Quality Time …

Exiting the Chapel, Judy asked, "Where are we going first?" "I'm hungry." Doug said; to which Judy replied, "You're always hungry, Doug, but my stomach agrees with you. Anywhere but Rocket Dog sounds good to me." As she leaned against the railing at the top of the stairs, Ninja suggested, "How about the mall? It has food and I need to get a few things that I couldn't fit in my duffle bag." Shrugging his shoulders, Hanson said, "O.k. I'll drive."

They were ready to pile into the '68 powder blue Mustang when Ninja walked over to a sleek black '66 Mustang. Tom's eyes followed her every move, What are you doing, Tommy? She's 17 years old and possibly a trained killer! "Hey, y'all want to see my car?" Ninja asked, snapping Tom back to reality. "Sure," Judy replied while Doug gave a high, short whistle as they walked over to inspect the car. Ninja popped the hood while Tom came over. Peering under the hood, Tom let out a long, low whistle followed by an awestruck whisper of "Wow!"

Next thing he knew, Ninja was beside him. "I bought the frame for a couple hundred bucks when I was 12. The engine is what I call 'an original Frankenstein'. It's all 1966 Mustang parts but I got most of them from different junkyards. Took me three years to track down the parts and another year just to get it running. Won a couple of races with it too, when I was state-side." She revealed. Doug had a look that was a blend of worry and amusement, "You raced this beauty? Are you stupid or something?" Ninja gave him the 'I'm not stupid' look before explaining, "I never raced for pink slips, Penhall, and I only raced people that had the cash on hand. I got the money to buy and build this by racing tractors, which is far more dangerous. I've got my bag, are we going or not?" "Yeah, let's go," Tom said, lowering the hood. A minute later, they were in Tom's Mustang and pulling out of the parking lot.

As Tom maneuvers the car through the maze of city streets, Ninja stared out the window taking in the city and trying to learn street names. "What kind of clothes do you have Ninja?" Judy asked, trying to break the silence that had permeated the vehicle. "Mostly black shirts. I have some other colors but not many. And I only packed six pairs of jeans, besides what I'm wearing, three camos and three denim." Ninja replied absentmindedly.

"Do you have any band T's, jackets, or ripped jeans?" Tom inquired, looking at her in the rearview mirror. Thinking for a second, Ninja answered, "Yeah, I was able to find a handful of band T's for little-of-nothing at yard sells on my drive up. All the jackets I brought are the camo flannel I've got on, a gray and red flannel, and a sweatshirt. I don't have any rips or holes like what y'all are used to, but a couple of my jeans do have a few places that I haven't got around to mending yet." "Well, I'm sure we can show you around our world," Tom said with a smile as he pulled into a parking space.

Inside the shopping center, the officers made a beeline for the pizza counter while Ninja followed. "What can I get ya?" the boy behind the counter asked. "An extra-large cheese pizza and a Dr. Pepper," Doug said. "A Sprite, please." Judy chimed. Turning to Ninja, Tom asked, "What do you want to drink?" "Coke, please." She replied. "Two Cokes," Tom added to the order. He rang it up on the register, "O.k. that'll be $6.52. And your pie will be done in a few minutes." Doug handed him a ten-dollar bill and the boy gave Doug the change and drinks.

Tom handed Ninja her drink as they sat down at a table. "Thanks, Hanson. But you do know that we're not dating, Turner and McQuaid are." Ninja smiled slyly. "Well, I figured that we need to get to know each other. Seeing as we're partners and all." Tom quipped, flashing his cocky McQuaid smile, not realizing that it had made her blush. Ninja felt her cheeks growing warm, Oh quit that! Yeah, he's cute but he's a police officer and I don't need to deal with this right now. "I'll go get our food," Tom said before heading back to the counter.

I hope no one saw. I need a minute. Ninja thought, asking, "Can one of you tell me where the bathroom is?" "Sure, I'll show you," Judy responded, getting up. "Why do girls always have to have someone go with them to the restroom?" Doug wondered, not expecting an answer. "Because we like having someone to talk to, Penhall," Judy replied before she and Ninja started to walk away.

Tom walked back to the almost empty table and sat the pizza down, wondering, "Where'd the girls go?" "Restroom. What's going on between you two?" Doug asked as he grabbed a slice. "Who? Me and Judy?" Tom knew who his best friend was talking about but tried to dodge the question anyway. "Ninja, doofus," Doug smirked with his mouth full. Nervously rubbed the back of his neck, Tom sighed as he reached for a slice, "I had hoped that no one had noticed. I mean, she's 17 on top of easily being able to kill me." "Sorry to leave you alone with a killer, but better you than me. Besides, Dorothy has me sleeping on the couch and I don't have a place for her. Maybe Judy can take the little spy." Doug suggested. Tom shook his head, "I think she has a date tonight, and I don't want to deal with an angry Hoffs tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Ninja was talking with Judy, "I just need to clear my head, Judy. You can go back if you want." "Is it because you blushed at Tom?" Judy inquired. Ninja's nose wiggled like a mouse before she sighed, "Yes... Do you think the guys noticed?" Answering thoughtfully, Judy had a bemused smile on her lips, "I think Doug noticed when I did. Hanson... I'm not so sure. Tom can be a little dense when it comes to this stuff."

"It's just … I don't need any distractions right now. I'm trying to get used to working again; but how can I focus on the mission when I'm worried about a teammate?" Ninja sighed in frustration with pain in her eyes. Judy pulled her over to a bench and sat down. "Listen to me, Ninja. Tom Hanson is one of my best friends and a great cop, he'll never make you do anything you don't want to." Judy put her hand on Ninja's shoulder as she continued, "Now, Tom will see it as his job to protect you, me, and Doug, and will beat himself up if any of us gets hurt even if he couldn't do anything."

Sarcastically rolling her eyes, Ninja quipped, "So, my job is to protect him without getting hurt and solve the case at the same time. Sounds like a cakewalk." "Speaking of food, we better get back before those two eat the whole pizza." Judy chuckled as they walked back toward the food court.

The girls hurried back to the table, but not before the guys had already made a huge dent in their meal. "I can't believe it. We were gone ten minutes and you two already ate half of it." Judy complained as Ninja grinned, both shaking their heads. "Hey, we didn't know when you'd get back. Just be glad we didn't finish it off." Doug retorted. Ninja picked up a piece, still grinning ear to ear, "Hey, I'll take what I can get. At least it's not cold." After a couple of bites, she asked, "So, how'd y'all meet?" Laughing, they told the story of Hanson's first case.

When they were finished Tom asked, "We told you our story; so what's yours?" Ninja hesitated, glancing around as shoppers moved from store to store, "Not here, too many people. Sorry, but when one is in my kind of business; you learn pretty quickly not to say too much about yourself in public. You never know who might be listening." Desiring to learn more about Ninja, Tom said, "O.k. How about we head back to my apartment and get ya settled in. Then, if you want to, you can tell us your story." "Sounds good. Let's roll." Ninja replied, grabbing the last slice as Doug threw away the trash.