Both the supervisors looked at one another and shuffled through the various pieces of paperwork on their desk, until Jones found a medical document and said, "You might not know this, but Officer O'Ryan has put in for permanent disability as a result of his shooting injury several years ago."
Mr. Frederick leaned back in his chair with mock-distress and said, "Hey, we'd love to see Frank promoted, but what can we do? It's not something you can easily work around."
"He put in for it, you say?"
"Yes he did," Mr. Jones said.
"But it hasn't gone through yet?"
"It's already been approved by the other supervisors, Chief," Mr. Frederick said. Iolaus watched the word Chief fall at his feet and wasn't swayed. He'd watched Frederick reach down into his bucket, find the word wriggling around inside there, impale it on a hook and cast it out at him like he was suddenly supposed to bite with glee.
"I think it's safe to say any decision made by any board of supervisors is…flexible," Iolaus said.
Neither Jones nor Frederick cared to respond, but after more shuffling of papers and stalling, Mr. Jones said, "It's been very clearly expressed that Frank no longer wishes to continue his career as a police officer. As far as he's concerned, he is done. Permanently."
Iolaus smiled calmly and said, "Let me worry about talking to him. If there's one thing I've learned in all the years I've worked in this place, it's that nothing is ever permanent. Not a damn thing."
Bernard Schaffer is the father of two children. Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, his work ranges from best-selling gritty police procedurals to fantasy westerns.
A real life police officer, in 2012 he released a series of books titled SUPERBIA about a dysfunctional police department that reached the Kindle Top 100. As a result, he was stripped of his detective rank.
Schaffer is the founder of the Kindle All-Stars. All profits from their collections are donated to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Acknowledgments
Three years ago a good friend of mind named Dan Vogel said the following six fateful words to me, "Have you ever read Animal Farm?"
I had no idea how much Dan's early concept would come to influence me, but here it is. A testament to his initial observation that George Orwell had a lot to say when it comes to the animals on the farm and the ones who have power over them.
To all the cops who read Superbia, their wives and family and friends who send me emails and Twitter messages and Authorgraph notes and remind me over and over that they get it. They really get it, and I'm so grateful for that. I just want you to know I read every single one of your comments and reviews. They mean the absolute world.
I'd say this book is for the real cops out there, but the problem is, too many of the other guys would think I meant them. So let me put it like this. Ten years ago I had the great privilege of working with Paul Gorley, a retired Chief of Bucks County Detectives. Paul was patient with me and always took time to answer my questions about how he would work certain cases or his general thoughts on policing. Paul told me this: "Put the victim first. As long as you do that, you can't go wrong."
So when I say real cops, I mean the ones who do that. That's who Superbia is for.
This is for all the cops who ever went the extra mile with a case or a suspect to keep a little kid from having to get up on the stand. This is for all the cops who ever went home and wrapped their arms around their wives or children and were crying too hard to say why. And it's for your families. This is your story as much as it is mine.
I hope you found it worthy.
BERNARD SCHAFFER
Montgomery County, PA
Spring 2013
The Bernard Schaffer Dropbox is Live
You can now access the Bernard Schaffer Dropbox for FREE stories and info, including the brand new STAR TREK RETURN FIRE series for your eReader.
Authorgraph
Bernard Schaffer is a proud participant in the Authorgraph program, wherein readers can request to have their books personalized by clicking the above link. Select any available title to receive a digitally signed and inscribed message from him.
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Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @ApiarySociety
Info on Free Book Days + More: Bernard Schaffer Facebook Fan Page
The Guns of Seneca 6 Saga
Get Your Guns Ready to travel to Bernard Schaffer's dusty world of the Old West set on a distant planet. Outlaws, gunslingers, native tribes, the occasional spaceship crash landing, and men willing to risk it all. A perfect combination of science fiction and western.
Recommended for fans of Firefly, Star Trek, Old West legends, Tombstone, and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
See the Guns of Seneca 6 Pinterest Page or this Listmania! Page for some of the author's influences.
The Superbia Series
The world of police work is a dangerous, terrifying place...and that's just dealing with other cops. Not-Even-Promoted Detective Frank O'Ryan spends more time with drug dealers and child molesters than his own family, but it's better than having to circumvent the unspeakable bureaucracy of his own agency. Called the literary equivalent of The Wire and one of the most subversive books on law enforcement ever written.
Recommended for fans of Joseph Wambaugh, Ed McBain, The Wire, NYPD Blue, and Homicide: Life on the Streets.
See the Superbia Pinterest page or this Listmania! Page for some of the author's influences.
Grendel Unit
Several hundred years in the future, humanity has spread to multiple planets and made contact with a wide variety of alien life forms. Under the banner of Unification, they've sought to extend their reach and philosophies, sometimes by legitimate means and sometimes by military or economic force.
As with any government, there are dirty jobs that need to be done. Enemies that need to be silenced. Terrorist cells that need to be eliminated. That's when they call the Grendel Unit.
The Fight for the Future Just Got Dirty.
See this Listmania! List for the author's picks for Ultimate Genre Readers List
Whitechapel: The Final Stand of Sherlock Holmes
The fog is dense and the cobblestone streets of London's East End run with blood. This new and exciting take on the classic characters from Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books has left readers over the world stunned...and begging for more.
Recommended for fans of Sherlock Holmes, Thomas Harris, Jack the Ripper, historical crime fiction and serial killer investigations.
See the Whitechapel Pinterest page or this Listmania! List for some of the author's influences.
Star Trek Return Fire
FREE FOR ALL EBOOK FORMATS
They say that all civilizations fall
But just as The Federation has reached its final days,
The fire returns.
Bernard Schaffer's epic all-new Star Trek adventure, available completely free via Dropbox for Kindle, Nook, iPad, and more!
Presented as "fan fiction" this ongoing series will be regularly updated by the author and made available via multiple channels at no cost to readers.
You do not need to sign up or be a member to access the Bernard Schaffer Dropbox. Simply select the correct file for your e-reader and enjoy.
Novellas
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