“Marcie!”
She turned and looked but kept walking.
“Marcie!”
This time she stopped and turned towards him. The two girlfriends stopped too. He ran up to them.
“Marcie, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Okay, what's up?”
She didn't move and neither did the other two girls. Norman stared into those green eyes, unsure what to do, so he plunged ahead.
“Well, uh, well, I was hoping you would go to prom with me.”
The two girlfriends began to giggle. Marcie looked embarrassed.
“No”
“You sure?”
“I'm sure, the answer is no.”
Norman couldn't help himself.
“Why not?!”
The two girls rolled their eyes at him and laughed out loud. Marcie looked angry.
“Because, I'm not going to my senior prom with a guy who has a bloodstain on his face!”
She turned and walked away, looping arms with her girlfriends, her black hair flowing behind her. He could hear them laughing.
Norman stood there for a long time. He was frozen in place, anger surging up in him. He felt naked, exposed.
How could she? Bloodstain! How dare she?
His anger was mixed with humiliation. He looked around to see if anyone was watching. There was a group of teammates watching from the parking lot. They were laughing.
He wanted to run after her, make her apologize, make her pay for her cruelty.
Instead, he threw his helmet against the gym wall and ran for home.
Chapter 1
Jason pulled into the driveway and got out. His wife, Sandy, was waiting for him when he got to the door. She was tall, almost the same height as Jason, with blonde hair and brown eyes. Jason loved the way she met him. She would stop whatever she was doing, come over to him and give him a peck on the lips. The kiss was always followed by a long hug. It was wonderful ritual that he knew was partly born out of her fear that he wasn’t going to come home one day.
They had talked about it when their dating had become serious. They met at a Sonic drive-in. Jason had pulled in for a Cherry Limeaid and Sandy was a passenger in the car next to him. She was ordering the same thing and a conversation started up.
Jason was enrolled in the police academy at University of Texas at Austin and Sandy was in her final year of teacher college. They met a couple times in the commons of the university for lunch and finally, two weeks later, went on a date. She had laughed when after the movies, he had taken her back to Sonic for a Limeaid.
From that day on, they remained inseparable and when Jason had received a job offer from the San Antonio Police Department, Sandy had taken a teaching job with San Antonio schools.
They were married the summer after they graduated and had never talked about the danger in Jason’s job again. He sensed she had dealt with it and accepted the danger as part of loving him. There was no more reason to discuss it. She would no more ask him to quit than he would ask her to give up teaching.
Jason still knew though, after every shift, she would greet him the same way. Sometimes the hugs lasted longer than others, but the greeting was always the same.
Today was one of those long hug days. Jason had been tracking a suspected serial killer in Springfield, Missouri. There had been guns involved and that always made it worse. In truth, he might be the one holding on a little longer. He had missed her and the strength he drew from her.
Still it was nice to be home and with her rather than facing Lieutenant Patton. Jason knew he had an issue to answer for but at least he got to be home for awhile before going to the station.
****
Way too early the next morning, Jason’s phone began ringing. He saw the station number on his phone and figured it had to be Lieutenant John Patton. Instead, the voice that greeted him when he answered was his partner, Vanessa Layne.
“Slacker, you awake yet?”
“I am now.”
“You coming in today? I’m tired of carrying everything while you’re off gallivanting cross country.”
He gave a small laugh and rubbed at his eyes.
“Gallivanting? Really? Is that what I was doing? Yes, I’ll be in. I’ve got an appointment with the lieutenant.”
“ Anything I should know about?”
“No. I’ll see you when I get in.”
He hung up and swung his legs off the side of the bed. Sandy rolled over and touched his back.
“You have to go?”
It happened she had no school today, some sort of teacher training thing, and Sandy had suggested last night that she would be willing to skip it if Jason stayed home.
“Yeah. Can’t put it off.”
She groaned and rolled back over.
He got up and got dressed.
****
Jason arrived at the station about mid-morning. He walked to his desk opposite Vanessa, who was busy filling out a report. She looked up and smiled.
“Welcome back, stranger.”
“Thanks. Have you seen the lieutenant?”
“He ran down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Said he’d be back shortly and you should wait in his office.”
He went over and took a chair in the Lieutenant’s office. Almost as quick as he got comfortable, the door shut behind him.
“Morning, JD.”
Jason's middle name was David and he had picked up JD in the academy. It had stuck.
“Good morning, Lieutenant.”
John Patton dropped into his chair. He was a big man who worked out almost every day, including his days off, and had muscles on his muscles. Brown hair that was receding, or as he put it, moving to his eyebrows and moustache. They were indeed bushy, and when the lieutenant was upset, his eyebrows would knit together to form a hedge. Jason noticed the hedge was visible this morning.
“Jason, you’ve put me in a tough spot. Your work in Springfield was first class but the records search you did for Michael Barton is strictly against department policy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jason figured the fewer words the better.
“I’ve made the Captain aware of the search but not the results.”
Jason didn’t say anything but he knew he bore responsibility for much of what happened in the days after the search.
The lieutenant got to the point.
“You’re suspended with pay for 14 days.”
Jason let it sink in. It wasn’t the time off, that would be kind of nice, but the mark on his record may well hold him back for years. Still, he knew that John Patton had protected him. It would have been much worse if the captain knew all the details.
Jason stood.
“Yes, sir. I appreciate the consideration.”
“Okay, and JD, give your partner the news on the way out.”
“I will.”
Looks like Vanessa has two more weeks of carrying me.
He had no way of knowing that he would be off for less than a week.
Chapter 2
Jason Strong took Highway 368 out of his Terrell Hills neighborhood down to Houston street and then east to the police station. He and Sandy had moved there when he’d made detective. It was a nice neighborhood of newer homes and an easy commute for him.
He was headed back to work after only six days served of his suspension. The lieutenant had called him this morning and lifted his suspension because of the case that had just landed on his desk. Jason had jumped at the chance to get back to work and was on his way within twenty minutes.