Shady Ridge
and the Neon Sky
By Chris Owen
Chapter One
Hank Brodnax
was sitting at the front desk, diligently studying the dust
motes floating by the big window, when the door opened. A gust
of hot air made the motes scatter and dance, some of them twinkling
brightly in the sun. They must have been leftover glitter from
Tamara Ordoyne's dress, Hank figured. She'd been pretty damn
sparkly when they'd hauled her in Saturday night for being drunk
in a public space. Well, that's what they said they'd brought
her in for; in truth, they were trying to keep the peace. That
dress had been about to start a scrimmage on Sycamore Drive,
and a riot wasn't something Shady Ridge's finest were equipped
to deal with.
Hank tore
his gaze away from the dust and tried to focus on the figure
coming in the door, a big dark shape framed by the bright light.
"Can I help you?" he asked, squinting.
"I
hope so," the man said, moving into the small reception
area. "I'm Charles Hise. New incoming officer. I was told
to stop in as soon as I got to town."
Hank blinked
at him, only partly because of the way his eyes were watering
from the change in light. "Were you, now?" he said.
He didn't know they were expecting anyone new. "What did
you say your name was?"
"Hise."
The man stepped a little closer and dropped a folder on the
desk. "Charles Hise."
"Huh."
Hank leaned forward and put one elbow on the desk as he flipped
open the file. The top sheet was a standard cover letter introducing
one Charles Hise, late of the Albany police department, to Captain
Erik Casado. The signature at the bottom was completely illegible,
but the typed name under it was Captain Tanya Seaberg.
"Is
there a problem?" Hise asked as Hank took his time flipping
through the folder.
"No,"
Hank said slowly, noting that there were hire papers, tax forms,
all the crap they had to fill out for benefits, and a sealed
letter from some doctor, which Hank could only assume was about
Hise's fit for duty medical exam. "No problem, except no
one let me know we'd hired on." He sat back in his chair
and flipped the folder closed as he reached for the phone.
"Huh,"
Hise said, his tone perfectly matching Hank's. "Imagine
that."
Hank paused
with his finger hovering above the button to speed dial his
captain and barely managed to swallow a grin. He appreciated
everything that Hise had put into those two words but had no
intention of letting Hise know that. He pushed the button and
sat back again, taking a look at Hise as the phone rang in his
ear. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the light, Hank could
pick out some details other than 'large.' Hise was wearing jeans
and a T-shirt and looked a little tired around the eyes. Probably
not used to the heat. Or maybe it was the humidity.
"Casado,"
the captain barked in his ear. Under his voice, Hank could hear
the clink of silverware and the murmur of many voices.
"Hey,
Cap, it's Hank. There's a guy here at the shop who says he's
a new hire." Hank watched Hise smirk at the wording and
added the descriptors 'very tall' and 'very broad' to his inventory.
The man looked like some freakish combination of linebacker
and marine, standing there at parade rest. Even his dark hair
was regulation to a fault.
"He's
early." Casado didn't sound surprised or even particularly
interested, and he was likely talking with his mouth full of
pie. "That's all right. You can take him around over the
weekend, break him in."
"Cap?"
Hank sat up a little straighter, losing every bit of lazy he
had in him.
"You
heard me. Dump him into uniform -- is he right there? Let me
talk to him."
"But,
sir." Hank glanced at the clock and then at Hise, standing
there with his hands behind his back and his legs braced. "I
got twenty minutes left on my shift and then I'm off for two
days." And it hadn't been easy, getting Friday night through
Monday morning off, either.
"Wonderful,
you'll have lots of free time to make sure he won't get lost
on patrol. Let me talk to him. Now."
Hank put on his very best cop face, the one that he hoped gave
nothing away about what he was feeling, and passed the receiver
to Hise. "Captain Casado," he said tightly.
Hise gave
him a cop face right back and took the phone without hesitation.
"Hise," he said calmly, which kind of grated on Hank.
Anything
would have grated, really. Hank had been looking forward to
a well earned and particularly well deserved weekend upstate
where there were people waiting for him, and now it looked like
he was going to be a combination tour guide and babysitter.
He sat in his chair, put his feet up on the desk, and crossed
his arms over his chest, blatantly listening in on Hise's half
of the conversation.
"Yes,
sir," Hise said, his gaze fixed on something on the wall
above Hank's head. "Just now. Haven't even found that place
to stay." There was a pause and Hank watched as Hise's
brow furrowed. "Not yet, sir. I thought I was starting
next Tuesday, so my things are being shipped --" He broke
off and the furrow lines relaxed, the bright blue eyes almost
rolling up. "No, sir. Post office box I set up when you
-- "
Hank admired
Hise's ability to stop the reflex; he rolled his eyes all the
time when he was talking to their captain. Always on the phone,
of course. Never in person.
"Yes,
sir," Hise said. He opened his mouth to say something else
and this time his eyes did roll. He listened for a long moment
and then nodded. "Of course. I look forward to it."
Again, he was stopped, Casado likely talking right over him.
"Yes, sir," Hise said, this time looking at Hank but
not rolling his eyes. He did look faintly amused, though. "Thank
you, sir." He handed the receiver back to Hank and shrugged
a shoulder.
Hank took
the phone and nodded his thanks. "Cap?"
"Okay,"
Casado said without fanfare. "Take him around town, show
him the hot spots. I want him ready to roll out with the day
shift on Monday morning."
Hank decided
that with his weekend shot he had nothing to lose. "Cap,
I think Benny and John are on all weekend, maybe they can --"
"Work
their shifts," Casado said firmly. "Put in your hours
for overtime and I'll sign it. Come on, he'll be a ride along,
and it's not like he's fresh out of the academy. Just find him
something to wear until his uniforms arrive and get to work."
Hank eyed Hise, still standing in front of the desk with his
neutral expression back in place. "That could be a problem,"
he said, only a little sourly. "He's got to be six and
a half feet tall."
Hise's lips
twitched and he raised five fingers.
"Tall,
huh?" Casado said thoughtfully.
"Six
five, apparently. Probably about two hundred and thirty pounds."
The fingers twitched. "Make that two forty, at least."
"Huh."
Casado seemed to think that over for a moment. "Whatever.
Just do what you can. See you Monday." Then he hung up.
Hank looked
at the phone in his hand and sighed, as he cradled the receiver.
"Well," he said, looking up at Hise. "It looks
like we get to hang out this weekend."
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