26. Short Vacation
Short Vacation
Ihaven’t been on a vacation in a really long time.
Although upset initially, I realized I needed this.
And so does Fred. He’s been cooped up in here for weeks.
Some sand and sun would do us both some good.
After spending all day at the airport and coming up empty, Captain Smith recommended I take some time off.
Or rather, was forced to. He did some poking around too, and well, let’s say some people didn’t find it amusing.
He got a talking-to, and I, a forced vacation.
“Are you ready, boy? Let’s go!” I said to Fred.
I had packed up all his things for the trip.
Food, water, his favorite toy, and some snacks.
I even gave him a bath last night, so he’s presentable and whatnot.
I rented a pet-friendly room at a hotel down by the beach, about twenty minutes away from here, and stacked my suitcase by the door when the phone rang.
I wasn’t expecting a call, so I considered not picking it up, but it persisted.
And then my cell phone rang. Almost in unison.
“This is Alex, go ahead,” I said into my cellphone.
“Alex! Where are you!” Captain Smith shouted, his voice cracking through the speaker.
“On vacation, as we agreed,” I replied, equally loudly.
“God damn it! You don’t have to shout.”
“What is it?” I said. In that moment, I considered telling him I was out of town or out of the country. Anywhere but here, really. I knew I should have turned my damn phone off.
“There was a shootout at that crappy motel, Paradise, just over the bridge in downtown. And your girl was involved,” Captain Smith said.
“My girl?”
“Special Agent Sarfati and her partner were attacked. Two uniforms were also there for an unrelated call when it all went down,” Captain Smith said.
“Are they hurt? What the hell happened?” I replied.
“Belle and her partner are fine. They’re not wounded.
The uniformed cops assigned to the downtown precinct are wounded, but they’ll make a full recovery.
There was also a bystander who was wounded, but she kept mentioning her hair as they wheeled her off.
Apparently, there were four attackers, and so far, they’ve counted over two hundred shell casings,” Captain Smith said.
“Any leads on who did it?” I said.
“Not yet. That’s why I called you.”
“I’m not on the case, remember?”
“Well, you're back on the case,” replied Captain Smith. “A personal request from Special Agent Sarfati.”
“Yeah?” I said.
“Yes, Alex, she asked for you.”
“Fine. Paradise Motel you said?” I replied.
“Paradise indeed,” Captain Smith said. “Keep me updated.”
Fred was ready to go. He had spent the whole time standing by the door with the toy ball at his feet. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and knelt down to him.
“I’m sorry, Fred, but I have to go. I promise I’ll take you next week,” I said to him.
He whined. And groaned. I had grabbed his ball and tossed it onto the sofa, then urged him away from the door.
Fred knew what this meant. I had to go. But before I stepped out, I gave him his favorite bacon-flavored treat; he barked at me as he chewed on it aggressively. He loves those things.
I left him devouring it and headed to the garage.
It had been a while since I'd opened the old cabinet. And above hung my old bike that I bought before my father passed; we used to go on rides together, before he got sick. I haven’t ridden it since.
Old bottles of paint were stacked on the counter and beside it, the paint thinner.
I pushed them all aside, carefully moved the bike, and inserted my key into the cabinet lock.
I turned the key, and it clicked. Then, with a gentle tug, I opened the cabinet filled with all of my old equipment from my time on the S.W.A.T team.
I was a member until I was forced out after an injury; a shotgun blast to the shoulder will do that to you.
It’s healed, mostly, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the thrill of it all; working in SWAT was the high point in my career in law enforcement.
Though the desk duty after I was injured wasn’t too bad, and my current gig allowed me to be home early most nights which I couldn’t manage before.
My old body armor, rifle, and tactical pistol were neatly hung inside. Just like I left them years ago. It was time to dust it all off and get back to work. I grabbed a duffel bag from a storage closet beside the bike rack and started filling it with everything I needed to see this case to the end.