Shades Of Blue by Jess Waid

Author:Jess Waid [Waid, Jess]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-11-08T23:56:05+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Saturday, December 30, 1961 – 2234 hours

John Cowland stepped into the hallway. “SueAnnah can you come in here?” He waved for her to follow him into his office, where people in the lobby couldn’t hear.

“We have a teenage girl up near Bronson Canyon with Titus, possibly a victim of rape. I’m sending you up there to help her. I don’t know how cooperative she is, but find out if she’s been assaulted. She might not talk to you, or even tell you if she was touched, but treat her as if she has been.”

“Oh dear,” SueAnnah replied abruptly touching her throat.

“Make the girl feel secure. Apparently she’s reluctant to see her mother. In any event, bring her to the receiving hospital for examination, and witness everything the attending doctor does. I’ll have a unit take you up to the scene.”

“Yes sir.”

“I know you’re not field trained, but tactics aren’t involved here—only tact. I’m counting on you . . . and SueAnnah, as you can guess, this is a delicate situation. If you have any questions about the collecting of evidence call me, and remember, don’t let the doctor or the nurse do anything without you being present—chain of evidence is vital for future court purposes. But the med staff should cooperate. All right?”

“Yes sir. I’ll do my best—”

“Another thing, document everything the girl, her name is Debbie, tells you.”

SueAnnah smiled.

Cowland sensed she understood the task at hand as she hurried out to the front desk. He saw her say something to Rosy while grabbing a dark-blue sweater. Cowland hoped it was enough to keep her warm up in the canyon.

He waved to two plainclothes cops retrieving their firearms from the lock-boxes in the small jail’s foyer. They joined him in the office.

“Haley, Gelber, I want you to take Call up to Bronson Canyon. We’ve had an officer-involved shooting.”

Amused by the look on Gordon Gelber’s face, Cowland added, “Tate and Titus were sniped at—Tate suffered a flesh wound—he’s OK. I want Call to stay with a female teenager, the victim who was involved. Bring them down to receiving so the girl can be medically examined.”

Gelber blew out an exaggerated breath. “Wouldn’t you know, we’ve been screwing around with an easy-ass warrant number when we could’ve been out crushing real crime.”

“Warrant busts are real numbers,” Cowland said, noting that Neall Haley appeared unperturbed.

Barry Ruggles sped around the rising curve on Carolus Drive, and turned right toward A-7’s black-and-white, canted in a ditch at the dead end of Bronholly. He spotted Tate, leaning against the damaged prowler, holding a bloody handkerchief to his right shoulder. Apparently Titus had stayed with Debbie, up the hill where he’d left them.

Ruggles made his way to the patrol car.

“That flesh wound means IOD, feller,” he said, guessing Tate would be on off-duty status for several days. Ruggles, spotting the suspect sitting secured in the back seat of the squad car mumbling to himself, added, “Medics are on their way. I’ll watch your boy after they get here so you can be looked at—Hollywood Tow’s coming, too.

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