It is another Friday night in Carter Lake, Sergeant Nichols sits parked along access road 15 in his monitoring traffic along I-5. Interstate 5 has a 3 1/2 mile stretch that is considered concurrent jurisdiction for the town of Carter Lake and often officers would sit along an access road to run radar or monitor traffic for DWIs considering this interstate in one that service members drive to get to and from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Looking at the time display on the SUV readout, 2:13 AM, good time to watch for soldiers to speed home as the base clubs have just recently closed.
Sergeant Nichols monitors the various radio calls going out. Prowler on West Center Road and 84th. He couldn't help but to laugh. Mrs. Barton calling again since she is lonely and would offer warm cookies to the responding officer that chases away the bad man who peeks in her window. There is never a 'bad man' peeking in her window, just a lonely 81 year old widow who doesn't have family visit her often enough. The routine nuisance call that no one on the force minds responding to. Mrs. Barton after all is a nice enough woman and does not occupy much time, let her know that we chased that bad guy away and would keep an eye on her home. Take the cookie and talk with her for a few minutes then back on patrol. Officers who drive by her house would run a spot light along her front yard and have the side blue and red strobes on so she has something to talk to the other retiree's when she goes there during the day. Jim gets the cookie tonight it seems.
"Car 24 Control"
"Car 24 144th and Maple"
"Car 24, see the guard, Red Cross blood bank, 20714 Blondo Street, possible intruder there now, code 2"
"Car 24, 10-67"
This radio traffic perks Sergeant Nichols attention. Tapping an inquiry on the tablet in the SUV, does a quick look up of the Red Cross building and pulls up maps to see what might be around the area. There is nothing unusual about the call, but Dave has a nagging feeling for some reason about this particular call. Nothing seems to stick out about this facility which opened a month earlier. Part of an expanding town, no other business around as the strip mall which is still seeking to attract retailers to sign rental contracts. Quiet little strip mall surrounded by trees. Still a itch on the back of his neck, Sergeant Nichols closes the open tabs before looking back to the radar as a dark dodge dart passes. Six miles over, nope, another one or two over and the dart would be stopped, but Dave typically would not do a stop for less than 8 over.
*beep* *beep* *beep*
"Squad 3, 20714 Blondo Street, Red Cross blood bank, shots fired."
"Car 24, security reporting shots fired, call now Code 4"
*siren heard over the radio* "10-4, copy shots fired, ETA 2"
"Control Squad 3, 10-67 Red Cross"
"Control Car 24, clear, Control Squad 3, Clear, All available units, Shots Fired, 20714 Blondo Street, Red Cross blood bank"
Dave has already switched the light bar and headlights on and the SUV's police interceptor engine breaks the quiet of the morning as it accelerates down the access road. The radio is filling with traffic, King County Sherriff has several units responding in addition to the three Carter Lake patrols. Having seen a State Police unit pass I-5 earlier, Dave is certain that WSP would make an appearance as well though they have not radioed their response.
As sergeant Nichols turns on Blondo Street, he hits the gas for the minute that it will take him to arrive. As he crosses the intersection at 206th, the siren is cut off. As he turns on 207th, the parking lot is already filled with responding cars from Carter Lake and King County Sherriff, and yes, the State Police did make an appearance. Pulling to a stop along the Red Cross along several other cars and the Ambulance, Dave exits the SUV grasping the tablet.
Deputies are already returning to their cars to return the shot guns they had out on arrival. Deputy Karin Larson is close by returning to her car when she notices Dave. Resting the shotgun over her shoulder, approaches with a look of disgust on her features.
"Hey Dave, good luck, Kevin shot Elvis."
Rolling his eyes, Dave only responded "Great, you are full of good news tonight Karin."
"Yea, that is why you love me, huh." she offered with a smirk before heading back to her car.
One of the Carter Lake officers approaches sergeant Nichols and before the officer could speak, Dave more grumbles "Don't tell me, our guard is Kevin Kucerra?"
The officer finding it slightly amusing responds "Yep, he's shooting lil green men tonight."
"Just fuckin great, oh well, where do you have the fuckin wanna be?"
The guard at the Red Cross tonight is well known to local law enforcement. Kevin Kucerra, age 25, repeatedly applied and repeatedly rejected by every department in the region since he turned 21. Kevin is the nuisance that officers have grown to despise. Kevin has been ticketed by almost every department at least once for operating unauthorized emergency equipment, a minor misdemeanor, for driving with a portable tear drop blue light. He routinely is seen on the interstate doing traffic stops calling for police to ticket drivers doing his citizen's arrest as a reason. Now this guy is going to tie Dave up in paper work over he was sure was something stupid to try and pad, in Kevin's mind, seemed to be reasons that every department has made a mistake in not hiring him.
As Dave enters the front of the Red Cross suite, the initial responding officer is walking down the hall toward sergeant Nichols. Dave asks "So where is Super Cop?"
The officer in an unusual expression on his face, one not on distain, but one on concern "Sarge, got to be serious with ya, think the fuckin wanker has finally lost it."
This stops Dave, looking to Officer Johnson "How so?"
"The fuckin kid says he shot a ghost, or a monster, he is rambling on about what he shot was not human. This isn't the typical crap he pulls, think he might finally be doing meth or something, something is fucking with his mind to come up with this story."
"Has he been drinking?"
"I already smelled the coffee in his thermos, it is spiked, but it is full, and I couldn't smell alcohol on his breath."
"Alright, lets get CSI in here to process the area, get Super Cop down to the station to interview him, and for Gods sake, try to keep him off his fucking blog."
A smirk comes to the officers face as he pulls put his own smart phone "Sorry Sarge, Super Pud has already been tweeting his insane heart out.
Looking at the twitter account each officer follows Kevin on, more to use as evidence in rejecting any applications he might submit, Dave runs his hand down his face "Well, just fuck me to tears already."
~Carter Lake, open your eyes, I shot a monster tonight and it didn't bother it. The monster was after blood. Monsters are real and are already here~
Dave ready the tweet thinking a moment "Well, did the wanker end up shooting anything? Know cleaning crews don't come in till 6."
"Found 7 shell casings but only 4 holes in the wall but the donation window is broken. Wanker is on about the monster leapt through the window, probably going to find the other 3 rounds in the field, I am sure the pud shot out the window."
Dave mumbled "Thank you Captain Obvious for telling me something I didn't already know. Damn it, press is going to eat this shit up. Ron, can you do me a favor and just shoot me now, certainly less painful than talking to the press in the morning, and get Super Cop to the station, let the detectives talk to the loser, I am not ready to deal with this idiot now."
Ron has a look of amusement come across his face as he holds up his smart phone with the scanner app "I am just full of good news Sarge, the press is already on the way, they apparently follow Super Cops twitter too"
Dave sighs "You know the drill, active crime scene, ongoing investigation and all, no comment due to this being an active scene. Have to find a way to leak the alcohol in the thermos to the press. Anyway, get numb nuts down to the station. This was starting to be a such a good weekend too."
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