s eleven to seven shift on Sunday. Just thinking about working the graveyard, and then having to come in and do his police chief duties, even for a few hours, made him want to groan in despair.

  He picked up his computer, and made it as far as the lobby, before Councilwoman Evie Wirick stepped in.

  “Oh, good. I caught you before you left. Can I have a moment of your time?” she asked.

  Sean always went in and out through the lobby instead of the back entrance like the other officers, so he could talk to the dispatcher if he needed to, and she would see him leave in case someone came in looking for him.

  He wanted to sigh. “I was on my way out.”

  “This won’t take but a minute.”

  He gave her a smile. “Sure. Buzz us in, Terri?” he asked so he didn’t have to dig out his keys.

  When the door buzzed, he pulled it open and led her back to his office, opening the door and flipping on the lights.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked as he motioned her to a chair.

  Evie closed the door but remained standing. “I just came from a city council meeting. I thought you should know a motion was proposed to ask for your resignation.”

  “I’m not surprised. Are you here to collect my badge?”

  She smiled. “No. It was rejected four to one.”

  “Really? That lopsided?”

  “Yes. We realize what a tough spot you’re in.”

  He wanted to ask who wanted his head, but he already had a pretty good idea who it was.

  “Most of you, anyway.”

  She smiled. “I think you’ve done all the right things. I always thought the former chief was a little, shall we say, heavy handed about some things. He was definitely part of the good ol’ boy network. I like the fact that you stood up to Rudy for what you thought was right.” She smiled again. “It doesn’t hurt that I agreed with you on every point.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Wirick.”

  “Call me Evie. I just wanted to warn you to be careful with Steve. I like Steve, but he and Rudy go way back, and Rudy is loyal to a fault.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  “I can’t see him, Steve I mean, murdering anyone, but if you think it’s him, don’t let him being a councilman influence you in the least.” She held up her hand when Sean opened his mouth. “I’m not implying you would. What I’m saying is, make sure you have all your facts straight and I think a majority of the city council will back you one hundred percent in your investigation, no matter where it goes. In other words, don’t let Rudy bully you from doing what you know is right. Your job is safe.”

  “Thank you, Evie. I appreciate the support.”

  “It’s a culture I’m trying to change. This is my first time serving on the city council, but I don’t like how the city is so quick to point blame, while at the same time, refuses to do anything about the real troublemakers.”

  “You’re referring to Maggie?”

  “That’s one. There was no reason to ask for her resignation, especially after the investigation showed there was no wrong doing, but there have been others. This incident with Officer Brady is an example. You did exactly the right thing. Chief Horton was very protective of his officers, and I can appreciate that in most cases, but not in something like this. Personally, I don’t think he would have suspended him and would have just swept it under the rug.”

  “That’s not something I can overlook.”

  Evie nodded. “Nor should you. But then to have Officer Brady threaten to sue?” She smiled coldly. “If I’d been in your shoes, I would have been tempted to fire him on the spot for that. In any case, I think Rudy was wrong in wanting to put him on paid leave and I think it was wrong he was leaning on you to do it. It sends the wrong message, something the city has been doing for years. I’m glad to see someone is willing to step up and do the right thing, and stick to their guns.”

  He felt like he was blushing. “I’m just trying to do what’s right.”

  “Good for you. You keep doing that and let us worry about the fallout.” She paused a moment. “I don’t know how to say this delicately, so I’ll just throw it out there. You’re an outsider and it will—”

  “A damn Yankee you mean?” he interrupted with a half smile.

  “I didn’t say that,” she said with a grin of her own.

  “But it’s what you mean, isn’t it? I’ve got my big boy pants on. I can take it.”

  She twittered out a laugh. “Okay, yeah, that may be part of it. People will come around, but being so new here, people don’t know how to take you. The last group of people that’s acceptable to make fun of are southerners. We know how people, well, some people anyway, think we’re nothing but a bunch of stupid, backward, rednecks.”

  “I think you’re overreacting.”

  “Really? We had a group of men fly in from New York to look at relocating a factory here. They were surprised, and very complimentary, that we had cell phones and internet. It was obvious they didn’t expect that. They may not have meant it as an insult, but…” She shrugged with an ironic smile.

  Sean chuckled. “That’s New York City. A lot of people there think Connecticut is the wilderness. Don’t be too hard on them. They can’t help it, and I don’t think that way. I never did.”

  “No, I don’t believe you do. And as people get to know you, they’ll begin to realize it too. But until then, they’re going to be a little suspicious of you, especially since you’re so different compared to Bill.”

  “But that’s a good thing, right?” he asked with a lopsided grin.

  “A very good thing in my book. Keep doing what you’re doing and know there are probably more people supporting you than you realize.”
>
  “Thank you. That means a lot to me. Some days…” He shook his head in mock sadness.

  She gave him a pat on the arm. “Hang in there, chief. It’s going to get better. I promise.”

  He smiled. “Since I have you here… any word on my new computers? We really need them.”

  “It was tabled for further review.”

  “By who?”

  “The city IT department.”

  “Any idea on how long that’ll take?”

  She shrugged. “Hopefully not long. But to be honest, Sean, I wouldn’t count on them for this year. We’ll try to get them in next year’s budget.”

  “You do realize all our computers are running Windows XP, an operating system that was introduced sixteen years ago, right? An operating system that’s no longer supported? My officers can’t even browse the internet in most cases because the computers are so out of date. We’re having to bring in our own personal computers,” he hefted the case containing his laptop, “and that’s bad for security.”

  “I know what you’re going through, but Bill didn’t ask for upgrades, so they’re not in the budget this year. I’ll try to help you out if I can, but I don’t know if there is anything I can do this budget cycle.”

  He nodded. “Anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.”

  She smiled. “I won’t keep you since you were leaving. I just wanted to let you know what was going on and that you have the support of the entire city council.”

  He nodded. “Thank you.”

  She opened the door and they stepped out.

  “See you, Terri,” he said, raising his hand in parting to the tall, willowy, brunette as they walked through the lobby.

  “Enjoy your weekend,” Terri replied through the speaker.

  As the outside door shut behind them, Evie turned to Sean. “I know I shouldn’t ask this, but do you really think Steve did it?”

  “Councilwoman, I’d rather not comment on an active case.”

  She sighed in obvious, if not entirely sincere, disappointment. “I figured you’d say something like that.”

  “Sorry.”

  She grinned to let him know she wasn’t actually upset. “It’s okay. I trust you’ll get the guy in the end.”

  “We’ll get him,” he said with more confidence than he felt.

  She gave him a nod then turned toward her white Tahoe. “Enjoy your weekend, Sean,” she said as she opened the door.

  “Thank you, Evie,” he said, and then stood and watched until she pulled out of the parking lot.

  He was exhausted. He hadn’t been to the market since he started covering for Danny, and he wasn’t sure what was left at home to eat. Nothing he was excited about, that much was certain, and he didn’t feel like shopping.

  As he strolled toward Danny’s car, he decided he would stop at Asher’s, a popular local restaurant, grab something to eat, and then go home and crash early. He would do his shopping tomorrow, or Sunday before starting his shift.

  -oOo-

  “One?” the hostess asked as Sean shuffled forward in the line.

  “Yes.”

  “Follow me, please.”

  She led him deeper into the restaurant, and as he followed, he saw Maggie sitting at a table alone, her waitress setting a glass in front of her. She looked up, caught his gaze, and then smiled and waved to call him over.

  “Excuse me,” he said, touching the hostess on the shoulder. “I know her, the woman in the bright blue shirt.”

  “Would you like to join her?”

  “Let me see if that’s why she’s waving.”

  “You by yourself?” Maggie asked as they approached.

  “Yes. You?”

  “Yeah. Want to join me? I have this big table and it’s just me.”

  “Will that be alright?” Sean asked the hostess.

  “Sure. Saves us a table.” She placed his menu across the table from Maggie. “Enjoy your meal.”

  “I hate eating by myself,” Maggie said as he slid into the chair. “Normally I eat at home, but I wasn’t feeling it tonight.”

  “Thanks for the invite.”

  She grinned. “My pleasure. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like hell.”

  He chuckled. “Gee, thanks. Working double shifts will do that to you.”

  “Why are you doing that?”

  “I suspended an officer, and I’m covering his shift.”

  “Why?”

  “Why am I covering or why did I suspend him?”

  “Both.”

  “I suspended him for conduct, and I’m covering because I didn’t want to burden my officers.”

  “Oh. Who was it?”

  Sean shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. It’s been handled.”

  “Gotcha. How’s your investigation going?”

  He frowned. “Slow.”

  “Still no leads?”

  “No new ones.”

  “So, other than the mess you stepped into, how do you like Brunswick so far?” she asked with a grin, obviously changing the subject away from work.

  “Okay. I really like the warm weather.”

  “Warm? Are you kidding? It’s freezing out there.”

  He chuckled. “You don’t know what cold is. This time of year up in Boston, if we make it into the thirties for a high, we’re lucky. Fifty? That’s like a spring day. The other thing I like here is there’s no snow.”

  “I love snow,” Maggie said before taking a sip of her tea.

  “That’s because you don’t have to deal with it four or five months of the year.”

  “Okay, there’s that. When we get snow, we get a few inches, and then it’s gone in a couple of days.”

  He chuckled. “A few inches? That’s not snow, that’s a flurry.”

  The waitress arrived and took his drink order.

  “We’re going to have to introduce you to sweet tea,” she teased after the waitress left.

  “Tried it. A little sweet for my taste. If I’m going to drink that, I’d rather have a pop. What?” he asked when she grinned.

  “I’d rather have a pop,” she mimicked in a passible Boston accent. “It’s Coke, even if it’s Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, or whatever.”

  He dropped his head in mock shame and she giggled.

  “It’s okay. You’ll get it. Pretty soon you’ll be talking just like the rest of us,” she said, laying on the drawl.

  He grinned as he experienced that little tingle he felt when listening to a pretty woman speak with that slow southern twang.

  “Can I let you in on a little secret?”

  She leaned forward and propped on the table. “Oh, do tell.”

  “I like listening to the accent. It’s very,” he wanted to say sexy, but decided that was a little too flirty, “pleasing to the ear.”

  She sat back with a smile. “You think so? It’s funny how you perceive things. To me, we don’t have an accent, but you do. The moment you speak there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind you’re not from around here.”

  “Are you saying I talk funny?” he asked, laying on his own Boston accent.

  She grinned in delight. “Why no! You sound perfectly normal!”

  -oOo-

  Sean followed her suggestion and ordered the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, both slathered with white gravy, pinto beans, and cornbread. Though he could feel his arteries hardening as he ate, it was delicious.

  As they ate they talked about everything and nothing, avoiding the topic of work entirely. He found out that, with the exception of attending college, Maggie had lived within twenty miles of where she was born her entire life. He’d thought that was strange until he thought about it, and realized until he’d moved to Brunswick, he hadn’t done much better.

  He pushed his plate away. “I’m stuffed. I’m going to have to hit the gym hard tomorrow to make up for that.”

  “Ready for some chocolate meringue pie?” she asked with a mischievous grin.

  He groaned.
“Maybe some other time.” He blew out air from puffed cheeks. “Do people eat like this all the time down here?”

  “Pretty much. That was a pretty big serving, but yeah. I grew up on fried chicken, mashed taters and pinto beans.”

  “Ugh. I’d weigh five hundred pounds.”

  She giggled. “So, what’s a piece of pie going to hurt then?”

  He flashed a grin and nodded. “Point taken, but I’m too full.”

  They lingered over coffee before they paid their tab. Sean offered to pick hers up, but she refused and he didn’t argue. Much.

  “Thank you, Maggie, for inviting me to sit with you. I enjoyed it,” he said as they stepped into the parking lot.

  “So did I,” she confessed with a smile. “Like I said, I hate eating out by myself… almost as much as I get tired of eating my own cooking.”

  “I know the feeling. Tonight would have been a can of soup, I think, because the pantry is bare. I haven’t been able to get to the market this week. Laundry, the market, and house cleaning tomorrow.”

  “You’re a regular wild man, aren’t you?”

  He snapped his fingers by his face a couple of times as he grooved to unheard music.

  “That’s us, me and Marmalade, leading the swinging single life.”

  She smiled at his antics. “Let’s do this again sometime. It reduces the anguish of having to decide to cook or eat by myself.”

  “Okay, deal.”

  He thought about trying to kiss her then decided that would open a can of worms he didn’t want opened. She was still, technically, a suspect in the Boyd Thacker murder, and he wouldn’t go there.

  “Enjoy your weekend,” he said as the silence began to get awkward.

  “You too. Say hello to Marmalade for me.”

  He gave her a smile. “I will,” he said before he turned and walked to his cruiser, resisting the urge to look back.

  Twenty

  It was Sean’s last day covering for Danny. Tomorrow Officer Brady would be off suspension and then he could work his own damn eleven to seven shifts. Sean had forgotten how much he hated working rotating shifts, especially when he was working the graveyard. It screwed up his sleep and made him testy. Still, he’d gotten through it, and if nothing else, his officers now knew he could be a hard ass when he needed to be.