September 1987
The music concert hall was dark, but the strobe lights were so bright that we could only see the people around us for just half a second before the room was dark again. Spotlights shined on the rock bands that were playing for us as we jumped and cheered for them like we were their biggest fans.
Sagan College was hosting a Battle of the Bands concert near the campus. Lots of bands were playing, including the BigFoot Band. A fake band consisting of Doug, Ioki, and Tom. The name was devised after a recent and lengthy argument we had at the chapel over if Big Foot exists or not.
We were all here for a case. Tom, Doug, and Ioki had to become a rock band so we can see if the music students have any drug activity happening at this college-run function backstage. Judy and I were attending as fans, in case the drugs were being passed around the venue. It was actually one of the more fun assignments we have ever had together.
Most of these bands were cover bands, which did not exclude BigFoot Band. When it was their turn to come up on stage, Judy and I made sure we were at the front and we supported them as loud as we could but I think the rest of the student body drowned us out.
Doug was hidden behind the set of drums while Ioki was preparing his keyboard, and Tom stood in front with his guitar and a microphone in front of him. He looked a little nervous by the way he awkwardly smiled and chuckled softly. His thick hair was curly and floppy, and Judy and I put eyeliner on him even though he whined about it. Honestly, he looks great in eyeliner. He wore a lot of jewelry that he borrowed from me and Judy, and a black cut up muscle shirt. He looked like a real rockstar.
Fuller actually had another Jump Street member join us for this assignment. His name is Brian, and he was given the task of playing the electric guitar and being Tom's back up vocals. He joined the team before summer started, right around when Fuller became our captain and expanded the program.
I would never admit it out loud, but us core-five are Fuller's A-team. We have been on Jump Street the longest, we are the most qualified, and frankly we are the best in the program. Brian isn't a part of our team, but he has his own group that he generally works with so we don't really communicate with him very often but since he's been with us for a bit, I've been liking him. He's friendly, very nice, considerate, outgoing, full of energy, and always gets his work done.
"What do you think they're gonna play?" Judy asked me in a loud voice so we could hear each other over the sounds of the college students screaming.
"I don't know!" I yelled back. The guys made it apparent that they wouldn't tell us. They wanted it to be a surprise for some reason. They had all been practicing for so long, it was pretty cute how excited they were even though they were all really nervous. Usually we are supposed to blend in, not stand out.
I heard Tom clear his throat and he began singing hesitantly as Ioki started on the piano.
"Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time,
I feel alive,
And the world, I'll turn it inside out, yeah,
I'm floating around in ecstasy.
So don't stop me now.
Don't stop me now.
'Cause I'm having a good time, having a good time!"
Judy and I giggled and screamed out with the rest of the crowd. Mostly girls were rushing to the stage, reaching up to try to grab at Tom. It made him laugh but he took a few steps back to avoid them and he kept rocking out like the real rockstar he is. His long fingers were dancing across the strings, where I could see his veins and finger tendons moving from where I was standing. It gave him a boost of confidence. He is so rock and roll.
"I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky like a tiger,
Defying the laws of gravity,
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva,
I'm gonna go, go, go, there's no stopping me!"
"I love Queen!" I shouted over the music.
"Me too!" Judy said with a big smile on her face. We are so proud of our boys.
The boys were getting really into it. All of them had microphones so they could be the back up vocals for Tom's singing. He's a great singer, and it was so fun to watch him on stage. He was having the time of his life, bouncing around and jumping like a bean.
"I'm burnin' through the sky, yeah
200 degrees, that's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit!
I'm travelling at the speed of light,
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you!"
I was having such a good time, I almost forgot that we were working. Judy and I kept our eyes out but we didn't see anything worth investigating. Everyone was jamming out to the popular song, I don't think anyone was willing to miss their performance over buying some drugs.
"I'm having such a good time,
I'm having a ball,
If you wanna have a good time,
Just give me a call!
'Cause I'm having a good time,
Yes, I'm havin' a good time,
I don't want to stop at all.
Ah, da, da, da, da
Da, da, ah, ah
Ah, da, da, ah, ah, ah
Ah, da, da
Ah, da, da, ah, ah
Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh."
The piano ended, and the crowd exploded into an applause. Tom smiled happily and bowed in extreme gratitude. He put his hands together in prayer and thanked everyone. The team started to push their stuff out of the way so the next band could go. I think it's safe to say that they'll be called back for tomorrow's competition because the crowd went wild for them.
I took Judy's hand and we pushed our way out of the crowd and we reached the door that leads to the back of the concert hall. Since this is a relatively small thing, there wasn't security or anything to stop us. We walked around objects and past different bands that were anxiously practicing before they went on stage. We walked around until we found our guys, sweaty and very exhausted.
Doug nodded towards us so Tom turned around and smiled when we came up to them. He wrapped his shiny arm around me in a sweaty hug. He asked, "what did you girls think?"
"It was so fun, you guys were great. Maybe you should be a real band," I joked.
"Yeah, yeah. Well, soak it up while you can. After this I'm retiring," Doug joked and used a towel to wipe his glistening forehead.
"The crowd was eating you guys up. You'll be called back for tomorrow for sure," Judy said.
"Good. Rumor has it that most of the action is tomorrow anyway," Tom said as he pressed a clean towel to his red face.
"Judy and I are going to bounce so if you guys see anything, let us know."
"Will do," Ioki said.
"See you all tomorrow," Brian said with a little wave. Then he ran his hand through his thick brown hair and readjusted his glasses.
Judy and I left. I went home, took Pacino out for a short walk and we spent our night together cuddling on the couch and watching a movie. He fell asleep with his head on my lap, and I kept petting his head softly so I didn't wake him up. He's been loving the retired life. He gets lots of love, lots of pets, and lots of treats.
I am a police officer. I uphold the law, and I always set a good example for the citizens of the city. So when I was driving to work the next day and I saw the red and blue flashing lights behind me, I was pissed.
I didn't tell the officer that pulled me over that I was also a cop, but I could tell he was a rookie. He was a young blonde guy that I didn't recognize, probably fresh out of the academy. According to him, I was going 15 miles over the speed limit. I tend to go a little faster on the freeway when I'm running late, and I was running late this morning. I forgot about the speed limit change, and I was caught. Luckily, he didn't give me a ticket, just a warning, but I continued my drive to work slowly and carefully while clutching the steering wheel so firmly my knuckles were white.
I walked into the chapel with the intention of complaining about getting pulled over but I got distracted when I saw Doug sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair, staring into his taser. He was zapping it so close to his face, the blue light from the taser reflected off his pale skin.
I began my walk to my desk, but I couldn't stop watching him. Tom then leaned over to Doug and lit up his own taser, and brought it up to the top of Doug's taser. The lights merged together for a second before they both yelped and dropped their tasers to the ground.
Doug's eyes widened as he looked into the distance and he said, "something sciencey happens to us."
"I think I lost a couple of brain cells just watching you guys," I said.
"Hey, Officer, you were late. Care to explain?" Tom asked with his thick eyebrows raised.
"I got pulled over!" I rightfully complained and whipped my coat onto the back of my chair.
"You did?" Judy asked in surprise. She was sitting at her own desk and stopped typing on the typewriter to hear what I had to say.
"By who?" Tom asked.
"Cooper, I think that was his name. I've never seen him before. Must be a rookie," I said.
"What did you do?" Ioki asked.
"Speeding, apparently." I rolled my eyes.
"How fast were you going?" Tom asked.
I didn't hesitate to say, "irrelevant."
"Mickey." His voice got low with his attempt to scold me.
"I was going fifteen over," I admitted as I slumped down into my chair.
Doug whistled lowly. "That's over $100 ticket right there."
"What's the damage?" Tom asked.
"Nothing. He let me off."
"Not surprised," Doug said with a shrug.
"What does that mean?" I asked, leaning back in my chair.
"It's because you're hot," Doug stated nonchalantly as he put his taser away.
"Excuse me?" I chuckled awkwardly.
"All cops let the cute ones go," he explained in a tone as if he were a professor teaching a college class of Guy Flirting 101. "I've pulled over a few Betty's and ain't none of them had to pay a dime. They just get a warning, a dashing smile and with a wink I set them free." Doug demonstrated this by winking, then extending his arm out as if he was releasing an imaginary dove.
"I don't think that's why," I stated.
"Yeah, I did that a couple times too," Ioki admitted sheepishly. He sneezed and blew his nose with a tissue. His voice was gravelly, he sounded sick.
"What about you, Tom?" Doug asked.
"I was real close one time, but I gave her a ticket," he said softly.
"Okay, everyone except Honest Abe over here," Doug said while jabbing his thumb in Tom's direction.
"Is that all you men think about?" I asked.
Doug tilted his head and shrugged.
"Nu-uh, that's bogus. I have never let a cute guy out of a ticket before," Judy said as she shuffled some papers around.
"That's because girls are stricter than guys. I know if I ever get pulled over by a girl, I can't even try to sweet talk my way out of it. If I get pulled over by a guy, I might have a 50/50 chance," Doug said.
"Right, because all the guys think you're cute," Tom teased.
"Probably. I mean, look at me." Doug smiled cheekily.
The office door opened and Fuller walked out. He had a clipboard in his hand and a dummy in the other. The plastic head bounced on the wooden ground as he walked out of his office. He glanced up at all of us and said, "perfect, you're all here. I've got an assignment for you guys."
"Come on, Coach, we already are on an assignment," Doug whined.
"Not that kind, I'm talking about getting you all CPR certified," Fuller stated.
"This this really necessary?" Judy asked while trying not to sneer at the dummy that Fuller had dragged out of his office and placed on the ground in the middle of the squadroom.
"On the field, we often find ourselves in situations that make us less than prepared, which could mean the difference between life and death. Sometimes, we cannot wait for the EMT's to get there, so I need to make sure you are all licensed with this CPR training class," Fuller explained.
"Is that why you made me come in this morning?" Ioki asked with a sniffle. His nose was red and his face was pale. He looked like death.
"Yes sir, and because of that, you're first," Fuller said. He scribbled on the clipboard, I assume he was writing Ioki's name.
"I think Ioki should go home and rest," Doug said.
"No rest for the sick," Fuller stated without looking up from the clipboard.
I put my elbow on the arm of my chair and covered my smile with my hand. Tom and I looked at each other at the same time, and I could see him fight his smile. Fuller can be really funny, and sometimes I don't know if his humor is dry or he doesn't realize how humorous he truly is.
Ioki groaned and he shuffled over to the dummy. He got down on his knees, and he put his hands over the dummy's chest and pressed down on the chest over and over. He said nasally, "I can't keep doing this forever."
"It's only been a few seconds," Fuller said after checking his watch.
Ioki sniffed and gave up. He stopped pushing on the chest and he groaned, "call it. Time of death, 6:01."
Tom and I immediately looked at one another again and I saw his lips twitch to avoid laughing. Now we know that if we were ever in a life or death situation, Ioki is not the guy we should call if he's feeling under the weather. Ioki stood up and went back to his desk while Doug slipped down to kneel by the dummy.
"Okay, Penhall, go."
Doug started the CPR compressions on the dummy, and his motivation disappeared rather quickly. His hard, quick compressions quickly disintegrated into weak and slow ones.
"If you stop, his heart stops," Fuller warned Doug.
"I'm over it," Doug grunted.
"Is he breathing?" Fuller asked.
"No, Fuller. He is not breathing. On top of that, he had no arms or legs," Doug stated, quite annoyed.
"That's not part of this exercise," Fuller muttered.
"You know what... if we do come across somebody with no arms or legs, do we even bother resuscitating them? I mean, what kind of quality of life do we have there?" Doug asked.
"Penhall," Fuller sighed and he rubbed his eye in annoyance. "Let's get back to it, because you're losing him."
"I'll do it," I offered.
"Good, okay. Go back to your desk, Penhall."
I traded places with Doug and began giving the dummy CPR. It was a little more difficult than I anticipated it to be but my competitive nature refused to let me stop and let these boys win.
"That's a little fast. We need to pump at a pace of 100 beats per minute," Fuller stated.
"How many is that per hour?" Doug asked from his desk while raising his hand.
"How is that gonna help her?" Tom asked in a low voice.
"She can divide and then count to it."
Tom was quiet for a second, just trying to wrap his mind around the absurd statement of reasoning that Doug just made. "Right."
"Do you know the song Staying Alive by The Bee Gees?" Fuller asked.
"Of course," I said. Is that even a question? Who doesn't know that song?
"If you play it in your head, the beats are the same."
I put my hands on the chest and began mumbling under my breath, "first I was afraid, I was petrified—"
"Skip to the chorus." Fuller massaged his temple to get rid of the headache we were giving him. But this is what he gets for calling us all into the chapel at six in the morning.
"Stayin' alive, stayin' alive."
It was as if the soul of the Bee Gee's possessed everyone at the same time because the song flowed out of everyone's mouth in perfect harmony. It was as if everyone had to sing it on an impulse.
"Stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around
Since I was born
And now it's alright, it's okay
And you may look the other way—"
"Good, good job." Fuller stopped us probably just so he didn't have to hear the song anymore. He has only been our captain for four months but he is probably sick of us by now. "He's alive. Who wants to go next?"
"I will," Judy said and took my place by the dummy. She was really the only one who was taking this seriously.
Brian was there too, but he was quiet. He's usually pretty quiet. I noticed he had his glasses case on his desk, which he was spinning around on the smooth table surface while we were all getting CPR certified. It kept distracting me because of the way the case sounded when it spun on the desk. He went after Judy, and when he came back he swooped his eye glasses case off the table and went to the restroom.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Fuller asked rhetorically. He dismissed us by saying, "go home, and get some rest for tonight. Especially you, Ioki. Drink some tea and take some cold medicine."
"Will do, coach," Ioki said with another pathetic little sniffle.
"By the way, guys. I just wanted to let you know that headquarters reported that someone broke into the evidence lockers last week. They think it was some punk kid that went in while the night guard was taking his break. Just thought you should know in case it's relevant to the case," Fuller told us as we were getting our stuff.
"Could be how they got access to some hard stuff," Tom stated.
"Is there a report of what was taken?" I asked.
"Not yet, but I'll let you guys know when there is one," Fuller promised.
Brian finally came out of the bathroom just as we were putting our coats on. We told him that we could go home and that we would see him tonight.
This night was a lot busier than last night. Being that it's Friday night, more people were able to come and the more mediocre bands were kicked out of the battle. Tomorrow's concert is the last one, and it's the big show-down.
Judy and I became friends with a girl named Ellie Griggs. She told us that she is a college student studying education with a minor in science. She told us that she wants to be a high school science teacher someday, with the plan to teach at the nearby Sagan High School. Ellie had straight brown hair with kind brown eyes. She was really sweet, but she was the one that showed Judy and I the LSD that's getting passed around. She had a big crush on Doug throughout the performance and begged us to introduce them, and we told her we could maybe do it later. It wasn't very hard for her to tell us where she got the drugs from. She told us his full name and everything.
The next day at work, I had done my research on this kid. I slipped everyone his school photo and said, "this is who Ellie said she was getting her drugs from. His name is Ed Walter's. He's just a sophomore in high school."
"In high school?" Doug shuddered.
"And I found out that Ellie is actually a junior in high school," I said while showing everyone her school photo from this year. "They go to the same high school."
"How did she get into a 21 and up club?" Tom asked as he ate a grape. He brought a bag of them to his desk as a little snack for himself.
"Probably has a fake I.D," Doug said as he studied the photographs.
"I don't think the bouncers here would let high schoolers in. They were drilling into us pretty good the first night," I said as I glanced at Judy.
"Yeah, they kept asking us about our zodiac signs and addresses and stuff to make sure they were legit," Judy added.
"I wonder how many of those students that are in that crowd are actually high school students," Brian said while spinning his pen between his fingers.
"How can one sophomore single-handedly distribute LSD like this?" Judy asked dumbfound.
"Ed does have an older brother named Rob. He's eighteen, graduated high school last June and he's in college to be a physical education teacher," I pointed out.
"That could be how Ed's able to get in. He has connections with his brother," Brian stated.
"We have one more night to catch these kids," Fuller stated. "If they've got fakes, they're probably drinking too. That's something we can catch the rest of them on if they're smart enough not to be using the drugs. Not to mention having a fake identification card is a felony."
"I don't get it. High school wasn't even that long ago, and I remember beer being snuck into parties, and sometimes joints. Not LSD," Tom sighed disappointedly.
"A Goodie-Goodie like you went to parties?" I asked while reaching over to Tom's bag and stealing a grape.
"Not very many."
"Is that why you feel bad about getting these kids in trouble over drinking? Because you feel like a hypocrite?" I asked, accidentally psycho-analyzing him.
Tom was quiet for a second. "A little, I guess. I don't know. It takes me out of reality for a bit. But now I know that alcohol ruins lives."
"Was your life ruined?"
"It certainly wasn't helped. I think these kids just need help, someone to talk to. To feel less alone."
It made me think about his dad. I know his dad died when he was young, and after his aunt died recently I realized that Tom uses alcohol to cope with loss. Did he first turn to alcohol after his dad died too? Was that his introduction to the substance? He was only sixteen.
"It's crazy how just one simple mistake can ruin your life. One bad night, or just one stupid impulse," Tom mumbled.
I sat back in my chair for a bit just pondering our conversation. I noticed Brian headed over to the restroom, and I saw that his eyeglass case was not on the table. Why does he keep bringing it with him?
"Before I forget, I got a report on what was taken from evidence. Marijuana, heroin, cocaine, LSD, prescription pills, and amphetamine," Fuller told us.
My jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "That's a lot."
"It is a lot. And it's probably all getting passed around at that club," Fuller said.
"We will have a bust tonight, for sure," Judy said.
When Brian came back out, he told us that he had to run. He grabbed his things and left, which made the rest of us give each other strange looks. We shrugged it off, because since we aren't really that close with him we can't exactly ask what he's doing.
I headed into the bathroom to wash my hands. When I was in there, I noticed that Brian's eye glasses case was by the faucet. I grabbed them so I could put them back on his desk for him, but I heard something wrinkle inside the case. My curiosity got the better of me so I opened it up, and my jaw dropped when I saw what was inside.
I found a little packet of cocaine in the case. Opened, with powder stuck on the edges. It had clearly been used. Psychedelic colors on a little blotter paper was stuffed in the case too. LSD.
I quickly shut the case and held it tightly in my hands. I knew this wasn't stuff he obtained for the case because he would have let us know and it would have been turned in by now. I frantically looked over my shoulder to make sure Brian wasn't somehow in the room and saw me. I immediately retreated back to the squad room. Everyone was grabbing their stuff and already heading out the door.
"Hey, Mick, you coming?" Tom asked as he held the door open for me.
"I—uh... no, no not yet," I said then I turned to Fuller. "Hey, um, Fuller. Can I talk to you for a second? Please?" I asked. My voice was high, but I couldn't mask it.
Tom looked at me with concern in his eyes, and I responded back with the same expression. Jaw clenched, eyes wide. He slowly walked out the door when I followed Fuller back into his office. I made sure the door was closed before I said anything.
"What's going on?" He asked as he leaned back against his desk.
"I went into the bathroom and I found this." I handed him the glasses case.
He grabbed it and shrugged. "Put it in with the lost and found. Someone will come looking for it."
"No, Fuller. Open it."
He eyed me before he opened it. His eyes grew wide and he snapped it closed. His frantic eyes shot up to mine. "Do you know who's this is?"
"I just so happened to go in there after Brian. And I've noticed that Brian has a glasses case that he spins on his desk when he's bored."
Fuller exhaled softly. "I've noticed that too."
"What do we do?" I asked in a low voice.
Fuller rubbed the back of his neck in thought. I'm sure he's never had to deal with something like this before from one of his own officers. "Are you sure it's his?"
"I'm positive."
"Okay, okay. I'll file the report. Brian is a smart guy, he knows how we do things here at Jump Street. If we accuse him, he will probably get rid of the evidence before we even get a chance. Then we are up for getting a lawsuit," Fuller said.
"What if we catch him?" I asked.
Fuller squinted at me but he was intrigued. "Keep talking."
I explained my plan of catching him with drugs while we are at the last night of Battle of the Bands. He would assume that all of our attention will be on the crowd and the students, so we wouldn't even think about him.
"I like that plan. Don't tell the others though, we don't want them to accidentally tip him off. They're great officers, but Brian is too."
"Okay, I won't," I promised.
Fuller gave me the eyeglasses case and I put it back on Brian's desk so he wouldn't know that we looked in it. I'll see him tonight, so I'll just have to keep a close eye on him. If he knew that he left his drugs at work, he might be buying some more tonight when he thinks the rest of us aren't paying attention.
That night was the last night of Battle of the Bands. It was between BigFoot Band, and a few others. They were all really good, and word spread about the banging music because it was so packed, Judy and I could barely find a spot in the front. People were pushing us from side to side, so we ended up leaving the crowd and we sat at the bar.
"How were you able to get in here anyway?" Judy asked me.
"I got a fake," I told her. For this last band night, I wore baggy black jeans, an Alice Cooper band t-shirt from the 70s of his Madhouse concert poster, and an oversized red corduroy jacket that I kept on my lap because it's so hot in the bar but freezing outside.
"Oh. From Fuller?" She asked.
I shook my head. "No."
She chuckled, "might want to get one that the chapel knows about, you could get fired for that."
"Whoops," I chuckled. "I'll take care of it."
"Sounds good."
"Man." I looked at the sea of kids in the audience. "They're all partying like it's 1999."
"Like doomsday is tomorrow," Judy agreed.
"Going out with a bang," I added cryptically.
"Last call!" The bartender called out. He said this every night around two o'clock in the morning.
"Get out of here!" We heard someone scream. We both looked over to see another bartender pointing at the door for a kid to leave. "You're cut off, leave my bar."
"But the aliens! They're looking for us. They want us to fly," the kid screamed out, clearly paranoid.
"Uh-oh," I mumbled.
"Get the fuck out of here!" The bartender yelled at him again.
The kid stumbled out of the bar, so Judy and I looked at each other. I said, "we need to find who is selling these drugs."
"Sounds like whatever it is could be laced with spice," Judy added.
"That would explain the paranoid delusions," I agreed.
We observed through BigFoot Band's set and I didn't see any obvious dealings of drugs. When they were done, the boys came out and met us at the bar. We told them that we hadn't seen anything, so we were all going to have to linger a little longer. Tonight was the last night we could make the bust.
I tried not to even look at Brian. I was pissed off at him. We all trusted him with our lives and he was taking illegal drugs right in front of us. I wanted nothing more than to catch him tonight but I knew it was a waiting game.
I noticed Tom looking by the front door of the bar so I glanced over as we saw a kid stumbling to the door, trying to get outside. He didn't look good at all. He was clearly intoxicated, and probably high on whatever drug he took. Through the window I saw him stagger down the sidewalk, but he looked like a zombie. I jumped out of my seat and walked to the door, and I could hear Tom right behind me.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw the kid sprawled across the sidewalk with puke by his head. His skin was already losing his color.
"Fuck," I said under my breath as I rushed to his aid. I checked his pulse, and I felt nothing. His chest wasn't moving, so he wasn't breathing. I put my hands on his chest and pumped to The Bee Gees.
Tom got down on his knees next to me, and he put his fingers on the kids' neck to try to feel for a pulse. He tried to open the kids mouth, but his jaw was so tense it was locked shut.
"Mick," Tom said softly.
"Call the police," I said, out of breath but I refused to stop.
"The bartender is calling them right now," he said to me softly. He rubbed my back gently, but that wasn't going to stop me.
The kid smelled repulsive. Like vinegar, wet dog, urine, and body odor. It was nauseating. I knew this smell all too well. This is what a heroin overdose smells like. His body was limp. He had obviously soiled himself, and the cryptic band was still around his arm. He couldn't have been more than seventeen, maybe eighteen years old.
I pumped on his chest a little longer but Tom said, "he's gone, Mick."
"No, no, he's not. If I stop, his heart stops."
"Mick—"
"If I stop, his heart stops," I repeated firmly.
Tom put his hand over mine, which made me slow down. I looked up at him and I could feel his fingers wrapping around my hand gently. Rain started to sprinkle around us. Droplets were clinging to my eyelashes and dripping down my hot cheeks.
He didn't have to say anything. I knew it was true, but I really didn't want this case to have a death.
"Fuck," I cried out in frustration. I looked down at the kid. I didn't know if he was in high school or college, but he was young. Too young.
"Let him go."
"I can't just let him go," I spat.
"He's already gone."
I looked back up at Tom and he gazed at me with sympathetic eyes. I ran my fingers through my hair to pull my curtain bangs out of my eyes and I looked down at the kid. He had foamy puke running out of the corner of his open mouth and his bloodshot eyes were open, looking at nothing.
People were starting to gather around now to see what was happening, and I didn't want to leave him alone but I had to end this case. I stood up and I ran back into the bar. I pointed at the closest bartender and yelled, "go outside and wait for the ambulance!"
The bartender followed my order without any hesitation. He ran outside, and he immediately ran to the kid dead on the sidewalk.
I marched right up to my team and said, "we need to stop all of this right now. That kid out there just fucking died."
"He did?" Brian's face went pale. I glared at him, and he shuffled his feet slightly.
"Guys, over there." Judy nodded toward a kid standing on the outskirts of the busy room. He had straight brown hair and blue eyes, and one of the tallest guys in the room. He had a beer in his hand, and a big black school bag with him.
It was Ed.
All of us walked up to him and Tom took the liberty of starting the buy. He said to Ed, "so, word on the street is you got some good stuff."
"I do," Ed responded assuredly.
"What's your price?" Tom asked as he grabbed some cash from his back pocket.
"For six hits? Let's say $100."
As soon as the exchange was made, Tom checked the drugs and once he knew they were legit, he nodded his head and Doug began with the arrest.
"Woah, woah, woah! What's the big idea?!" Ed cried out as Doug pulled his wrists behind his back.
"You're under arrest for the distributing of narcotics," Tom said while wiggling the baggies of drugs in the air. At this moment, I could see the cops pulling up to the bar along with an ambulance.
"Brian?!" Ed shouted, looking straight at our officer.
That was enough proof I needed.
"That's it," I said to myself. I spun around and slammed Brian into the wall as hard as I could. I pinned my forearm against the back of his neck so he couldn't wiggle out of my grasp. He's stronger than me, but at least I had the element of surprise.
"Easy, easy!" Brian hollered with half of his face smashed against the wall.
"Hands up," I demanded. He shot his shaking hands in the air. My adrenaline was pumping as I patted him down, finding multiple bags of cocaine and LSD. I tossed them to Tom who caught them against his chest.
"Hey, woah, those aren't mine!" Brian shouted. "I got them before the show. Other band members were giving them to us. Tell her!"
"That's true... but they're all right here," Ioki said as he held up a big bag of narcotics he had carefully stashed.
I pulled out my handcuffs and handcuffed Brian's wrists behind his back. I tightened them as much as I could, out of anger and spite. I gave him his Miranda Rights, and spun him back around so he could face us.
"And if I'm going down, you're going down with me. Brian's been my supplier," Ed confessed.
"How?!" Doug shouted in Brian's ear.
"He said something about taking them from evidence lockers," Ed admitted.
"Are you serious?" Doug spat. "Brian, you are under arrest."
The uniformed police came and we talked to them a bit, letting them know about the overdose and how we found the dealer and the supplier. We also informed them about how many of the people in the crowd were high schoolers, so all the patrons at the bar were arrested until their true ages could be identified.
I was starting to come down from the adrenaline high of being in that dreadful situation. Judy left with Ioki because he still wasn't feeling very good after his rough cold, and Doug volunteered to go down to the station to start on the report. Tom stayed with me as we gathered the evidence for the case. His wet hair curled on his forehead, blocking his brown eyes a bit. He looked over at me, still breathing heavily.
"That was unexpected," he stated.
"I know."
"Did you know about Brian?" He asked.
I nodded slowly. I felt bad about keeping it from all of them. "Yeah, I found out this morning."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"Fuller didn't want me too. He wanted you guys to figure it out organically. Brian's a great cop, he would have known something was up if all of us knew about it."
Tom was silent for a second. "That's fair."
"Well, I'm ready to go home," I said with a sigh. I glanced around to look for a payphone as I said, "I'm gonna need to call a taxi."
"Why?"
"Judy was my ride, and she left."
"I'll take you home."
"Oh, no. That's okay. I live out of your way, it's fine."
"No, Mick. You had a hard day. Let me take you home."
I smiled at him. I felt my cheeks pink up and I said with a tight voice, "okay."
Tom walked with me to his car and he opened the door for me. I smiled and gave him a thank you. I hopped in and I was his passenger princess in his Mustang. He turned and put his hand against the back of my headrest to back out of the parking spot.
"We did good tonight," Tom stated as the radio played in the background softly. He pulled out onto the main road.
"Someone lost their life," I mumbled, looking down at my hands. "If I had known that Brian was the one selling the drugs to the dealers, that kid would still be alive."
"There was no way you could have known that," Tom told me firmly. "You did everything right. And with the way all of those kids were taking drugs, they are pretty lucky that they didn't suffer the same fate."
As we were talking, a vehicle whipped out onto the road behind us. Tom squinted in the bright light from the reflection of the car's headlights reflecting off his rearview mirror because of how close he was to our bumper.
"What the hell is his problem?" Tom asked.
I turned around in the passengers seat and saw that this car was really close, and it was like their high beams were on because of how blinding their headlights were.
"Does he want to pass you?" I asked.
"I'm not sure."
Tom went up a gear to try to speed up, but the car was still tailgating us. My heart began to pound, and I realized that this probably had something to do with our bust.
I reached down and grabbed my gun. I took the safety off and cocked it and I unrolled the window. With my free hand, I waved at the car to try to get them to pass us.
Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and my right hand immediately felt like it was on fire. I pulled my hand back into the car and examined the back of it. Red, burnt skin was scorching between my knuckles. My hand was shaking, and Tom was trying to focus on the road and my hand at the same time. It felt like I touched a hot stove, or burnt my hand on a huge match.
"What the hell was that?"
"It was nothing, don't worry about it," I promised. Tears were welling in my eyes and I looked down to see the blood spewing from the graze. I clenched my teeth together and tried to breathe normally.
"That wasn't nothing. What happened?"
Another bang popped around us. Tom flinched and the car jerked before he steadied it.
"Holy shit, they're shooting at us," Tom stated. He quickly sped up, which left the car to play catch up.
I grabbed my gun again and took off my seatbelt. I got up on my knees and leaned out the window carefully, so I could retreat back into the car at any moment if I needed to. Blood was dripping down my forearm. My butt was probably in Tom's face... sorry Tom. I shot back at the car, and I could see the flash from their guns trying to shoot back at us.
I sat back down on my heels, watching the car from the back window. They were not going to stop without a fight.
"Hang on," Tom said.
"What?"
I was flung back into the seat as Tom slammed on the breaks and slid across the pavement to a left-turn. He accelerated again, weaving around buildings and other cars but they were right on our tail. Tom ignored lights and stop signs as he whipped the car around to try to lose them. I could see that he was trying to head out of the city, so we can try to lose them in the back roads.
"Let's see if you bastards can do 90." Tom went up another gear and I could feel the Mustang continue to accelerate. He drove with determination. The car was still in pursuit, but starting to fall behind.
"Do you have a sunroof?" I asked Tom while adding more bullets into my gun and glancing up at his smooth ceiling.
"This is a Ford Mustang 1968 Fastback, not a Jeep."
I got back out the window and shot at the car. One of my bullets went through the windshield, and another hit their tire which popped loudly. The car faltered behind while the driver was trying desperately not to drive off the road in their car that was no longer in control.
I slumped back in my seat and exhaled. "That was a close one. How did you learn to drive like that?"
"This ain't my first rodeo," he said with a country accent, I'm not sure if it was on purpose. He kept driving fast, maybe a little too fast. But we were heading out of the city and into the country side of Metro.
"We should probably call it in before they get away."
"There's a phone booth just right up the road," Tom said.
We drove until we reached the phone booth. We pulled over to an empty dirt lot and I grabbed some dimes from his cup holder and walked over to the phone booth by the road. It was dark. There were a few dim street lights on this empty road, and the stars and the moon. I didn't see any houses in sight, just grassy fields and emptiness.
I dialed the number for headquarters and began making my report so we could get someone to arrest whoever was trying to kill us.
"This is Michelle Gregg from the Jump Street division. I'm calling about a 10-32 on Sunset Avenue. Assailant has a gun."
"And what kind of car is it, Officer Gregg?"
"Mickey..." Tom said in a low voice. He stood beside me, but was staring at the road.
I ignored him and answered, "a silver '75 Thunderbird."
"License plate number?"
"312-JDM."
"Mickey." Tom's voice shook slightly.
"What?" I asked as I turned around. At that moment, my heart dropped to my feet.
Multiple cars were coming around the curve of the road with their lights on, driving slowly to approach us. Tom and I looked at each other, and we just knew it was for us.
My voice shook as I said into the phone, "send dispatch down Sunset Avenue. Officer Hanson and I will be in the green field on the right."
"Officer, what's wrong?"
"There are coming for us."
"Are you and Officer Hanson in a safe area?"
I gulped. My hand gripped the receiver tighter as the headlights reflected in our terrified eyes. "No, we are not."
"Don't hang up the phone, Officer Gregg. I'm sending more officers to you now. Don't hang up."
"I have to go." My voice shook.
"Don't hang up, Gregg."
"I have to go."
"Don't—"
I didn't hang up the phone, but I did drop the receiver and I raced back to the Mustang where Tom was waiting, getting his gun ready. The cars were lining up to block the road so we couldn't escape, and not let anyone else come to help us.
"Is this how Bonnie and Clyde felt?" I chuckled emptily. Tom did not find that amusing, because he didn't laugh. He was nervous. With him being nervous, it made me nervous. And he was really nervous.
"I don't know, and I don't want to find out," he stated with a quivering voice. His eyes glanced down at my arm and he saw the blood was stained my skin and continued to flow out of my hand. He grabbed my wrist and pulled it close to his face so he could inspect it throughly. "When did this happen?!"
"In the car," I said with a wince.
"You didn't tell me?!"
"You were a little busy trying to outrun some criminals," I reminded him.
"You have to tell me these things. Please," he practically begged.
Since this is probably his last request, I nodded and said, "I will. I promise."
The cars continued to drive closer to us. Brian had a lot of dealers under his wing, and they were all pissed at us. With his arrest, we will soon get all of those dealers arrested too. They were going to lose everything, and it is all our fault.
The cars weren't even pulled up by the time the people started shooting at us. It didn't sound like very many guns were going off, but just one was enough to scare me. Tom and I hid behind his car, and we shot back. They didn't have the best accuracy, considering they weren't even damaging the car as they shot at us.
I peered over the car hood enough to get a good aim on one of the cars and took my shot. I got their front tire, but they were driving so fast that the tire completely exploded and it flipped the car. Hiding behind Tom's Mustang for cover, a couple of the other cars crashed into it, making glass and pieces of metal fly everywhere. Even smoke filled the air, with air bags popping out of the windows.
They stopped shooting, so Tom and I stayed crouching behind his car in fear that it would start again. We held our breath, fingers on the triggers of our guns, just waiting for something to happen.
The relief we both felt when we heard the sirens approaching was immediate. We kept our steady hands firm on our guns, but at least we could breathe. We didn't move until the uniformed cops pulled up and were able to assess the situation.
I wondered what would have happened if we never stopped at that pay phone. We would have been ambushed, and I'm sure they would have shot at us through the window or maybe shot the tires. We were going fast enough, we would have flipped. The Mustang would have crumpled up like a ball of tin foil, and Tom and I would be gone in a matter of seconds.
As the drug dealers that all came together to try to kill us were all getting arrested, Captain Briody came up to us and made sure we were all right.
When we told him that we were physically okay, he dropped a bomb on us. "Officers, I just wanted to let you know that Brian escaped custody."
"What?!" I shouted in disbelief.
"Seriously?" Tom's eyebrows were furrowed and his gaze was cold.
"How did you lose him?" I asked while my rage was seething through my teeth.
"I have units searching for him now. He's on foot, so he couldn't have gone far."
I let out a soft sigh. Of course he got out, he knows how the system works. But someone should have been keeping an eye on him, because he knows the ins and the outs of an arrest. And now, everyone on Jump Street is probably on his shit list.
Briody wished us a good night, and he dismissed us so we could go home. I felt like Tom and I both had a long week, it was time for us to leave this week behind.
"I wonder where Brian went," I wondered out loud as Tom drove me home.
Tom said, "I'm not too sure. He didn't really talk much during the case."
"I still can't believe that he escaped. We literally had him in custody," I complained. I was beyond infuriated. I want to know who exactly was negligent enough to let him escape and make them apologize to our faces.
"I know," Tom agreed. He kept his eyes on the road and his hands tight around the steering wheel.
"I just..." I sighed. "This really sucks."
"Yeah," Tom agreed with me.
I got to my apartment and I thanked Tom for the ride. When I got up to my door, I could hear Pacino barking from inside the unit. I found this odd because he usually never barks. He's always on high alert, always on duty. He will watch police cars as they zoom past the complex with their sirens on with his ears perked up, like he's ready to go to work.
One of my biggest fears is that one day I won't be able to come home from an assignment. That I'll be killed on duty, and Pacino will never know what happened to me. After our close call tonight, I'll have to figure out who Pacino's godparent is because I could die during any shift.
"It's just me," I said softly as I fumbled to get my keys.
I opened the door and he wasn't there waiting for me. He is always waiting for me at the door. It wasn't until I heard him bark again that I realized that he accidentally trapped himself in my room. He was pushing his nose against the door so hard it nearly broke it out of the door frame.
I took a breath, but something in the air felt weird. The vibes were off. I thought maybe it was because of the horrible day I had and that Pacino was trapped in the room, and I don't even know how he managed to get in there. I always keep my door closed when I leave.
I closed the front door and put my things on my nearby dining table. I let out a little anxious breath and I started walking to the bedroom door. I heard a sickeningly familiar click that made my blood run cold and the hair on the back of my neck stand up straight. I was paralyzed. My breath quickened, and Pacino was barking louder than ever.
Slowly, I turned around and saw the man we had trusted with our lives was standing in the corner of my living room. He held the gun up and pointed it at me with a steady hand. His eyes were soulless.
Pacino was going feral behind that bedroom door. I could hear him snarling and frothing at the mouth. The silence between us was tense. I glanced at my gun in my belt... on the table. Closer to him than it was to me. And he knew it.
"What are you doing in my apartment, Brian?" I asked, trying to mask my shaking voice with confidence.
"What do you think?" He scoffed, like I was an idiot. "You fucking ruined me."
"I forced you to break into the evidence locker to steal and sell a bunch of drugs?" I asked with a high voice. "You did this to yourself."
"You are so fucking.... Oh my god, I will end your sad fucking life."
"You can kiss my ass, Brian," I hissed. I needed to be brave. I refused to show him any sort of fear.
"Look at that," he laughed. "Little Miss Sunshine has some lip."
"Yeah, I'm a ray of fucking sunshine," I snapped.
He lunged at me. He wanted to kill me slow, so a gun wasn't going to do it. He wanted to take his time and make me suffer. I saw the rope and the light hit the reflection on the blade of the knife he had stashed in the corner of my own living room.
"Pacino!" I screamed his name in complete and utter fear and adrenaline.
Brian grabbed a hold of me, and in that moment Pacino broke through my bedroom door and ran up to us. He was so fast, I blinked and he chomped down on his arm. Brian screamed out, but Pacino never let go. He threw his head back and forth, digging his teeth further into his flesh and dragging them through his muscles. His bite was always known to be as vicious as a shark attack.
Brian let me go and I was able to rush out of the way. He was screaming at Pacino to let him go, but Pacino refused. No matter how many times Brian said Pacino's trained command to release him, Pacino didn't because I didn't say it. He flipped Brian down to the floor, and never let go. That dog is a missile.
Brian screamed and pushed and punched at Pacino's head and stomach, but he never let go. My brave boy kept fighting to protect me.
I lunged for my gun and pointed it at Brian. "Brian, it's over."
Brian finally stopped fighting against Pacino and relaxed as much as he could with a dog's teeth imbedded in his flesh.
"Release," I commanded Pacino firmly.
Pacino finally released his grip on Brian's arm, which was now bruised and shredded. Pacino retreated to his dog bed, the place he feels the safest. With my gun still on him, I grabbed my handcuffs and handcuffed his arms behind his back for the second time tonight.
I could hear police sirens coming, and I finally released my breath. My neighbors probably called the police after hearing the scuffle. Finally.
"Stand up," I demanded.
"What?" Brian asked breathlessly.
"Stand the fuck up!" I shouted furiously.
He slowly got to his feet. I kept my gun steady, aimed at his head. "Get the fuck out of my apartment."
He glanced at me over his shoulder, and slowly made his way to the door. Together, we walked out and I followed him with my finger on the trigger. "If you make any sudden movements I'll put a bullet in your brain."
"I believe it," he said with a shaky voice.
When we got to the road, I forced him on his knees until the Metropolitan police cruisers surrounded him. Once they got a hold of him, they read him his rights and one of the officers checked in with me.
"Are you alright, Gregg?" He asked.
"I'm fine." My voice was shaky. I kept my gaze locked to Brian until I saw him get put into the cruiser.
"You call blood going down your arm fine?" He asked.
"Oh, I almost forgot about that," I said as I took a look at my hand.
He flagged down an EMT to clean up my hand and bandage it up.
He asked, "did he do that?"
"I think so. It was during the car chase," I told him. "I'll have to check to see how he got into my apartment though."
"Want us to do a sweep?" He asked.
I shook my head. "No, that's okay. I just want to go to bed but I'll take a look around tomorrow."
"Want someone posted out here?"
"It's fine. I've got Pacino."
He smiled and asked, "how's retirement life treating him?"
Jenko started training Pacino when he was a puppy. He became a part of the K9 team, but moved to Jump Street when Jenko started Jump Street. When I moved out of Jenko's place, I took Pacino with me. Everyone loves Pacino. He worked in suspect apprehension, with over 800 arrests to his name. He has a fierce loyalty and protectiveness that I admire greatly.
"He loves it." I grinned.
The EMT told me that I should be fine, in the grand scheme of things it was a scratch. I needed to regularly clean it but it really wasn't that bad. Just another millimeter and it could have taken out some ligaments or even bone. I was incredibly lucky. But I needed to get a couple stitches in the morning if it doesn't stop bleeding.
"Give him a few extra treats tonight. He was a good boy."
"The best boy. Thanks."
"Have a good night, Gregg."
"You too."
I walked back up to my apartment and got ready to praise Pacino for his good work tonight. He saved my life, and helped arrest another criminal. I love that dog with my whole heart.
"Pacino! Come here, boy," I said with an excited voice.
He didn't come, so I was confused until I looked over at his favorite spot. I saw that he was laying in his dog bed with blood slowly pooling around the bed. At first I thought maybe it was from Brian, then I realized it was coming from Pacino. He was panting so hard, and was too weak to whine out in pain. I ran and dropped to my knees beside him and put my hand on his furry belly, and realized that he was blooding profusely.
My heart fell to my feet and my stomach tightened up like I was going to vomit. My hands shook uncontrollably and my shoulders hunched over as my chest cramped. I felt like the world was concaving around me, and there was nothing that I could do.
"Oh, no. No, God. Please, no," I begged through my immediate tears.
I assessed his damaged body, and looked over to see that Brian had dropped a bloody knife in the struggle. He had stabbed Pacino in the stomach multiple times. His blood covered my hands, and my tears streamed down my face.
He was my boy, my baby. I could not stand to see him in so much pain, and so scared. My boy saved my life. I just wished I was able to save his.
"Pacino. Hey, buddy. Hey, it's okay... it's okay..."
I sat beside him and stroked him softly. This was his last call. My voice was gentle as I spoke to him, and I even reached over to grab his favorite toy so he could find some peace within these final moments before he crossed the rainbow bridge. At least he didn't have to cross it alone.
I had to let him go.
His panting stopped but the blood didn't. I just kept petting him, not really knowing if he was still with me anymore. He meant the world to me. He was my world. I didn't want to stop petting him. If I stopped, that meant he was truly gone.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, buddy... I'll be okay... thank you for protecting me all of these years... you can go. I just don't want you to hurt anymore," I choked out to him gently. I had to let him know how much he meant to me before he was gone.
"Oh my god," I heard behind me.
I snapped my head back and saw Tom. He had his keys in his hand and he wore his brown leather jacket over his band clothes. His eyes were intent on me and Pacino. Fear and confusion dominated his features.
I couldn't even smile to greet him. My vision was fuzzy from my tears that I now felt like I had to hold back because my coworker was in my home, watching me in a vulnerable moment. I wished he would just go away and leave me alone.
"I was... um... I was listening to the police scanners and I heard your address... I came straight here," he said in a low voice.
I heard his shoes cautiously walk over to me and he sat down beside me. I continued to pet Pacino gently, feeling his breathing get more shallow with every breath he struggled to have. It shattered my heart to see him suffering so much.
I sniffed and my voice was wobbly as I said, "that bastard stabbed..." I stopped talking when my voice broke. The tears were rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably and I couldn't finish my sentence. I don't think I had to, Tom knew.
Tom wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into him as we both sat next to Pacino. His hand held the back of my head comfortingly, and he exhaled deeply.
It was when Pacino stopped breathing that I completely lost it. I tried to pull myself together, even for a little bit when Tom came into my apartment but I couldn't fake it anymore. I covered my mouth with my hand to stop hyperventilating and my hot tears blocked my vision.
Tom didn't hesitate to pull me into a hug, and he let me cry hopelessly into his chest. I was thankful that he was here for me, because I don't know if I could have handled this alone. I think I felt him kiss my forehead, but I'm not entirely sure. I was a wreck. I sobbed until I couldn't breathe.
"It's okay... it's okay..." Tom mumbled softly in my ear. He held me tighter, and I let myself cry. I was practically shaking in his arms.
I just lost Jenko, now I've lost the one soul that loved me unconditionally. Pacino brought Jenko home safe after every shift, and he brought me home safe too. He was my family, and now I'm alone. Pacino was always by my side throughout my entire career. I couldn't have asked for a better friend.
No more walks. No more trips to the beach. No more endless games of fetch. No more cuddles on the couch. No more midnight snacks together. He was taken away from me in the most brutal way.
What brought me comfort is that I know that this isn't goodbye. When the time is right, I know I'll meet him again. He will run into my arms once more, and he will walk with me into the light.
Hope you caught the Office reference 😂
Thank you so much for reading! 🩷