CHAPTER 10

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Thursday was the day we had set aside for our date. After getting Lucy settled in the Explorer and Max in the rear seat, I opened the rear hatch and leaned in toward the long box on the right-hand side. Including the lock, it was made of stainless steel primarily because stainless is an extremely hard metal that is difficult to dent with a hammer and impossible to cut with a hacksaw. The box was bolted to the vehicle's frame with the nuts inside the box's body. I placed my .44 Magnum into the precut foam seat and removed my CZ 75 9mm pistol. A minute later it was nestled in my shoulder holster and my jacket was back on my body.

I had made reservations for Carter's and Lucy obviously approved although she did giggle when she told me that it was one of the family businesses. "What don't you own," I asked.

"Well, we own most of the buildings downtown and we own three gas stations in addition to the mining quarries. Mostly we mine sand and ball clay. That's the stuff that's used to make dinnerware and floor and wall tiles. We have more than five hundred employees working the mines. It's interesting work and nothing like old-time mining. It takes place in huge pits. The trucks and power shovels are huge. There are crews that blast thousands of tons at a time." I had an even harder time understanding why Lucy was still single so I asked her about it.

"Lucy, you're a real catch. Why aren't you married by now?"

"That's a good question, Matt. I've been very suspicious of every suitor while I was in college and since then and my dad is even worse, but you're the exception. I started to fall for you before you knew anything about me. You're here by chance. You slept with me that first night and I never worried that you'd take advantage. Then when we made love the first time…. Well, all I can tell you is that sex with other men was never even close to what we shared. That was when I first felt that we shared something special." She reached across the table to take my hand. Then she whispered, "My father will know everything that happened at dinner before we even reach your car."

"Okay, so what? You're an adult and so am I." Lucy leaned forward to kiss me then. It was just a peck, but it told me a lot. I was sure that dear old dad was receiving a text before we even broke it. So what?

Dinner was as great as George had told me it would be. We each had the prime rib, although I did have the larger offering with baked potato while Lucy had fries. George and I had hit it off pretty well yesterday when I bought my clothes so I sounded him out on a number of things—the police force being my first issue. What he told me was revealing. He even invited several of his friends to join us. They shared his opinions. Basically, they told me that the force was a joke. Almost half of the officers were hired as payback for political debts by the members of the City Council.

"Haynes is the worst. His son is on the force and he must be forty…fifty pounds overweight. If he ever had to run after a criminal he'd probably die of a heart attack."

Later I stopped at a coffee shop with Paul, one of George's pals, at their suggestion. There I heard the same arguments and the same sentiments. They were reinforced when two city police officers walked in to take seats at the counter. "That's Jeremy Haynes," my companion whispered. "Watch what he does. He's a real slob, but he makes up for it by being arrogant and obnoxious."

I nursed my coffee while I watched Haynes and his partner spend almost forty-five minutes of the city's time eating and drinking coffee. Their radios indicated four calls that they ignored. Haynes had four doughnuts; his partner only had three. "Now, watch this," my new friend whispered conspiratorially. I was still and silent as the two cops walked straight out the door without paying and without a word of thanks to the shop's owner. I had to agree—Haynes was a real piece of work. He'd be first in my sights if I became chief.

When I shared those opinions with Lucy she surprisingly agreed. "That's why most of us want a change. We want a strong independent police chief who will turn the force into something we can be proud of, not a running joke and a bad one, at that." I spent the next morning at the library, preparing for my interview. I was going to review my plans with Lucy, but fate in the form of two armed robbers intervened. Virtually all of my afternoon was spent resolving the case and taking statements from the witnesses. As a result, Lucy and I grabbed a quick meal at a barbeque joint where we could sit outside and I could feed Max while Lucy and I ate.

I was in uniform and armed when I walked into the Council Room at 7:00 on Friday evening with Lucy and Max. She directed me to a chair at the foot of the table. I was quite pleased when Max followed Lucy to her seat just to the left of the chairman, Carl Haynes. I also learned then that Ms. Lucille Bascomb was the Vice-Chairperson. I looked around at the nine members of the council and was surprised to see that I had met several at George's that morning. They smiled as Mr. Haynes introduced them.

I began the interview with a synopsis of my life—how I was orphaned at three, living in eastern North Carolina with my aunt and uncle, everything about my high school career leading to my experiences in the Navy. Finally, I described my career as a U. S. Marshal.

"Tell us about your dog." It was one of the men I'd met at George's this morning who had asked.

"I was involved in dog training in the Navy and I was given the opportunity with Max about five years ago when he was three months old. I spent an entire year with him and now he's the best police dog I've ever met. Not only does he obey my commands perfectly, but he is capable of acting on his own if warranted."

"I understand that he was a major factor in the arrests you made this afternoon."

"That's right. Without him I would never have been able to take those robbers down. I wouldn't have even tried because there would have been an overwhelming probability that one or more of the bystanders in the diner would have been shot and possibly killed. I probably would have been one of them. The only alternative would have been to kill them before they had a chance to react."

"How did Max know when to act?"

"Training, more than anything else; I gave him a signal that I won't share with you now so he knew to go when I did. I saw that their weapons were pointed to the ceiling and the one I was going for was looking away from me."

"What about the other one?"

"That never mattered. Max was on him in less than a second. He was off as soon as my foot hit the floor and his fangs were wrapped around the man's wrist before the other robber could react. I was glad that mine followed directions. I never like to shoot anyone, even scum like them."

"Would you actually have shot him?"

"Without a doubt--and especially if I thought that one of the customers or diner staff was in danger. That's always my rationale when I use my weapon."

"May I see your pistol?"

"NO! I'm sorry, but I never give my weapon to anyone, even in a setting like this."

"I'd like to hear some of your thoughts on your becoming chief of police here. We have an outstanding force now. What would you do to improve it," asked Chairman Haynes.

"I wish that the citizens of this city shared that opinion, Sir. I've spoken with roughly fifty citizens here and the overwhelming majority thinks the police force here is a joke. In fact, they call it the 'Keystone Kops,' that's how poorly they think of the police force now. That will definitely change when I'm chief. I've put together some standards that are in use with the Marshal's Service. They have been adopted by many local and state police." I passed the sheet out to the council members. "Every member of the force, including me, will have to run a six-minute mile every six months. They will also have to lift and carry a 150-pound dummy fifty yards in thirty seconds or less and they'll have to qualify at the range, striking the target at least 85 percent at fifty yards. Failure to achieve these targets will result in a sixty-day probationary period the first time, a ninety-day suspension the second time, and dismissal from the force the third time.

"As chief I will have full discretion to hire and fire."

"We do that now. The law requires it."

"Yes, Mr. Haynes, you're absolutely right, but you are politicians so you make political decisions. Politics and police is a recipe for disaster. People get onto the force for all the wrong reasons. Every candidate should have to pass a competitive exam. That ensures that you get to pick the very best candidates, not the son or daughter of a friend or relative. Every candidate must have a psychological exam so you don't wind up with a psycho on the force—someone who will go crazy under stress—and every candidate will have to pass their way through the Memphis Police Academy. That's something you'll have to pay for. I know the Chief there very well and he has agreed to take on our candidates if you pay their tuition.

"You currently have one lieutenant. That's not enough. You need at least one on each shift. Your one lieutenant works days. Most crimes occur at night and your officers have no supervision and when they get into a problem they have no leadership to help them. God forbid they get a hostage situation or a serious crime like a rape or murder.

"And here's another problem—I spent a few hours yesterday morning in a coffee shop here in the downtown area talking to people about your police force. While I was there your son and his partner came in. He ate four doughnuts and drank two cups of coffee. His partner ate three then he, and your son, walked out without paying. That will end the first day I'm chief. It's a terrible practice that generates mistrust and negative relationships between the community and the police.

"And, while I'm on the subject, tell your son to go on a diet and start running. He's at least forty pounds overweight and he was huffing and puffing when he struggled to get out of the patrol car. He'll never pass the new standards unless he makes some major changes."

We spent the next thirty minutes talking about salary and benefits. They would match my current salary of $84,697 and provide for veterinary care for Max as well as the use of a house they had recently foreclosed on for back taxes. I told the council that I hoped I wouldn't need it very long. Before the meeting ended the vote to appoint me had been conducted with the vote going eight in favor and only one opposed. That one was, not surprisingly, Carl Haynes. I was congratulated by the group's majority before Lucy and I walked out with Max at our heels. I would be formally appointed at a public meeting the following Tuesday evening and I would receive a formal contract with everything I had demanded included. The right to hire and fire was critical and I would never have accepted without it.