Short and Sweets

It had been a productive evening. It was a petty crime, but Short had chased a purse snatcher down an alley and cuffed him. Of course, he didn’t cuff him until after a fight. These things are never easy.

He turned the suspect over to uniformed officers and headed back to the precinct in his van. The sun was coming up on Las Vegas. I can sure use some breakfast, he was thinking.

Back at the station he checked his suspect in. He was at his desk, typing his report, when she walked in. She was his size and with a female officer and he wondered what she was doing here. They went into the captain’s office.

“What’s up?” he said to the plainclothes cop next to him.

The plainclothes cop shook his head that he didn’t know, and Short continued watching the captain’s office. The door was closed. He was finishing his report when the captain looked out his office door.

“Shorthouse, you got a minute?” he said.

Shorthouse had a minute. In fact he had all day, having been up all night. He was curious about what was going on in the office and he got up from his desk. The report would have to wait.

His curiosity took him across the room and he went into the captain’s office and closed the door behind him. The captain was back behind his desk and the two women were in chairs to his left. He looked at the short woman in the farthest chair and she was looking at him. He looked back at the captain and was wondering what was up.

“Shorthouse,” he said, “you know Officer Radley here, and this,” he said, pointing to the newcomer, “is Officer Sweets. She’s just transferred from Los Angeles and is going to be working plainclothes with us. We want you to familiarize her with our operation here, and with Las Vegas. We think she can be an asset.”

An asset in what way? Shorthouse thought. But, hey, he didn’t make the decisions, as long as she didn’t get in the way.

“Yes, sir,” he said. “I’ll show her around.”

That seemed to be good enough for the captain, and he said, “Good. Now, I want you back on days for a while, till she’s familiar with the landscape, okay?”

“I’m pretty good on nights, Captain,” Shorthouse said.

“I know you are, but I need you to do this,” the captain said. “We think she can be an asset.”

In what way? Shorthouse thought. “When do I start?” he said.

The captain got up from his desk. “How about tomorrow at eight.” He came around his desk and patted Shorthouse on the shoulder. “Why don’t you take her around the corner to the restaurant where you have breakfast? You two can get acquainted.”

Damn, Shorthouse thought. “I’ve got to finish my report first,” he said.

“It shouldn’t take long,” the captain said. He motioned for the women to stand. “Ms. Sweets will wait in the lobby for you.”

***

Short turned in his report and headed out to the lobby. Damn, I don’t want to babysit someone, he was thinking. She stood up and he went to the door and held it for her. She said thanks, and he nodded. They walked down the sidewalk.

“Boy, this city sure looks a lot different in the daylight,” he said. “You say you’re from Los Angeles?”

“Well, actually Burbank,” she said. “I’ve been on night patrol for the past two years.”

I guess that’s supposed to impress me, Short was thinking. “Uniform or plainclothes?”

“Uniform,” she said.

“Well,” Short said, “I’ll show you around the station house, and we’ll drive around Vegas, so you can get an idea of what’s going on here.”

He looked over at her and she nodded.

***