"Everyone and their grandmothers must be on the road today." Pete was muttering to himself as he kept tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. It wasn't like he had anything else to do; traffic had been stopped for the last twenty minutes. He was too far away to see what was causing the traffic jam. All he knew was that it was getting late. He had hoped to stop at the station and leave while the day watch was out on the road and before the PM watch members were due to arrive. If he had gotten there when he wanted to, there was a much less chance of being teased.
Eventually, whatever had caused the problem had been resolved. While he saw no sign of an accident, there was an officer directing traffic. The officer wasn't anyone he knew but Pete did take notice of his technique. The young officer seemed to be having fun. It was ninety-five degrees out and this guy was practically dancing as he waved cars through.
"Sun Stroke. It has to be." That was the only thing that made sense to Pete who palmed the job off to Reed whenever he could get away with it. Pete was about to say something else when he realized that he was talking to himself. When had he started doing that?
He was almost at the station, when he remembered this morning's call from his mother; and the check he had told her was already in the mail. Pete had gotten the check ready and sealed in an envelope, but had had no stamps left. Instead of turning left towards the station he turned right and made his way to the post office. He was surprised to see that there were only two people in line. He might make his self-imposed deadline after all.
Fifteen minutes later, Pete finally pulled into the station parking lot. A quick glance at his watch showed that it was 3:10. If all the reports were ready, he would be able to get out before too many people saw him. His first stop was the locker room, where he had left the four reports he did have. Thankfully, it was empty and Pete headed for his locker. There it was, completely covered with band aids and red stained handkerchiefs. Purely by instinct, Pete hauled back and delivered a hard right fist to the locker door. All that accomplished was a sore right hand.
Furiously, he started ripping the bandages and cloth from his locker door. Pete was almost done when he heard the locker door open and close.
"Hey Pete, don't you need those for your booboo toe?" Snyder, it would be him. Pete rolled the bandages into a ball and hurled it at the other officer.
"Stow it, Snyder!" He glared at Snyder, almost daring him to say anything. To his credit, the younger officer knew when to back off.
"Sorry Malloy. I heard about this morning is all. Willard made it sound funny. I'll come back later." Snyder was about to make a wild dash towards the door, when Pete spoke up.
"No, get what you wanted. Sorry, it's been one of those days." Pete was honestly bothered that he let his temper get so out of control. More than bothered, he was embarrassed by it. Pete opened his locker, took out the reports and left without saying a word to Snyder.
There were a few officers in the hall as Pete made his way to the Watch Commander's office. Other than a "hi", everyone was uncharacteristically quiet. Murphy was sitting at the desk when Pete walked into the office. The sergeant looked up and chuckled.
"Bad day, Pete?" Murphy had a few years on him, in addition to out-ranking Pete.
"Huh?" Pete stared at Murphy. Was his bad mood that obvious?
"You're real quick on the uptake today, aren't you? Did your bleeding toe make you light-headed?" Murphy was getting too much enjoyment out of this.
"Do you have any training reports for me?" His attempt to get Murphy off the subject didn't work.
"A suit and tie? Are you taking your landlady to dinner to thank her for fixing your toe? It was the big toe, right?" Pete had left the office door open so the laughter behind him caught Pete by surprise. He spun around, hurting his toe in the process, to see Williams, the desk officer standing in the doorway.
"Do you think something is funny Williams?" The question was tinged with a hint of intimidation. Williams had more years on the force than Pete did, but being the Senior Lead Officer, did have its advantages.
"Henderson told me to give this to you." The officer handed Pete a training report and left as fast as he could go. Murphy continued to chuckle at him.
"How long have you been practicing that scowl, Pete? It's very effective. Do you do that all the time or only when you have a booboo?" He was moving papers around on the desk looking for something.
"I started doing it the day after I got off probation and saw my first rookie. Please tell me that you have five reports to go with the one Williams brought in." Pete's optimistic side half hoped that all the reports were turned in; his pessimistic side knew better.
"You're the hopeful one, aren't you? Sorry Pete, including the one Williams brought in, I have three." Pete thought he saw a hint of pity in the sergeant's eyes. Murphy had once been the CTO; He knew the frustration Pete was now feeling.
Pete took the reports, glancing at the names of the officers who had turned them in. "It figures. Wells and Greene never get them in on time. Walters is missing too, but he's at least been out sick. Isn't Greene working the PM watchh?"
"He's doing a double today both day watch and PM watch." Murphy just put a bullseye on Greene.
Malloy happened to look at the hallway at the perfect moment; Greene, who was walking towards the Watch Commander's office, did a quick turn away when he saw Pete.
"Hey Greene, can I see you a moment?" There was a patient tone to the request, despite Pete's rising blood pressure.
"Er….I need to get back out on the street. Catch me later?" Greene's eyes darted back and forth. Presumably he was looking for the nearest exit.
"No, now. Surely the citizens of our great city can wait a few minutes." There was no way Pete was letting this mouse of of the trap. "Where is the training report on Jenkins? Yesterday was the last day to turn it in."
"I'll do it tomorrow after my shift, promise". The officer took a couple of steps, backing away from Pete.
"Today Greene. I want that report before you leave the station tonight. I don't care if you do it instead of taking seven or stay overtime, but you will have it in today. Understood?" Pete had taken a couple of steps towards Greene and was glaring down at the shorter officer. His eyes, which got darker when he was pushed too far, were the color of an angry Atlantic Ocean.
"Yes, Sir. I'll make sure it's turned in before I leave." He quickly agreed and even gave Pete a salute before rushing away.
"Wow", the sargeant chuckled, "I haven't seen something like that in a long time. You had him sweating down to his shorts." Murphy paused before adding, "I am impressed. Where did you learn that?
"Val Moore was my training officer. I couldn't begin to count how many times I was on the other side." Pete was laughing too, now that Greene was out of ear shot. "Now, where is Wells?"
"He's not working until midnight." Murphy caught the sinister gleam in the younger officer's eyes.
"You could talk to him after you work the PM shift." So, Murphy had been serious when he called Pete earlier.
"I have a date Murph. I only wear a suit to work when I've been in court." Pete grabbed a folder from on top of the file cabinet and placed the TO reports inside. "Would you leave a note for Mac, asking him to speak to Walters and Wells, please?"
"I really am strapped for men on PM watch. Even Reed agreed to come in." He paused playing Pete like a trout caught on a hook, "I might need to put him in an L can. I hate to do that to anyone on a Friday night."
Pete knew what Murphy was doing; appealing to his sense of responsibility for his partner. He wasn't happy about what the sergeant was doing, but Jim was much more than just his partner.
"Fine! I'll cancel my date, but that was a low blow Murph, and you know it." Murphy was openly grinning at Pete.
"I had Val as a TO too."
