The Big Guy Chapter 10

The Big Guy
Chapter 10

People began to congregate around Craig and me despite my requests that they stand back. I was glad that Max had taken control of the gun. Max brought it to me at my command, and then I had him turn and growl at the crowd. As quickly as they had swarmed around us, that’s how quickly they backed up. Minutes later, the first police arrived. I recognized two of the officers from the incident at the diner, and they also recognized me. I described what I had seen and done, and Lucy gave a statement, as did eight people passing by. The EMTs took over, bandaging Craig’s wound and taking him off to the hospital. I passed his revolver to one of the officers and surrendered my weapon—a routine part of any investigation. The last thing I did was to show them where my bullet had struck the light pole.

“Pretty lucky to hit this pole, Cahill.”

“I’m glad you think so,” I chuckled. That was when I felt Lucy behind me. Turning, I took her into my arms. “Thank God you’re okay. I shudder to think what might have happened if I hadn’t been here.”

“If I’d had my purse, I could have used my pepper spray, but it was on the counter. I was just about to get out of the chair when he ran in and grabbed me. How’d you think of stomping on his foot?”

“That’s standard procedure. I’m just glad you caught on.” Lucy kissed me right there on the sidewalk, and, not surprisingly, there was plenty of cheering and polite applause. Then she returned to the salon, and Max and I moved the SUV out of the road, parking in the spot that had been vacated by Haynes and his partner and donning an old shirt that I always kept in the SUV’s rear.

Max and I walked into the salon to wait for Lucy, but that only lasted a minute before the acetone odor began giving me a headache. Lucy told me about a sandwich shop down the street and around the corner. “The owner won’t mind you sitting there until I join you for lunch. Just tell her who you are.” She turned to kiss me quickly, and I walked out, glad to be in the warm, clear air. Max and I strolled down the street, saying hello to shoppers and their young children, many of whom had heard about Max from friends. They petted and hugged him while I whispered to their parents. Most were pleased I’d be taking over for the retiring police chief. Their comments about him mirrored those I’d heard about the force but were much worse.

Lucy walked into the shop almost an hour later and was greeted immediately by the owner, a woman I had recognized from one of her parents’ Sunday parties. She brought menus to our table, and we ordered subs and Cokes. While waiting, I told Lucy I had seen two police officers in a car do nothing during her emergency. Their intervention might have saved Craig’s shoulder—something he was unlikely to use again no matter how long he lived unless he had replacement surgery. A bullet like a .44 Magnum hits its target with an incredible amount of kinetic energy—so much that it will pulverize any bones it strikes.

Lucy was justifiably pissed off when she learned that the police had not acted to aid her, so she took her phone out of her purse and called the central police station. “Ed, it’s Lucille Bascomb; can you tell me who is in car eleven today? Okay, I see. Thanks. Say hi to Adele for me, will you?

“You were right. It was Haynes and his partner—Gil Parsons. They’re bad news. I think I have to make a few more calls. She did, and when she was done, I was approved to start work tomorrow—Daryl, too. I phoned him on the way home, telling him I’d meet him at Lucy’s in an hour. We had a lot to do this afternoon.

I placed phone calls to Paul McCormick in the hopes of borrowing one of his 150-pound dummies. He agreed immediately. I could pick it up at any time. My next call was to the superintendent of schools to inquire about the procedure needed to use the high school track. That was easier than I thought. All I would need was a letter on Police Department letterhead requesting the dates. My final call was to the Sheriff’s Office to ask about using their firing range. Once again, all I had to do was plan about two weeks, and as many as five slots would be set aside for us.
I also arranged for the city to reimburse the Sheriff for any ammunition we used there.

I compiled a memo for all police officers—even station house personnel—regarding and scheduling the new performance standards. I added a final paragraph informing all personnel that failure to appear for testing would be considered insubordination, resulting in an unpaid suspension from the force for a period to be determined or outright dismissal.

“Kind of strong, isn’t it, Matt?”

“Yeah, it is, Daryl, but we’ve been hired to clean up a mess that’s existed for years. I’m not going to pussyfoot around. I already plan to hire many minorities, and you will be a big part of it.”

I’m a decent typist, but Daryl is a pro. He did it in only a few minutes, and then we made 150 copies on Lucy’s printer. Once that was done, I drove us to City Hall to make an official appearance at police headquarters located at the rear of the building. We walked in together—Lucy, Daryl, Max, and me. We stepped up to the desk, and I told the Sergeant, “I’m Matt Cahill, the new Chief of Police, and this is Daryl Evans, a new lieutenant. I believe you already know Ms. Bascomb. I want you to know that I will be starting officially tomorrow morning. When do officers report for duty?”

“Our shift runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Most of us show up between 7:15 and 7:30 to dress and be briefed after roll call.”

“Post a bulletin where everyone can and will see it stating that there will be inspection immediately following the roll call for all on shift, including uniformed station personnel.”

“Inspection?”

“You heard me correctly. A record of infractions will be kept, and I will distribute information regarding the new performance standards. Thank you for being so cooperative, Sergeant. We’ll see you in the morning.” We turned away and walked toward the door, but all of us could hear the sergeant when he said, “Holy Shit!”

Our next stop was the shop that provided the uniforms. After explaining who we were, the owner tried to show us the same brown uniforms that the police had worn for years. I asked if he had any white shirts and navy pants. He did and told us he could sew on the required American flag, name, and rank by the close of business. We signed the voucher for the city and left, returning two hours later.

We ate at home that night, and Daryl and Jasmine joined us. They appeared to be getting along quite well. I reminded myself to talk about them with Lucy later in bed. It wasn’t first on my agenda, but I knew we’d talk before we slept.

Dinner was great, as usual. Lucy’s cook had grilled a big slab of sirloin just as I liked it—medium rare—with baked potatoes and fresh string beans from one of the local farms. Lucy and Jasmine drank wine—a Merlot Lucy told me was from the Napa Valley in northern California. Daryl and I drank ginger ale. Tomorrow was too big a day to risk messing up by drinking too much. We all turned in early in anticipation of a big day.

Lucy and I had arms around each other as we ascended the stairs, but she stopped halfway to turn and kiss me. Rather than break it, I lifted her quickly and carried her to our bedroom. We stripped each other with well-practiced efficiency and stepped together into the shower. We washed quickly in our urgency to the couple—to become one. I was still a bit damp when we jumped into bed together. Then Lucy once again showed her immense love for me by going down on my already fully erect cock.

Kneeling between my legs, Lucy kept her eyes on mine as her tongue actively laved the sensitive underside of my organ. I was delirious in my lust for her, so much so that I leaned forward, took her hips in my hands, and lay back with Lucy lying atop me. We kissed again, the taste of my cock on her tongue dissuading me not at all. My hands clutched Lucy’s body while hers sought out my cock, moving it into the perfect position to penetrate her hot tight tunnel. She was wet—actively oozing—as I stretched her seemingly to the breaking point. I knew that this was her favorite part of making love, so I moved very, very slowly as I pressed up and into her.

We moved together, tentatively at first, but building speed and intensity as our passion grew. Before long, we were chugging like a team of locomotives, Lucy’s clit digging a deep furrow into my abdominals as she twisted my organ through her rapid movements. We made the most heated and sweaty love every day—sometimes more than once. Okay…usually more than once, so our need for each other was great. Yet, despite our frequency, we always came explosively, and tonight’s experience was no different. I knew that some couples never experienced simultaneous orgasms, but for Lucy and me, it was the norm. I beat her to the mark tonight, but she was only seconds behind me.

We lay exhausted in post-coital bliss as our breathing slowly returned to normal. Lucy’s head was on my shoulder, and I knew she was ready to sleep when I spoke to her. “Lucy, honey—I noticed that Jasmine and Daryl seem to be getting along well.”

After a few seconds, she laughed and moved up to kiss me. “For a smart, observant man, you sure can be oblivious. They are so into each other it’s scary…almost as scary as you and me. They’re not living together yet, but ‘YET’ is the operative word. Jasmine spent the entire weekend at Daryl’s house, so I’m sure they’ll be together soon.”

“That’s great; they’re wonderful people who deserve the best. Okay, thanks for the update. Let’s get to sleep. I must get up early.”

“We’re both getting up early. For one thing—you’re going to need a decent breakfast. And I have a surprise for you. You’ll know what it is when you see it.” I tried to coax it out of her, but Lucy kissed me, snuggled close, and pulled the blanket over us. The next thing I knew, the alarm was ringing.

True to her word, Lucy was up and in the shower with me, then she dressed while I shaved. I entered my uniform pants immediately, noticing the razor-sharp crease in the front and back. My shirt had also been pressed between when we came home, and Ingrid left for the day. I used a different pistol belt with a holster for my CZ 9mm. It was much narrower than my Python, so it flopped around from side to side, and that could be a problem if I needed it quickly. I checked that it was loaded and that the spare magazines on the belt were full. I transferred my handcuffs and baton, then walked down to the kitchen with Max in tow.

Lucy had made me a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage patties, orange juice, and black coffee. She joined me at the table, and we ate quickly. I phoned Daryl, who told me he was already on his way. I told him to wait for me at the gateway to the restricted parking lot.

After a long, passionate kiss goodbye, I left Lucy with a wave. I drove the short distance to City Hall, driving straight to the parking lot restricted for police, magistrates, and the city government’s officials and employees, stopping at the gatehouse. “Sorry, sir, but this lot is reserved for employees. There’s a public lot on Fifth Street just around the corner.”

“I am an employee. I’m Matt Cahill, the new Chief of Police, and the car behind me holds the new Lieutenant.”

“I don’t know. Nobody told me nothing.”

Suddenly, there was a shadow from behind the SUV, and I turned to see my future father-in-law. “Let them in, Nick. They’re both starting today.
You’ll get official notice a bit later from the mayor.”

“Okay, Mr. Bascomb…if you say so.” The bar was raised, and we drove through. Jonathan joined us once we had parked in spots reserved for the chief and a lieutenant. He even reached down to pet Max, who was excited to start a new adventure.

“Hi Jonathan, Lucy promised me a surprise, but I never guessed it would be you. Surely, you have better things to do than be here at this hour.”

He laughed, and I joined him a second later. “Nonsense, Matt—I can hardly wait to introduce you and turn Joe Wilson to pasture. It’s only about four years too late.” We walked together into the building, where we were stopped by building security until Jonathan assured them that we would have an official ID later in the day. Once again, we walked into police headquarters, stopping at the sergeant’s desk en route to the briefing room.
He looked at Max and moved away from Max’s massive jaws.

“Hi, Ed, we’re going into the room for the introductions now. Anyone missing?”

“No, Sir…Mr. Bascomb. They’re all here but not too happy about inspection.” Then, pointing at Max, “What the hell is that thing…a wolf?” I just nodded and smiled, and we strode through the door. Inside were another sergeant and the sixty officers on patrol for this shift.

“Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce the new Chief of Police, Matt Cahill, former U.S. Marshal, and former Chief Petty Officer with the Navy’s military police. Lieutenant Daryl Evans, who has the same background as Chief Cahill, is with him. You’ll also get to know Chief Cahill’s police dog, Max.” He stepped aside so I could speak.

“Unfortunately, many of the citizens of this beautiful city refer to their police force as ‘the Keystone Kops.’ That perception ends today. Lieutenant Evans will distribute my first memo to all of you regarding performance standards that have been adopted by many of the nation’s police forces as well as the U.S. Marshals Service. Please read them carefully and note the dates for your test. You will be paid overtime for your time on those days. Starting today, I have scheduled the mile run for a month, so you will have time to practice. Everyone will run that day, including Lt. Evans and me, and those who fail to make it in six minutes or less will be on probation for a minimum of sixty days or until they meet the standard. After running, each of us will pick up a 150-pound dummy and carry it at a run for fifty yards. That will be done in thirty seconds or less. All of this is in the memo.

“I’d like to know how many of you have been to the Sheriff’s Firing Range within the last six months.” I wasn’t surprised that less than one-third had raised their hands. “How many of you have never fired your weapon?” Again, I wasn’t surprised that almost half raised their hands. “That is going to change. There was a time in this country when a police officer could expect to go through their entire career without needing his service weapon. Unfortunately, those days are good in the past. You need to have confidence in your ability to use your handgun if needed, plus you need to know that you’ll hit your target and not somebody out walking the dog.”

I paused then because I had seen Haynes crumple his memo and toss it onto the floor. “Is there a problem, Officer Haynes?”

“I am not doing no running, and I am never going to take orders from that fucking person. I should be lieutenant. I have been here longest.”

“I don’t know of any police department that promotes officers based on longevity, and this one will not be the first. What training do you have?”

“The best kind—on-the-job training. Plus, I’m a native here. I’ve lived here all my life.”

“That and five dollars will get you into a matinee at the movies. Lt. Evans has extensive formal training from the Navy. I know about that because I had the same training. He, like me, has a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of North Carolina, and we’re both almost finished with master’s degrees from the same university. I’ll finish mine within three months and Lt. Evans within the next year. We also have completed the training provided to all U.S. Marshals.”

“Yeah, well…when my father finds out about this, you’ll be toast, and so will your spade.”

“I understand that you live with your parents, so I’m a bit surprised you don’t know that he opposed my appointment, the adoption of these standards, and Lt. Evans’ appointment. Yet, here we are because he was the only dissenting vote. If I understand you correctly, you are refusing to follow the orders by Lt. Evans. Is that correct?”

“You bet your ass. All I got to do is hang out and kick his ass, and he’ll be gone, but I’m never going to follow his orders, and I am not following yours either.”

“Okay, you’ve made your position abundantly clear. How about you, Parsons? I want to know whether to add insubordination to the charges of dereliction of duty already hanging over your heads. Not only did I see you while Ms. Bascomb was being kidnapped yesterday, but more than a dozen citizens also saw you. You sat in your patrol car and did nothing while an armed assailant was kidnapping her. Your intervention might well have convinced Craig to give up. Instead, I had to shoot him in the shoulder to disarm him. Well, how about it, Parsons?”

He glanced at Haynes standing just to his left before replying, “Um…I guess so; I mean, I’ll follow.” Max had been sitting to my left side until the exchange with Haynes. Then he jumped up, ready to act in response to the changes in the tone of my voice. Once my voice showed that I was calm again, he returned to sitting but had his eyes squarely on Haynes in anticipation of some foolhardy act.

“Very well, let’s stand for inspection, then we’ll have a briefing. There will be a note taken of any problems, but there will be no penalties for problems this morning as this is new to you.” They formed what amounted to two lines, and I started at the left end and moved toward the right, noting deficiencies as we walked before turning around for the back row. Primarily, problems were associated with dirty shoes and unkempt uniforms, although two officers had omitted their vests, a potentially life-threatening omission.

I listened to the briefing and told Haynes and Parsons to meet me in the Chief’s office. There, I laid out the charges against them and advised them of their rights to a hearing. “Who’s going to conduct the hearing?” Haynes asked.

“I plan to ask three of the City Council, but not your father or Ms. Bascomb.”

“What about the suspension?”

“Thirty days without pay.”

“Fuck that! I don’t give that much of a shit about this stupid fucking job. I fucking quit.”

Max was up again in a flash, ready for action if needed, and Haynes took a step back in response. “Duly noted and accepted, Officer Haynes. I’ll have your service weapon and ID now and give you seventy-two hours to return your uniforms. If you don’t, I’ll have the cost deducted from your final paycheck.” His face was red with anger as he stepped forward and slammed the pistol and belt on the desk, followed seconds later by his leather-clad ID. I held Max back with a hand on his collar as he growled loudly enough for all in the room to hear.

“C’mon, Gil—let’s get the fuck out of this shithole.”

Parsons just stood still with his head down. “I can’t, Jeremy. I don’t live with my folks. I have a wife and two kids. I need this job.” Haynes stormed out, slamming the door as he left. Parsons surrendered his belt, pistol, and ID, accepting the suspension before he walked away.

“Daryl, please notify payroll that we’re on the job effective today. That will have to be in writing. Also, take care of the Haynes and Parsons matters. I’ll have to deal with the former Chief. I think I see him now.” Daryl left to find what would be his office as Joe Wilson stormed in. I was sure he would have yelled had he not seen Max at the ready.

Instead, he was subdued when asked, “Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my office?”

“I’m your replacement, Matt Cahill, and you’re officially relieved of duty effective right now. I’ll accept your service weapon unless it’s your personal property and police department ID. Please return your uniforms within the next week.”

“The fuck I will. I have half a mind to.”

“Just do as you’re told, Joe,” my future father-in-law said, stepping into the office from the hallway. “Joe, you should have retired years ago. You’ve allowed things to slip; now, the police force is a joke. Be glad you’re retiring and not being fired.”

“But, Jonathan.”

“No buts, Joe; you’ll be paid for the next ten days just as the City Council agreed, but you’re done working. Stop whining and maintain a little dignity.”

“This isn’t right. I got friends on the Council, you know?”

“I do, but you should know that an informal vote was held yesterday after two of your officers failed to act when my daughter was being kidnapped. If not for intervention by Chief Cahill, she would have been.”

“I didn’t hear anything about that.”



To be continued