Nolan's Journal Chapter 34
"Halloween worked out for Lucy and Tim but not in a way anyone would have expected. The eternal nurturer, Lucy is always looking to involve herself in helping someone out. In this case, she escorted a bunch of kids from disadvantaged immigrant families to a big Halloween party in Hollywood. From the pictures and videos I've seen online, it was quite the affair, with a haunted mansion and various celebrities playing ghostly figures. Some local politicians also showed up. It's the time of year when they take every opportunity they can to make a good impression.
"The presence of celebrities and politicians meant an increased need for security, and Tim just happened to draw an assignment there. From what I've heard, the kids and everyone else were having a great time when protesters showed up. There are usually at least a few of those when any political figure is around, so no one worried too much about it – at first. Unfortunately, they weren't just protesters. They were from an organization that wants to ship all the immigrants, legal or not, out of the country. The kids that Lucy brought were the target of some very vicious rhetoric.
"The verbal assaults would have been bad enough, but weapons materialized from somewhere – not guns, thank God, but baseball bats and the broomsticks sold to go with witches' costumes. The invaders charged into the party and started smashing things up while they yelled epithets at the kids. Lucy jumped into the fray to defend them, of course, as did Tim and the other officers assigned to security.
"The cops used non-lethal force to beat back attackers. More than one of them got tased, and they finally retreated. Tim and the other officers rounded up anyone who actually tried to use a weapon and took them in while Lucy worked on reassuring the kids that everything would be fine.
"Later, Lucy went to the Hollywood Division to give her statement. Tim was there, finishing up his paperwork. They decided to go out for coffee, and I guess one thing led to another. So, apparently, they're a couple again. They've got a lot of things to work through. Lucy's still carrying a lot of hurt. Whatever is still going on with Tim is between him, Lucy, and his therapist, but it looks like they both may have some genuine thankfulness come turkey time.
"Speaking of Thanksgiving, it's going to be a big deal at the Nolan-Nune residence this year. Henry is planning on flying back from Japan, which will bring almost the whole family together. From what Essie said, Thanksgiving was a big holiday in her church and with her birth parents. She told us about the food. Apparently, there was lots of it, but that wasn't supposed to be the important thing. They spent weeks figuring out all the things they were thankful for, so they could put them in their prayers before the feast. That didn't sound to me like a bad idea at all.
"Bailey and I have a lot to be thankful for. We are together, and we have Essie to complete our family. Bailey's ex is still securely behind bars. We both have jobs that we love and lots of genuine friends. A person couldn't ask for much more.
"The dinner could get a little complicated. Both Bailey and I are senior enough now to be off on the holiday, but I will be working an extended shift the day before, partly because we need the cops on the street and in part so Stella doesn't fall behind in her training. Bailey will be working until end of shift the day before. That won't give us a lot of time to put everything together. But we'll do as much of it ahead as we can. Cox, who we've all agreed is the division's master chef, gave me some pointers on how to get that done. We have a fresh turkey on order, so we won't have to worry about thawing time. We'll just have to get it in the oven early enough. But for Bailey and me, getting up early is nothing new.
"I wish my brother Pete could come up to be with us, but in a way, his absence will also be something to be grateful for. He finally got himself a legitimate job. He's supervising repossessions for a finance company. At least he can put his criminal skills to work without risking arrest. I'm proud of him, and I hope it works out. He gets Thanksgiving off, but unfortunately not the day after. The company sees it as an excellent time to grab the cars from deadbeats who leave them behind to travel. So Pete will be busy.
"After the way the department busted Tim down to patrol, he'll be working on Thanksgiving. That will make for an awkward situation for Lucy, who will have the day off. Celina will be celebrating with her mother, grateful for the closeness they've been able to regain, and Tamara will be with a family for whom she does the majority of her babysitting jobs. That leaves Lucy to celebrate with her parents. From what I've gathered, she's not looking forward to it, but it might be a chance to iron out some of the new wrinkles that popped up in that relationship. That may give her something to be grateful for. She and Tim can have their own celebration when he's off duty.
"The weather in LA has been crazy. The natives tell me that it usually rains a lot in October. Not this year. We were deluged in September, but for now, the sky is a bright and cloudless blue – and it's hot. Stella and Lena are both grateful that they're no longer stuck in long sleeves. Even so, spending the days in midnight blue wool uniforms seems ridiculous. I envy the detectives who get to dress in civilian – and cooler – clothes. At least our shops are air-conditioned, so most of us hope to spend as much time inside them as possible. Some of the criminals seem to be cooperating. As the temperature has soared, the number of smash and grabs and purse snatchings has declined. Unfortunately, theft in the cool environments of drug stores, discount stores, and big box stores has risen. Maybe the sticky fingers have just shifted venues.
"We've also seen a rise in supermarket thefts. There was one enterprising young man who decided to steal frozen turkeys that he could sell out of his van at a discount. The turkey thief had discerning taste, too. He only stole the upscale brands. He hit several markets before we caught up with him, partially because the number of markets carrying those brands is limited. He had coolers full of turkeys. The markets wouldn't take them back because of safety and liability concerns, but they OK'd donating them to shelters. They were all still solidly frozen and will be thoroughly cooked, so no one anticipates an outbreak of turkey-borne illness.
"Bailey just got home and needs to talk about something. We often talk at this time of night when Essie is asleep, but Bailey looks serious. Hopefully her announcement won't be about a monkey wrench in our plans, but with the way things go for us, anything is possible."