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“I was walking on air. Thought I was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then came Petey2.0. I was hanging out with the quarterback—he was a senior—and a couple other football players who were all older than me, when this misfit kid walked by. They started in on the smart remarks, the teasing, one of them talking to him while another tied his shoelaces together. When he tripped and fell, they guffawed.”
“What did you do?”
“Almost nothing. After all, these were the guys I wanted to fit in with. But then I remembered Petey. I picked the kid up and told them to knock it off. They turned on me. The quarterback started shoving me, asking who I thought I was. I shoved back. He swung and missed. I swung and connected. Turns out he had a glass jaw. Went down like a sack of potatoes.”
“Oh, my. What next?”
“He was out cold for a couple of minutes. I didn’t do any permanent damage. I was kicked off the team and suspended from school for a week. But I’ll admit the look of gratitude on the kid’s face when I stood up for him... well, it made me feel better even than the touchdown catch. Not being able to play football led me to track and field, which I found I enjoyed a whole lot better. I’ve never liked the idea of the strong picking on the weak. So I decided I wanted to be a cop. I always believed it’s what they do best: protect those who can’t protect themselves.”
“My dad said the same thing often.”
“He did, and he tried to be an example. You know how much the job meant to him. But I guess if you don’t have the drive to do the job anymore, quitting makes sense.”
Danni had to look away. Did quitting make sense? Quitting sounded so much worse than retiring.
“My mind was scrambled by a chunk of concrete. Now I think fifteen years at one job is enough. Police work can cause burnout.”
“Agreed. But, Danni, you’re good at it. I’d hate to see you give it up.”
“I don’t feel the same call as my dad. He had a real Damascus road experience. That’s like getting hit by lightning with a clear message about what you’re to do. One-and-done clarity. What’s going on in my head is anything but clear. What if I only joined up because I thought it would make him happy? With him gone, I don’t have the love of the job I should. I don’t like being spit at and hit with pieces of concrete.”
“Nobody does. But if you’re thinking of quitting, what were you doing out there at Barton Plaza tonight?”
Danni didn’t hide her confusion. “I don’t have a good explanation. I got home and had too much energy. I needed to do something and checking out the scene came to mind. Jess’s shooting has been driving me crazy. He’s a good cop. I only wanted to look around without bugging anyone. I had no idea the alley was being watched.”
“I didn’t either. This is something Marrs and Diamond need to know.”
“I’ll tell them.”
Just then the vet came out with an update on the pup. “We were able to set the leg. It was a clean break. You said the dog was a stray?”
Danni stood. “Yes, I found him in the flood control channel, on the bike path.”
“He’s not chipped. Are you going to take responsibility for him?”
“Most definitely. The little guy saved my life.”
