Fallout

Chapter 9

The Journal of John Nolan

Lopez and Harper want to send someone in undercover to buy fish medication from Stone Castle Aquarium supplies. Then if the crime lab finds anything in it besides antibiotics, Lopez will have no trouble getting a warrant to raid the place. Hopefully, she can pick up some hard evidence on Elijah Stone.

Lucy would love to do it, but after what happened with La Fiera, she's blown to about every drug dealer in LA. And with Elijah's eyes and ears in the department, almost any other cop could attract the wrong kind of attention as well. So Lopez needs someone new that neither Stone nor any of his contacts have seen. The best solution she can come up with is to use a cadet from the Police Academy. A cadet would be willing to assume the risk and, by this stage, well enough trained to pull off the job. Or at least that's the theory.

Lopez and Harper will be spending a couple of days with the new class as guest lecturers. They'll scope out the possibilities and pick the best candidate. With Harper gone, Thorsen will be on the desk. I'm about ready to go back on the street. I'm more than ready, actually. But I'll be training Thorsen on the ins and outs of communication with the LA citizenry first. I suppose I could consider it my first task leading to a career as a TO.

The problem is that Thorsen is still so recognizable. When he's cruising around in a shop, people only see him for a second unless he jumps out to give chase. They might wonder where they've seen him before, but that will probably be the end of it. While they're standing in line at the desk, they'll have time to make the connection. That means we may be in for some long explanations or even open hostility. Not that Aaron isn't used to that. He's had to put up with it ever since he was acquitted, and probably long before that. But it will slow down a process that doesn't always run smoothly to begin with. I may have to do a lot of sweet-talking. My experience in explaining to a single mother of four why her kitchen cabinets are back-ordered may come in handy.

Bailey is about ready to go back to work too. Much as I love having her around, her boredom has my refrigerator stuffed to the limit with her cooking creations. I can leave the pies in the break room. They disappear fast enough. But eggplant parmigiana doesn't have as many takers.

She won't be going back on the engine right away. Instead, she'll be dealing with various tasks at the firehouse, including cooking. She'll also be taking calls for medical assistance. But I can't say I'm too upset that she won't be running toward the fire yet. Of course, she wouldn't be Bailey if she didn't, but I can use a few more days without that worry on my mind.

And as worries go, I have all the union rep paperwork – dating back months. Smitty had just been letting the documents pile up on his desk in Property. Some of them had been there so long that they were curling at the edges. Some of the complaints are outdated, like the one about the refrigerator. Wesley took care of that. But there are others. I took another look through the regs to refresh my memory regarding what's allowed in terms of good-natured teasing vs. hazing. Most of what goes on in our division is good-natured enough, but one thing caught my eye. That discrimination due to race or gender is forbidden is a no-brainer. But discrimination or hazing due to age is every bit as much prohibited. And that was precisely what Grey did to me from my first day. He didn't even try to cover it up. His slings and arrows were right there out in front of everybody. Captain Anderson intervened when Grey wanted to wash me out, but otherwise, he had a free hand. All that grief's turned around now. I believe Grey honestly respects me. So do the other cops.

But what about the next mature rookie? Will he or she have to put up with the same abuse? Should it become an issue again here, I'll have to make sure neither Grey nor anyone else can get away with it. Still, that won't stop it from happening at other divisions. I'll have to reach out to other union reps about making ageism as unacceptable as other forms of bigotry. That won't be easy, but I can't let the problem go."

Since her sister died of a drug overdose, Tanisha thought about fighting back against the drug dealers every day. She worked as hard as she could in high school for the best chance of getting into the police academy. She avoided any contacts that might show up on a background check and worked out every day. Still, she was nervous every moment until she received her acceptance.

As a cadet, Tanisha knew she had a long way to go to reach her goal. However, she wasn't sure how she would get there – until she heard Nyla Harper's guest lectures. After that, Tanisha was determined to follow the road to becoming an undercover cop. It wouldn't be easy, but it would take her where she wanted to go. The last thing she expected was a return visit from Harper, asking for volunteers. Tanisha had never raised her hand so fast in her life.

Finding herself huddled in the apartment of Officer Lucy Chen with Nyla Harper and Detective Angela Lopez was yet another surprise. Lucy recounts that Harper gave her a crash course in undercover work. And even so, she ended up almost getting killed. So the women will be putting their heads together to prepare Tanisha the best they can to storm one of Elijah Stone's possible drug operations.

"We've caught as many images as we could of potential drug buyers," Lopez explains. "Of those, we've identified the ones you can most likely use as a reference if you're asked."

"But right now, the best source of intelligence you'll have is your own eyes and ears," Nyla adds. "We understand that customers line up for fish antibiotics. Find a place as far back in the line as you can. Observe what the other buyers say and do. We'll also give you a cover story about your aquarium. Hopefully, at worst, that will get you legitimate fish medicine. But if we're lucky, you'll get a sample of whatever illegal substance Stone's people are selling. You'll turn over whatever you receive to Lopez. At that point, you'll be finished unless we need your testimony in court. The lab will determine whether we have anything we can use against Stone or not. Try to keep your time at Stone Castle to a half-hour maximum. And if you can make it out sooner, all the better."

"And all I have to do is buy some fish pills?" Tanisha asks.

"It sounds simple," Lucy acknowledges. "When I went undercover the first time, it sounded like a piece of cake to me. But things can go bad in a split second. So don't assume that anything will be easy. That can get you killed. You understand that, right?"

Tanisha pictures her sister's dead body. "I understand."