Page 23 of The Sunny Side (Rojo 2nd Generation: Rojo Police Department #3)

C LANCY

I glanced at my watch for at least the tenth time since the bell rang and wondered why I hadn’t seen Brawley yet.

Since our date on Tuesday, he had made it a point to stop by and tell me good morning every day and then pop in after the students left in the afternoon to check in and talk for a minute.

We hadn’t been on another date yet, but we’d met at the park the last two evenings to let the dogs run off some steam before bed. During our evenings together, I’d met a handful of his friends and was happy to say that each of them was funny and unique and that I couldn’t wait to see them again.

I’d eagerly agreed to go on another date with him tonight, and even though I was just as excited as last time, I wasn’t nearly as nervous.

However, I did have another glam session scheduled with my sisters because if left to my own devices, I’d probably dress like I was going to the country club.

I wasn’t sure how to get out of that mindset, but I was determined to make it happen, especially since I wasn’t comfortable in clothes like that and felt much better when wearing the same casual style my sisters had adopted.

The timer on my desk chimed, and the kids who had been working together in groups all perked up at the sound.

I was happy to see them excited about something - anything - that had to do with school when they really wanted to be enjoying the summer break with their friends.

Preparing for their trivia competition with Officer D was something they looked forward to every day.

“Okay, listen up! We’ve got fifteen minutes to study and practice. Today, we’re going to focus on general knowledge trivia.”

“Are these the questions you’re going to ask when we compete?”

I smiled slyly at my students, not just the one that had asked the question, before I answered, “Maybe. Maybe not. I guess you’ll have to pay attention, just in case.”

There was good-natured groaning around the room, but all eyes were on me. I’d take that win however I could get it.

“Break into your teams so we can get started. I think you’re almost ready to take on Officer D, but there’s always more to learn. The preliminaries start in a few weeks, and I know none of you want to get knocked out before you get a chance to go up against your challenger.”

I surveyed the classroom, paying attention to which teams really seemed prepared and which were just happy to do something other than our regular lessons.

There was one team in particular that I thought would give Brawley a run for his money, and it just so happened to have Dayton Banks, the same student who had started this challenge in the first place, as its captain.

For all his faults, and the poor guy had a bevy when it came to his school work, he was a born leader and had whipped his team into shape. He’d even insisted that they appoint a secretary of sorts to write down every question I threw at them during practice so they could study.

“Question number one,” I announced, giving them a second to settle down before I asked the question. I couldn’t help but smile when the students sat in stunned silence. They had no idea what the answer might be. I couldn’t help but gloat when I asked, “I stumped you with that one, didn’t I?”

“Where are you coming up with this stuff?” Javen, one of my quieter students, asked. “Who knows that?”

“At least one of you better, or you’re going to lose!”

Dayton looked at his teammates and asked, “Is there really a place called Easter Island?”

I glanced at the wooden box by the door where the students were required to drop their phones as they came into the room and knew without a doubt that they were itching to Google my question.

“I assure you that there is a place called Easter Island. It’s a territory of Chile and inhabited by the Rapa Nui, indigenous Polynesians along with people mostly from the mainland.

The island itself is a tourist hotspot because of the unique attractions there that no one can explain.

” The kids looked puzzled, so I added, “Later on, when you look up Easter Island and see what I’m talking about, you’ll recognize them from movies like The Incredibles and Night at the Museum . ”

“I’ve got no idea, man,” I heard Dayton mumble to his group.

“Does anyone have an answer?” I asked. When my question was met with silence, I chuckled and said, “Okay, I’ll give you an easy one this time.

This question has multiple parts, so don’t blurt anything out before you have the whole answer, okay?

” After they nodded, I asked, “Where is Mount Rushmore located, and what four faces are depicted in the sculpture?”

The kids talked excitedly among themselves, and I was happy to find that they knew what I was talking about but not surprised that they didn’t know the answers.

I gave them a few minutes to discuss and then fielded answers that were partially correct.

I raised my hand to quiet them before I said, “I would suggest that you research Mount Rushmore and read about even the most minute details. It’s a favorite subject of mine since I’d like to see it someday. ”

I cleared my throat to get their attention.

“Now, it’s time for your riddle of the day.

The first group that turns in the correct answer will get an extra point going into the preliminaries.

” I waited until it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop and said, “You have three minutes to figure out which letter of the alphabet does not appear in any US state name.”

Even though I knew kids their age probably wouldn’t get the joke, I hit a button on my phone and started the music from Jeopardy that served as the countdown music as contestants came with their answers for the final question.

I straightened the papers on the top of my desk and wasn’t surprised when my students groaned and protested loudly when none of them had received the extra point by the time the bell rang.

As they said their goodbyes and started for the door, I called out, “I’ll have more questions for you tomorrow, but I’ll be eager to find out your answers about that letter!”

Juliette, one of my quieter students, was standing in the doorway holding her phone. She grinned at me before she said, “Q!”

When I smiled back, she said, “I still want to know where you get these questions.”

“I’ll never tell.”

◆◆◆

brAWLEY

“It looks like you’re having a great day!” I said as I walked toward my friend with Max on a leash at my side.

“Day? No. I worked last night, and this is bleeding over into my day off.”

“Overtime pays for all the fun things in life.”

“They offered to relieve me, but I want to see this through until the end.”

I glanced over at the semi-truck before I asked, “Are we inspecting the truck or the contents of the trailer?”

“Both. After the foot pursuit that took me through a fucking field of cow patties, the truck driver confessed that he didn’t know anything about his load. He said they just handed him a wad of cash to look the other way.”

I barked out a laugh and asked, “What kind of torture did it take to get that information out of him?”

Lawson looked befuddled as he swore, “I didn’t do shit!

I pulled the guy over for a routine traffic stop - he was going twelve over and didn’t use his turn signal.

I walked up on the driver’s side and, next thing I know, this guy bails out of the passenger side and hauls ass.

He hurdled a barbed wire fence like an Olympian and then sprinted across a field.

I was so fucking surprised that I froze.

The bastard made it fifty yards away before I even started moving! ”

“How’d that barbed wire work out for you?” I asked, noting his ripped shirt and the bloody scratches on his arms.

“I managed to miss it on the way in but got torn up trying to get that dumbass back to my squad car,” Lawson said as he lifted his arm to survey the damage.

“Looking a little worse for wear, my guy,” I mused.

Lawson pointed at his shirt and said, “This isn’t from the fence. This is from tussling with him after he ran into a cow.”

I burst out laughing and asked, “He ran into a cow?”

“It was just before dawn, and in the guy’s defense, the cow blended in seamlessly.

He was back at me when he slammed into the poor animal.

It was like watching a guy sprint into a brick wall.

He was stunned, the cow was pissed, and there I was, trying not to stomp through more cow shit or get stomped by an irritated heifer while I reconsidered my career and questioned my life choices.

” I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe, but Lawson barely even cracked a smile.

“When the asshole started babbling about someone giving him cash for transporting their shit across the damn country, I knew my night was far from over.”

“Who drove the rig over here?” I asked, looking around the empty parking lot. The land belonged to the city and was where they’d built their training facilities and courses that RPD used for new recruits and recertifications.

“Since Zane and Jonas have their certifications, I called them out to relocate the semi to this location rather than trying to conduct the search on the shoulder of the highway.”

“Good call.”

“We managed to get the trailer open, but it’s gonna take some different equipment to unload the damn thing. It looks like it was packed by a Tetris champion, so Zane and Jonas went to pick up a couple of forklifts.”

“So, we’re gonna be here for a while.”

“Looks like it.”

“Well, just so you know, it’s customary to have breakfast available if you’re gonna call me out at this time of day.”

Lawson looked at me like I’d lost my mind before he smirked and said, “Fuck you. I’ve been dealing with this shit for three hours, and I’ve had to take a shit for two of them.”

I tried not to laugh at my friend, but his look of exasperation did me in.

I started cackling which made Lawson’s glare even more fierce.

Once I was able to get myself together, I suggested, “While we wait for Zane and your brother to get back, tell dispatch that you’re giving me the scene and then take a quick trip down to that McDonald’s on Western to make a deposit at the porcelain bank. ”

“Thank God!” Lawson said before he keyed his mic and let dispatch know I was taking charge for a few minutes.

“After you wash your hands thoroughly , get me an Egg McMuffin and two hashbrowns, please.”

“The only reason you suggested this was so you could get breakfast.”

“No, I did it from the kindness of my heart. Breakfast is simply a bonus. Besides, Max needs a hashbrown,” I said before I looked down at the dog. “Tell him how much you need a hashbrown, buddy.”

Max looked at me and then Lawson with the most pitiful expression before he sniffed as if he were choking back tears. I reached into the small pouch I had attached to my belt and pulled out a few treats before I scratched Max’s ears and handed them over.

“That was just wrong,” Lawson growled as he stared at the dog.

“I taught him that last week. It’s great, huh?”

“He’s definitely got that trick down. For a second there, I could almost hear Sarah McLachlan singing.”

“That’s what we were going for, right, buddy?” I asked Max as I bent over and held out my palm. He gave me a high five, and Lawson snorted before he walked away muttering under his breath. I rubbed Max’s head before I looked around the scene.

Standing around and waiting had never been a part of the job that I loved, but it was a necessary evil.

The situation Lawson happened upon in the first place that had us waiting here in an empty parking lot was the kind of excitement I was going to miss.

However, hurdling over fences and then sprinting across an uneven field wasn’t something I’d ever be able to do safely again.

I was really beginning to love my job at the school, though, especially since it included Max.

It wasn’t wild and crazy, and there was a lot of downtime, but the kids were starting to warm up to me, and that made me feel like I was making a difference.

Of course, there was the added bonus of getting to see Clancy throughout the day, although that might only last through the summer session.

I watched Lawson drive off and then turned back toward my cruiser to put Max inside and let him rest before he started working.

Boredom affected him much more than me, and I could feel him getting antsy at the sight of the semi in front of us.

It made me wonder if he could already smell contraband.

Once I had him settled with his blanket of the day and the animal he’d chosen before we left the house, I got in myself, leaned my seat back, and pulled out my phone.

Classes had already started for the day, but I knew Clancy kept her phone on her desk, so maybe she’d see my good morning text sooner rather than later.

I could only hope it would make her smile as much as she made me.

Three days in, and I already had it bad for the woman.

I couldn’t wait to see her again and had been fantasizing that our date tonight would lead to an entire weekend together.

Hopefully, sending her that quick message with an explanation of why I wasn’t there this morning would help turn things in that direction.