SOMETIMES, YOU LOSE SOME

by ardavenport

- - - Part 4

When the patrol car pulled up there were three neighbors on the front sidewalk, but the cops brushed past them with a cursory, 'Stay back.' Johnny held the door open for them, Officer Dave Edgewood and his partner, Clay Hallowett. Huddled in the doorway, they quietly filled the officers in on what they found and that they had left a message with the woman's husband. Grim faced, the officers told them to stay until the detectives arrived and that they were on their way. Then they went in, one kneeling next to the woman on the couch, the other going to the back of the house.

More waiting. More sirens approached. Looking out the window by the front door, Johnny saw more than a dozen civilians, adults and kids from the neighborhood, loitering outside. Another patrol car and a green sedan with a flashing light on top arrived and Johnny thought that it had to be cruel fate that two detectives who came out were Salinas and Davis from the death on their last shift. Johnny tugged on Roy's sleeve and pointed.

"Oh, great."

Johnny agreed. "I hope they don't want to keep our equipment this time."

"Well, if they want to take it out of the squad, I don't know if we can stop them." He opened the door for the two detectives. After minimal greetings they repeated the same things they'd told Edgewood and Hallowett. The detectives wrote it down in their notepads, then Salinas went to the back of the house. Davis told them they could go.

The two paramedics both left the house as if they were fleeing the ghost of the boy in it. That house, that family would never be the same again. The crowd of interested neighbors had grown, but none of them got up the nerve to ask them anything or get too close to the squad.

"Wait a minute."

Roy froze, the key to the squad in his hand. Sargent Davis leaned on the squad, looking down at them through the driver's side window.

"I was going to get a hold of you two anyway. We're not pressing any charges on the Ralston case."

Roy and Johnny looked at each other. Johnny leaned forward. "Why not?"

Davis sighed. "It seems that Miss Ralston failed to mention to you that her father had terminal cancer. He had notarized letters with his doctor and his attorney that no extraordinary measures were to be taken to prolong his life and that he wanted to die at home."

"Well, why would she do that?" Roy's tone rose, incredulous.

"Mr. Ralston was not on good terms with his daughter. He was going to leave his house and money to Jake Oppenheim who he'd been friends with for several years. That was the man who attacked you. She thought that if he lived a little longer he might change his mind. It was just bad luck that she was there when her father had his attack and Mr. Oppenheim was out. She wanted us to press murder charges against him, but technically he was already dead before you even got there. But . . . " he lowered his head and rubbed his chin, " . . . then she made a lot of noise thinking that you two should press assault charges since you were the ones who were attacked. You haven't been contacted by Miss Ralston's lawyer, have you?"

They shook their heads. "No."

"Now, going by the letter of the law, you could press assault charges against Mr. Ralston, since he did attack you. But he's a professional wrestler - - Mr. Ralston was his trainer - - so any kind of criminal charge could endanger his license. . . ."

Johnny and Roy looked at each other. Roy shook his head back at Davis. "I don't think so."

Davis shrugged as if it weren't any of his business even though he had obviously been steering the whole conversation. "Well, that's your choice." He stepped away from the squad. "Thanks for your help here."

They saw an older man approach as the squad backed up into the street, but the Sargent just brushed him off as he went back into the house.

Johnny didn't say anything until they were on a busy main street, heading back to the station.

"Man, I don't believe that lady. I just don't believe her!"

"Yeah." Roy kept his eyes on the traffic, slowed down for a yellow light.

"I mean, she used us, Roy! She just wanted to keep her father going, just so she could get him to change his will! She didn't care about him at all!"

"Yeah." Roy made a right turn, going south on Avalon.

"Well, doesn't that make you mad?"

"Yeah." Roy nodded, still looking forward.

Johnny scowled. "Well, you don't look it."

Still driving, Roy glanced his way. "I'm still having a little trouble getting the picture of that boy on the carpet back there out of my head."

"On. Yeah." Johnny couldn't argue with that.

When they got back to the station, it was empty. The log book said that the engine crew had gone out on a brush fire. It wasn't the dry season, so they probably wouldn't be out for long. Roy headed for the office.

"I'm going to fill out the log. I want to get that over with."

Johnny joined him. They were just finishing when the garage door opened and the engine backed in.

"There you are." Stanley strolled in. "Boy, I don't know what people are thinking when they burn trash in their yards and then wonder what went wrong when it gets away from them. Oh, you each owe me a buck and a half; we're having sandwiches for lunch." His cheerful mood faded when he saw their long faces. "How was the run?"

"Bad." Roy flipped the log book closed.

"Real bad." Johnny stood next to him, leaning on the desk. Captain Stanley asked. And they told him. Stanley winced when they told him about the mother who couldn't even see the bullet hole in her son's head until they told her they couldn't help him. Stanley's step-son and daughter were eleven and nine.

"I guess I don't have much to complain about with just a yard fire." He got up from his desk. You're making the beds today, Gage, right?"

"Yeah, Cap."

"Why don't you both go do that for now. We'll eat in about an hour. Then we'll have some hose to hang after lunch."

They left the office and went to the dorm to strip the beds. They wadded all the sheets that C-shift had slept in and Roy took the pile to the washing machine in the utility area in the back of the station while Johnny got out clean bedding. When he came back from starting the load of laundry he silently helped stuff pillows into clean cases. Roy did not seem inclined to talk much about their last run, and Johnny was not inclined to push him. Roy had kids; Johnny didn't. They finished quickly enough, put the sheets in the dryer and went to the day room.

The guys greeted them and told them about the brush fire. And they didn't ask about the squad's last run. Obviously Captain Stanley had told them about it. Even Chet Kelly, who loved needling John Gage about anything, wouldn't joke about a call like that. But Johnny did tell them about Ralston and his daughter. Chet recognized Oppenheim's name and said that he was known as 'The Mauler' in the wrestling ring.

Captain Stanley laid out the sandwich makings and they ate. They were just cleaning up when they got a call and they all ran out to the squad and engine.

Oooooooeeeeeeee-mmmmaaaaahhhh – BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

"Station Fifty-One – Structure fire – Four-Seven-Oh-Eight Evergreen Court - Four-Seven-Oh-Eight Evergreen Court - Cross Street Bell Avenue - Time Out, Twelve Fifty-Three."

"Station Fifty-One, Kay-Em-Gee-Three-Six-Five." Captain Stanley acknowledged the call and put the mic away. He handed a paper with the address to Roy on his way to the engine. Roy automatically handed it to Johnny and started the squad engine as the garage door came up. Daylight came in as the door rose. Then Roy suddenly looked at him. Johnny held up the piece of paper in shock.

"That's my place!"

- - - End Part 4