Fallout Chapter 35
With a contractor's eye, Nolan examines the connecting door. Like the door opening to the alley, it's metal, but sound can carry through metal. It even amplifies it. Fearful the gunmen might catch what he radios to Bradford, John moves to the door of the flower shop. Meeting Tim's gaze, he nods and mimes a key turning.
Bradford signals for John to exit the store and join him at his shop. "Nolan, other units are only two minutes out. But we'll all need to armor up before we gain entrance through that door. And we'll have to go in fast. Those gunmen could shoot right at us or at the civilians still in there. I'm going to have Chen and Thorsen get ready one at a time and you and I both need to gear up now."
Suddenly seeming all thumbs, Nolan dons his tactical gear. Two other units arrive as he finishes. Bradford sends him into the florist to watch the door while the backup teams prepare. As the cops silently line up behind Bradford, he uses his fingers to count down and motions for Nolan to turn the key.
The steel door creaks slightly but swings outward as the LAPD rushes in. As a semi-circle of weapon barrels surround them, Bradford yells for the gunmen to drop their weapons and get on the floor. One gunman gets a shot off before Tim drops him. The others sink to their knees. Nolan and other cops snap on cuffs while Bradford radios for the medics to come in.
John watches anxiously as the paramedics announce that a gunman's victim is still alive. Tim's target is alive as well and complains loudly when loaded into an ambulance. Lucy climbs in to watch over him as Bradford stays to supervise the securing of the crime scene. His adrenalin receding, John chafes as he and Thorsen go through the motions of taping off the perimeter. "Nolan," Bradford instructs as John checks his watch for the fourth time, "go take your exam."
John draws a breath. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. The division needs more than an interim F.T.O. You and Thorsen get out of here."
John jogs to the roll call room where Grey waits with the test paper laid out. "You're coming down from a heavy operation. Take a breath, Nolan," the sergeant advises. "I heard Bradford reporting in. You did good work today. But you need to put that out of your mind and concentrate on the questions in front of you. Don't rush. You'll have plenty of time. You're prepared for this, so don't psych yourself out."
"Yes, Sir."
"I mean it, Nolan. Settle down and settle in."
Dropping into his seat, John stares at the papers in front of him. Angela was right. The exam is multiple choice. And Bailey's advice echoes in his brain. "Look for the small print."
And there it is on the bottom margin of the page. "Revision C 04-01-22."
"It would be April Fool's day," John mutters to himself. It's a new test, which means he can't go by the study guide. And not everything Harper and Bradford told him will necessarily hold either. Fortunately, he's reviewed the newest versions of the regs – several times. And for the rest, he'll have to go with what he's picked up about what it takes for rookies to get something through their heads. As hard as his head is, how Bishop and Harper managed to bang something into it should serve as well as anything. At least he hopes so.
"Well, did I pass?" John inquires as Grey compares his answer sheet with the key.
"You passed, Nolan. Ninety-eight percent."
John blows out a breath. "OK. But with fifty questions, 98% means I missed one. What did I get wrong?"
Grey throws down his pen. "I'll give you the night to figure it out, Nolan. And if you don't know by tomorrow morning, I'll tell you."
Grey clears his throat behind the podium. "All right. Eyes up here. I'm pleased to announce that the victim of yesterday's bodega shooting made it and is expected to make a full recovery. The suspect shot by Sergeant Bradford is expected to recover as well. While Bradford is on leave during the mandatory investigation, we'll be more shorthanded than usual. The good news is that Nolan is now an F.T.O. on more than an interim basis. Thorsen, you'll be finishing your training with Nolan. Now for the rest of you, I want you in shops solo. Call for backup if you come up against something you can't handle on your own, but for tourist problems, which are presently a large proportion of our calls, deal with them single-handedly if at all possible.
"I understand that the birth of Harper's baby is imminent. James Murray will be keeping me and I suspect some of you updated on the situation. But let's keep speculation to a minimum and off the radio.
"Also on the subject of family news, Detective Lopez's husband, Wesley Evers, will no longer be defending clients. He's taken a position with the D.A.'s office. So he'll be interviewing suspects from the other side of the table. If you have questions about the charges, address them to him.
"Now, get out there and keep the city and yourselves safe."
"Go pick up our gear," Nolan instructs Thorsen. "I need to speak with Grey for a minute."
Grey nods as John approaches him. "Officer Nolan, question?"
"Yes, Sir. I was thinking about it all night and I checked the manual three times. But I still don't know which question I missed."
"It was 'What do you do if your rookie comes to you with suspicions about a superior officer's malfeasance?'"
"I remember that. The answers were, immediately report it up the chain of command, investigate the accusation, wait and see what develops, or none of the above."
"And you marked?"
"Immediately report it up the chain of command. That's what you told Harper. She earned the letter of reprimand in her folder for not doing so."
"And what would have happened if she had?" Grey inquires.
"Given that Armstrong was a trusted member of the force and had already planted evidence to implicate me, he could have gotten away with murder and I could have ended up behind bars."
"Agreed," Grey returns. "Anyone associated with Armstrong, including me, would have had to take his word over yours. That's not the outcome the LAPD should want. What you didn't know, Nolan, is that I was on the committee that updated the test. We met after the slap on the wrist Stanton got for sending Jackson into a situation to be beaten up. That was eventually reported up the chain of command and the response was, to say the least, insufficient."
"So what is none of the above?"
"Never proceed on pure suspicion. And no training officer has the time or resources to conduct a thorough investigation. That was Harper's problem. She couldn't get the evidence you two needed on Armstrong. Watching to see what develops is useless if corruption continues. The right answer is that from the second your rookie reports suspicions, you record and document everything. That includes body cam video. Recordings are what finally exposed Stanton to his fellow officers, if not to the powers that be. When you have all you can reasonably get, you take it outside the chain of command to an official but trusted party."
"Like Wesley Evers, now that he's with the D.A.?"
"He would be one example."
"But Sergeant, if I was following the rulebook, how could I possibly get that question right?"
"Because your experience would have told you that none of the other responses worked. The job of an F.T.O. is to pass on what he or she has learned. That includes all your experiences as a cop, Nolan. Keep that in mind."
"Yes Sir, I will."
"Where are we going?" Thorsen asks as Nolan veers from their usual lunch route.
"Food truck near the D.A.'s office. "Lopez told me Wesley has something to pass on. He's going to meet us there."
Holding a burrito, Wesley joins Nolan and Thorsen at a table near the vendor. "So what's the big news?" Nolan asks.
"I nailed the real murderer in the Studeman case. I followed the path you laid out, Nolan. You were right about Verona. The grand jury indicted him. He's in custody. We put a good case together John. And it should help get an innocent man out of prison. I hope we can work together on more of them."
"Yeah," John agrees. "I do too."
Finis
A/N OK! Summer is almost here. Season 4 has aired, at least in the U.S. It will be months until we see Season 5. So I'll be starting a new story for the hiatus. It will be alternate universe in ways you'll see pretty quickly. Join me next week for "Picking Up the Pieces." Love, Sally
