Free Superbia 2 by Bernard Schaffer Page A

tried not to laugh. 
    ***
    Iolaus read through the rest of the policy as fast as he could, not stopping to let anyone else take over, not asking if there were any “Questions, comments, or concerns,” when he finished.  He put down the page, wrote down the time they finished training and said, “Hit the street.”
    Aprille smirked at Reynaldo as they got up, and Iolaus raced from around the table and out the door.  “I hate you so much right now,” she said. 
    “Why am I being transferred to another squad?  Did I do something wrong?”
    “Well they can’t put me with Frank.  Christ, we’d actually get some police work done in this town.  Make the most of it, kid.  You’re lucky to be getting away from Ensign Exfoliate.”
    Iolaus turned the corner toward the Chief’s office, and knocked on the door.  “Hey,” he said.
    The Chief held up his finger while talking into his phone, “Dez?  Chief Erinnyes.  I delivered that message to our friend.  No, I didn’t tell him who tipped me off.”  Erinnyes started to laugh, “You should have seen the look on his face.  It was priceless.  Let me buy you lunch as a token of gratitude for keeping an eye on us.  Sounds good.”  He said goodbye and hung up the phone.  “Yes?”
    Iolaus’ heart was beating so hard he felt it in his throat.  “Is everything okay?”
    “Yes.  Why do you ask?”
    “Between me and you, I meant.  Is everything all right?”
    “Do you know something I don’t know?”
    “No.”
    “Then why do you ask?”
    “I’m losing Reynaldo to Frank all of a sudden.”
    Erinnyes waved his hand, “I want you to focus on Aprille exclusively for now.  You don’t need the extra baggage.  I’m doing you a favor.”
    What about Frank’s phone?  What about his parking spot?  “So Frank’s back on the street then?”
    “Yes.  Are you all right, Officer Iolaus?  You look sweaty.”
    “I’m fine.”
    Erinnyes looked at his watch.  “Shouldn’t roll call be over by now?”
    “We were training.  Going over policies.”
    “Why are you sitting in the station doing that?  Don’t they have binders they can take out on the street with them?”
    Iolaus swallowed, “They do, but I wanted to make sure they understood how we want them to do things.”
    “I want them done how they are written,” Erinnyes said.  “That is why I wrote them.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    ***
    “County to available seventeen car?”
    Aprille waited to give Iolaus the chance to respond, in case he had an aneurism over someone else answering the radio.  When he didn’t, she picked up her radio mic and said, “Seventeen-nine, go ahead.”
    “Domestic in progress at the Shop-N-Bag.  Customers are reporting someone manhandling a disabled woman and mom is screaming at him.”
    Aprille hung up the mic and threw the car into drive.  She clicked the emergency lights on and honked her horn, causing the cars in front of her to begin getting out of her way.  She made it to the intersection when she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Iolaus’s police car pulling out of the station.  “Fuck me,” she spat, and flicked the lights back off. 
    “County to seventeen-nine?”
    “Seventeen-seven, County.  Go ahead,” Iolaus said. 
    “Complainant reports that the vehicle is now leaving the scene.  Tag comes back on a PA handicapped tag, registered to Ralph and Mary Polonius of Ascot Way.”
    Aprille hit her left turn signal, trying to turn around.  Ascot Way was only a few streets down.  She could head them off. 
    “Seventeen-seven to County, clear it out.”
    Aprille snatched the radio mic and said, “Say again?”
    “Clear.  It.  Out.”
    She threw the mic onto the passenger side floor as Iolaus’ patrol car drove past her.  He did not slow down, and did not look in her direction. 
    ***
    “Is that the car?” Frank said. 
    “I think so.  I only got a quick look at it.”
    Frank lifted the binoculars and squinted, trying to read the