Chapter One
It had been a particularly hot, humid day in Manhattan. Although summer was coming to a close, it still had a tight grip on the city. Nails dug in; it wasn't budging. Summers like this turned the city into a steamy garbage swamp. The sidewalks were sticky, the air was sticky. Everyone was ready for the weather to break, to catch a breath of fresh air. Something had to give sooner or later.
In a nice fully air conditioned squad car in lower Manhattan, two cops were ready to wrap up the day. It was two o'clock in the afternoon. They had been at work since the wee hours. Despite the early wake up call, this was actually the best shift to have – get out on the streets before the traffic and the crowds. Add sweltering heat to the mix and you had a recipe for a miserable job. But on the early shift, just about the time things started heating up (in terms of both criminal mischief and the temperature), you are off the clock. Call it a day. Granted, on this shift one had to go to bed while the sun was still up, while kids screamed in delight and played kick ball in the streets. It did not make for an active social life. But in the summer, it was all about survival.
The squad car slowly made its way back to the station. The officer in the passenger seat was busy scrolling through her smart phone. But instead of checking social media for updates from friends, this officer was reading an e-mail with great focus. At least, that is what her partner thought as he made frequent sideways glances from the driver seat. She was rarely this quiet for this long. Clearly, something important grabbed her attention. But unless she volunteered the information, he couldn't pry. It was none of his business. When she finished typing a quick reply, put her phone down and looked up out into the bright sunshine, he asked, "Everything okay?" hoping to get a nugget of what that might have been about. "Yup!" she said happily. But then she turned her attention out her window, keeping him from getting a read on her face. Was she hiding something? He couldn't be sure. It was probably something to do with a guy, which he didn't want to know about. Just the thought of it made him shake off his remaining curiosity.
"So I'll see you tomorrow," she said, the car barely parked, her hand already opening the door. No slow stroll back inside while talking about latest trend or "it" bar? No debate regarding which new television show was overrated? She was in a bit of a hurry to be someplace else today. That turned his stomach a little more. And while his partner bounded up the steps and inside for the locker rooms, he walked like he had iron in his shoes. She was slipping away, and there was nothing he could do about it. Things had been going so well recently between them. But in an instant, things can change. This he knew. It still didn't make the sting any easier to deal with this time around. And what further brought him down was the fact that he knew he would be dwelling on it the rest of the day. He sighed. He stood in front of his locker, the name "Reagan" across the top, and realized he had no place to be, no one waiting for him after the shift. And it was a low feeling.