AfterNet 01 - Good Cop Dead Cop

bars, restaurants and over-priced condominiums, and the site of the rave.
    Denver was divided into six districts and district 6 included downtown. The main department building was the home of the Criminal Investigation Division, but the patrol division was scattered throughout the six substations. So they had a short drive over to the District 6 substation near Washington Street and Colfax Avenue.
    “Yeah, should be fun.”
    “You’re not actually looking forward to this?”
    “I always liked patrol.”
    “Is that why you were a detective?” she asked, as they parked.
    She walked through the lobby and went to the door that led to the secure area of the building. She had to wait for another cop to enter his code and let her in.
    “Oh my God,” she said after she walked through the door. The cop who’d let her in looked back at her, but she waved him on.
    “What?” Munroe asked.
    “Roll call.” Since the rescue of the boy and her embarrassment over the photo and the newscasts, she’d been able to avoid large gatherings of cops. She’d been in court all day Wednesday and teaching the arrest control class Thursday. She’d largely been spared the mockery of her fellow officers.
    “Oh, shit.”
    “It won’t be that bad, Linda,” he said. Of course he was lying. He liked her a lot and thought she was a good cop and being her partner he would have stood up for her in any situation, but the video was damn funny. Maybe the antihistamines she’d been taking had made her goofy or it was just the high you get when you save someone’s life, but she looked wild on that video. Even without sound, just looking at the closed captioning, it was hilarious.
    She said nothing. He couldn’t help but enjoy her predicament. “Come on, you’ll enjoy yourself. Christmas Eve, chestnuts roasting, carolers singing.”
    “Shoplifters stealing, drunks vomiting.”
    “We are in a bad mood.”
    “Sorry, Alex, I told you I don’t like Christmas. Now, if you’ll excuse me …” She pointed to the sign that said “Women’s Locker Room.”
    Munroe waited for Yamaguchi in the hallway, amusing himself by looking at some of the motivational posters on the wall that inspired the minister’s poster, including the one showing a game of tug of war with the caption, “Never underestimate the power of people working together to solve a problem.”
    Damn, I hope it fits, he thought. Damn, I just hope it’s in the locker room.
    She emerged from the locker room ten minutes later.
    “Alex, it’s beautiful,” she said.
    “So that’s it, huh?”
    “Yes, can’t you tell?” she asked, turning around for him to see.
    “Sure. Actually, I never knew there was anything wrong with the one you had before. But you were talking to Mary a while back and I overhead your conversation. The office terminal can pick up conversations from quite a distance if it’s quiet.”
    “Oh, good to know,” she said, filing away that information for the future. “You got the right size and width. It fits perfectly. And it’s a lot lighter than my old one.”
    “Yeah, Mary picked out the size and ordered it and I think she got one for herself.”
    “Thanks, Alex. It’s a wonderful Christmas present. I know you and Mary don’t really get along and I appreciate you teaming up. I love it.”
    “The real challenge was getting it sent from downtown to here.”
    “Well I appreciate all the effort. OK, I guess we go to roll call,” she said, smiling happily. She turned and walked confidently away with a swagger.
    He stayed behind to watch her. Damn, diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but a nylon gun belt that weighs half as much, that’s priceless.
    Surprisingly, they arrived early, only a few other people were waiting in the squad room, and they didn’t look up as Yamaguchi entered. She silently told Munroe, “OK maybe if we hang back here we can escape the worst of it.” The joy of her present had already faded.
    Then sergeants Diller and Tompkins, followed by three other cops, entered the room and she knew she was done for.
    “Well, who do we have here? It’s Gooch!” Diller said.
    “Hey sarge.”
    “Long time no see, Linda. Not out rescuing anyone?” asked Tompkins.
    Yamaguchi actually liked Tompkins, even if it was impossible to hold a normal conversation with the man. He kept quoting lines from “Monty Python” or “Star Trek” and using his arcane knowledge of pop culture to explain policing, politics and life in general