Never a Cop Close When You Need One

Detective Fin Marks couldn’t concentrate. He had the attention span of a gnat. All morning he waited in hope the day would bring a call from the pathologist with word about the autopsy of Charles Aldrich. The wait for calls usually wasn’t an issue. There was always so much to do. But this was different because the case had stalled

No sign of the murder weapon had shown up after days of searches. Images of the carnage rained on the murdered man in a vicious surprise attack popped into Fin’s mind at unexpected moments. If they could identify the weapon he hoped it would also explain some puzzling aspects of the blood patterns at the scene and point to a suspect with a motive. Fin’s talks with potential witnesses had proven difficult. It was not because they feared murder. Many wanted to help. Everyone was on edge with heightened anxiety of the novel coronavirus Pandemic.

           He needed a new focus to distract him from circular thoughts. He wanted alternatives to help him step back and see a larger picture. There was mandatory lab work he had put off. All first responders were now required to regular test for presence of the COVID-19 virus on a regular basis. The excuse he gave himself was the length of lines he found at his last test experience.

           Get it done, he thought. The walk to the lab on a sun drench day might clear his head.

           “Gavin, I’m overdue for my next COVID test. Might as well do it do it now” he said, to his colleague, Detective Lyle.

           “Do mine for me while you’re there. OK?”

           “You wish. Call me if you hear from the pathologist about the Aldrich autopsy.” Lyle waved agreement.

           It truly was a gorgeous day as he headed a block south of the station. A light breeze ruffled the acid-green leaves now fully emerged after the last of the cherry blossoms fell away. He was enveloped in the heady scent of roses. This time of year he often lingered at this spot to drink in the mingled scents. He tried, and always failed to identify the varieties. He felt sure his grandparents would know them.

           There was a line as expected, but much shorter than the last time. He could see people had maintained physical distance. Most appeared to be in face masks in compliance with the Province of B.C. order. The breeze helped distract him from the warmth of his own mask and heat of his Nitrile gloves. The line moved forward by two as he approached. “Good omen?”

           It shortened as two people abandoned their places. This put him right at the end which was now at the ramp entrance to medical building’s underground parking. The line snaked along the side of the building, around the corner into the entrance lobby. With the distances between waiters being maintained, he estimated there were about ten people ahead of him. Doable. He thought.

           He knew some of his colleagues displayed their police ID in these lines with the hope others would see it and step aside for them. Fin didn’t like these waits any more than they, but he refused to take advantage of his position. If the wait proved longer and no call came from Gavin, he would chalk the day up to vacation time. He had an abundance of it.

           When he arrived at the line the man ahead turned sideways as if to glance through the window of the pharmacy beside him. Fin saw his unmasked face reflected and stiffened. I know that face.

           He pretended to stare straight ahead as he pulled his phone out. He knew he had a spare mask in his pocket. He could offer it, but first he had to deal with the growing anxiety of recognizing the man’s face. On his phone he pulled up the latest bulletins for wanted individuals. He was right.     

           How to handle this in safety with a crowd so close by?

           A woman in a pink jacket and floral mask stood in front of the Wanted Man talking quietly with someone who seemed to be a stranger. As Fin reviewed options the woman turned on the wanted man in front of Fin and demanded to know why he was not wearing a mask.

           “I don’t need one.” It was said with a snarl

           “Then why are you in line for the lab?”

           “None of your business.”

           He spit on his hands and lunged at the woman as if he intended to smear them on her. “Whatcha gonna do about it, Lady? Everybody knows there is never a cop close by when you need one.”

           “This time you’re wrong,” Fin said. When he recognized the man he had placed his badge on his jacket pocket and unclipped a pair of hand cuffs from his belt. The man whirled around and his glance landed mid-chest on Fin. For a few seconds he seemed startled by the need to put his head back to look into Fin’s face. Next he gave Fin a once-over. Again with a sneer, he demanded, “Prove you’re a cop.”

           Fin silently tapped his badge. The aggressive behavior didn’t stop.

The man jabbed a finger at Fin’s face. Fin used the opportunity, and grabbed the extended wrist. He clamped one hand cuff on the wrist. He quickly twisted the man around, grabbed his other arm and clamped it too.

           “Geoffrey Arnold Dawson you are under arrest.”

           “You can’t charge me for not wearing a mask.”

“I can, and I may do that too.

“So what the Hell is the arrest for?”

“A Canada-wide warrant for starters.”

Fin had wrenched the much shorter man out of line and twisted him to face the cinder-block retaining wall on the far side of the driveway ramp. If Dawson decided to spit again, he would be doing it into the low bushes on top of the wall which over looked the service station on the level below.

Dawson was short, about five foot eight, and very strong, with a muscular body that did not run to fat. He tried to wrench himself out of Fin’s grasp, but Fin used his upper body strength to hold him against the wall. He held the cuffed wrists close to Dawson’s body and pulled them towards Dawson’s shoulders. He could feel Dawson wince. That gave Fin a chance to dig out his phone and call the station. He gave his ID number, location and the code for “Officer Needs Assistance” followed by another code to request crowd control.

           He glanced over his shoulder. The line has turned into a circle of camera phone wielding observers. He turned away. News photos would not help in his duties. He didn’t doubt this would go regardless of what he wanted.

A few observers clapped. But one or two were not happy with the forceful arrest. “What’s the arrest for? Just because he didn’t wear a mask?”

“A Canada-wide warrant,” Fin said. The man frowned, but didn’t back away.

“He’s suspected in a murder case,” Fin added. This time the man stepped back, as did the whole group of observers. He could hear sirens closing in.

A black and white cruiser pulled across the driveway entrance. Constable Art Chan leapt out and ran toward Fin with his hand on his gun. When he saw the crowd he holstered it. Another cruiser pulled up behind Chan’s. Staff Sgt. T. J. Smeaton took in the scene. More sirens announced the arrival of more cars.

           Chan stepped closer to the man in Fin’s grasp. “Well, well Mr. Dawson. How nice to see you. Metro PD will be very pleased you’ve chosen to cooperate with police. Detective Marks will you assist me in getting our guest into the cruiser.”

           Fin nodded and moved Dawson toward the car. He spoke to the officers in the other cars. “Get statements from those folks, please. Start with the woman in the pink jacket. The one with the floral mask. Dawson threatened to spit on her. And get copies of the videos they took.”

           The officers nodded and moved forward with notebooks out. Fin heard one ask, “Anybody here with video?” Multiple hands rose.

           Dawson had kept up his attempt to break free. Chan took his other arm. “Let’s not make this any more difficult that it already is,” he said. Dawson reluctantly complied.

           With Dawson safely in the cruiser, Fin turned to Chan. “Glad you recognized him so quickly.”

           “Dawson was featured in this morning’s briefing. Reports said he was on his way from Ontario, but nobody was sure when he might arrive. How did you recognize him? I wouldn’t think he was on your radar.”

           “He wasn’t, but I scan the daily bulletins just like you do.”

           “Should have known. And I thought you were probably here for the COVID test.”

           “I was, but the test turned out to be of a different kind.”

           “And your next one will be how to respond to your enlarging fan base.” He nodded to the people back in line who had one eye on the cop in front of them taking notes, and, with cameras still out, the other eye was on Fin and Chan. When they saw Fin turn, many started to clap.

           “Good grief. Let me out of here. Can you finish up for me Art? I need to get back to the station and write up my report on this.”

           Chan glanced at the cruiser, then at the other officers talking with crowd members. “Sure I can do that.”

           “Thanks.”

           “One more thing Fin.”

           “Yes?”

           “Be sure and watch TV tonight. It’s early enough in the day, I’m sure you’ve made the cut for the nightly news, maybe even The National on CBC.”

           “And here I thought you were my friend, Art.”

           “I am. I am. And I’ll bask in the reflected light.” He struggled to suppress a laugh.

           Staff Sgt. T.J. Smeaton, who had arrived in the second car, would supervise on scene. He, finger waved Fin over.

“I see you’ve gotten Chan directing this. You sure he is up for it?”

“Of course, aren’t you?

“Yes.”

“Then why the question? I know he is still new, and needs more experience, but he works hard. Besides you trained us both. You always know where someone is going before you sign off on their own. I expect a call from the pathologist. I’ll head back to write up my report on this.”

           Fin heard the pink jacketed woman speak to the man who had been in front of her. “Told you we should wait. Not every day you get to witness some a movie shoot to relieve Pandemic anxiety.”

           “Ha! That was no movie shoot. It was the real thing.

           Indeed, Fin thought and started back up the hill to the station. He saw a deeply frowning woman standing by a car who pointed to the cruisers blocking the entry driveway.

           “Excuse me. Do you know what’s going on?”

           “A police incident,” Fin said.

           “Oh no. We have an appointment and I must make this one.”

           Fin pointed to his left. “Go half way up this alley. Turn left and go through the parking lot. There’s a back entrance at the far side of it.”

           “Thanks,” she said and ducked her head into the back seat of her car to pick up a small child.

           Fin watched as they left. The child she held in her arms peeked over a shoulder and gave him a shy smile. He made an open-closed finger wave at Fin.

           Fin smiled and waved back. The image of the sun on the child’s golden curls distracted him from the residual tension he felt from the incident. As he watched them go he wondered are images of innocence like that all we’ll have to remind us of what ‘Normal’ was?

           A sea breeze swept uphill off the ocean, the scent of roses and the child’s sun-bright smile wiped away his torpor.            As he neared the back entrance to the station his phone rang.

           “Gavin. Good news?”

           “Maybe yes, maybe no. Fingers crossed she is right. The pathologist said she’s waiting for us. Better yet she has an idea where we can re-focus the search for the weapon.

           “Great. I’m at the garage. Meet me.”

           “But I’m driving. I can tell from your voice you’ll hit warp speed.”

           “Only warp. Why so slow?” The incident at the lab momentarily forgotten, he found there might be a reason to smile for the first time in days.