AfterNet 01 - Good Cop Dead Cop

and expecting everyone to know what he meant.
    Yamaguchi hated Diller, however. Not only was she the person who came up with the appalling nickname, she was its most ardent promoter. For some reason, Diller disliked Yamaguchi from the first time they met and for most of her time in patrol, Diller was the sergeant for the Five Points sector — her sergeant.
    “No, apparently patrol is so weakened by disease and easy living that I had to fill the gap,” she said in response to Tompkins.
    “I heard you were the one who started this plague. Spread from downtown to the substations,” Tompkins said.
    “Greatly exaggerated, I’m afraid. I merely acted as a host for the parasite before it began infecting the rest of the crew,” she said. Tompkins smiled.
    “Your partner with you?” asked Diller, interrupting the witty repartee with Tompkins.
    “Joined at the hip,” Yamaguchi said.
    The other cops started filling the squad room including the other district sergeants, so Diller and Tompkins took their places at the table up front.
    Roll call was running late so the show got started while people were taking their seats.
    “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,” a male sergeant, who Yamaguchi thought was responsible for LoDo, said. “Let’s get this started so the day shift can go home. We’re obviously undermanned today so let’s do everything we can to stay on the street. That means only the bad guys go to jail. Everybody else gets a ‘get out of jail card.’ And let’s keep the code 7 to a minimum, which means you Reichart. That means break starts when you call it, not when you sit your ass down.
    “I’m also told to remind you that as usual people are running late on their timecards. There is no longer any way to get your timecard submitted after the 3 p.m. deadline. This comes from the embittered old bitch who we all know and love in accounting.
    “Um, let’s see, we’re putting together the riot staffing for the New Year’s Eve weekend. Special operations don’t expect this year to be as bad as last year, but I’m sure most of you remember that they said the same thing last year.
    “Finally, Merry Christmas or whatever because other than riots and pillaging, our crime statistics look good. Apparently our ceaseless efforts have kept the streets of Denver safer than they were last year. So good job and don’t screw it up. Now to let you know about the crime we haven’t been able to prevent. The irate Broncos fan has struck again in the 1300 block of Sherman Street, tagging four cars. And as this is only a block from the Capitol, it makes us look bad.”
    The sergeant continued reading out various crimes that had occurred in District 6 the past few days. Most of the cops looked bored because they’d heard the litany of crimes the day before and the day before that. A few conversations were going on while the sergeant, reading from a computer screen, never looked up.
    “Oh my God, this is boring,” Munroe told Yamaguchi.
    Yamaguchi had almost nodded off and Munroe’s voice in her ear caught her surprise. “What, I thought you liked patrol?”
    “Yes, but I can’t remember roll call being this boring. Every petty crime in the world.”
    “What, crime was more interesting when you were young?”
    “Must have been. And you were starting to nod off, too.”
    “Still fighting this cold.”
    “So what’s the deal with you and the woman sergeant?”
    “She’s the one who came up with ‘Gooch.’ I don’t know what she has against me, but we’ve always hated one another.”
    “Oh, I almost forgot, we had another bank robbery, a very bad guy who pistol-whipped a cashier,” the sergeant said. “Luckily, the security cameras caught him in the act and he can clearly be seen in this video.”
    “Hey, maybe something interesting after all,” Munroe said. “Wonder why he left it for last?”
    Sgt. Diller got up from the table and went to a laptop connected to the overhead projector. She turned on the projector, which displayed the newcast already cued to Yamaguchi’s performance. Then she hit play. The room went wild when Yamaguchi wiped her nose with her sleeve. Diller paused the video and Sgt. Tompkins stood.
    “Excuse me, apparently that was something else. OK, everyone quiet down. As you all know, we have an extra special guest,” Tompkins said at the front of the room. “I’m sure you all remember Officer Yamaguchi from her days in patrol.” A few people applauded. “She and