Flashover Pt. 07

"How did this happen?" Rudy demanded.

"You want to see?" Sean asked, forcing his voice to be pleasant. It was a little after nine in the morning and he was getting cranky from the lack of sleep and the headache that was coming on. "Watch the video and decide for yourself."

Rudy stepped around to stand behind the desk so he could watch over Sean's shoulder. Sean started the video with the sound muted, and let it play until the man turned to face the officer. He stopped the video and minimized the player so Rudy couldn't study the screen.

"That's it?" Rudy asked.

"No, there's more, but what would you do in this situation. You've seen what Fish saw. Could you tell what's in the man's hand? You have a split-second to decide if the man is a threat or not, a man who wasn't following your verbal orders. So, what would you do?"

Rudy nodded. "I understand what you're saying, but I think it's pretty clear the man wasn't armed."

Sean pursed his lips as he gave his head a slight nod and started the video again. A moment later, the man who exited the car opened fire on the officer, the gunman's weapon flashing and jumping in his hand as the officer fell. The man immediately turned and jumped back into his car. Sean stopped the video again but left it up, showing the car as it began to speed away.

"Wait! What? I thought you said the man wasn't armed!"

"That's not Fish's video. I found this on the internet, but you see the problem? You thought you saw a wallet because I told you that was what was in his hand, but you couldn't tell from the video, could you? See what can happen if you guess wrong or hesitate? It's easy to stand here and judge after the fact when it's not your life on the line."

"Let me see that again."

Sean wound it back and let it play, then stopped it in the same place as the first time, but this time he left the video up.

"Okay, yeah, I can tell it's a gun now. I thought it was a wallet before because that's what I expected to see."

Sean said nothing and started the video again. After the car in the first video drove away, it jumped to another video. As before, when the man began to turn toward the officer and his hands became visible, he stopped the video and hid it from view.

"I ask you again, what do you do?"

"Is this the video?"

"Doesn't matter. Decision time, mayor. You've seen what could happen. What's in the man's hand?"

Rudy licked his lips. "I don't know."

"So, what do you do?" Sean waited about three heartbeats. "If it's a gun, you're already dead."

"This isn't fair! I'm not trained for this."

"And my officers are?"

"They should be!"

"They are. They're trained to react to a threat to protect their lives and the lives of those around them. Part of the training is to recognize threatening behavior and respond accordingly. The man in this video got out of his car against orders. Just like in the first video, there's something in his hand. He was driving erratically as if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. What would you do?" Sean snapped his fingers five times in rapid succession. "Come on, mayor. This guy could have a gun in his hand! What do you do!"

"I don't know!"

"Then you're dead!" Sean paused and let the comment sink in. "I'll tell you what you do. You react to eliminate the threat."

Sean started the video again, and they watched as Fish shot the man. He stopped the video. What happened after Fish knelt to give aid didn't matter.

"You asked me how this could happen? Now you know." He jabbed a finger at the screen. "That man brought this on himself by refusing to obey orders and exiting the car with something in his hand. I'm sorry he was shot, and Fish is absolutely gutted over it, but I stand behind Fish on this one hundred percent."

Rudy sighed. "Yeah. I do too, but this is going to raise a hell of a stink. Hud has already called me. He said his phone has been ringing off the hook."

Sean nodded. "I expected that. That's why I did this," he said as he gestured at his computer. "This isn't like the movies. There are real life and death decisions having to be made in the blink of an eye."

"Maybe we should release the video?"

Sean shook his head. "I'd love to, but can't. North Carolina passed a law last year that says we can't do that." He paused. "We could show it to the Tilley city council though."

Rudy nodded. "Yeah, let's do that. The video you showed me, the one where the cop gets shot first, just like you showed it to me. That's a real eye-opener. I'll set it up."

"You do that," Sean said, his voice flat. "I'm going to check on Fish and see what I can find out from WakeMed on this turkey. If he was on something, that'll help explain why he wasn't obeying orders."

Rudy stepped back in front of Sean's desk. "I'll arrange a meeting with Hud this afternoon. Tell... is it Fish?"

"Officer Tom Fisher. We call him Fish."

"Tell Fish the city is behind him."

"I'll pass that along. It'll help. I'm going to place him on paid leave for a couple days, and then I may put him on administrative duties for a while. It all depends on how fast he recovers from this."

"Do what you think is right. Probably best he doesn't go back to Tilley anyway. Not for a while."

Sean reached behind his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, I think that's safe to say."

"I need to get back to the office. We're probably going to be in the news again." He shook his head. "Shit like this comes in threes. First Locoste, now this. I wonder what's next? I'll get this thing with Hud set up for right after lunch to give you time to find out about the drugs. After that, go home and try to get some rest."

Sean snorted. "Yeah, right. Maybe the spill was the first thing and this is the end of it."

"Maybe. I hope so. We'll get through this. Anyone who sees that little demonstration you put together will sympathize with Fisher."

"Yeah, maybe. He's got a three-month-old baby girl at home too."

Rudy shook his head as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That makes his actions even more understandable." He looked at Sean. "I'm sorry about this. If I hadn't pushed you into patrolling Tilley, none of this would have happened."

"It's nobody's fault except for that asshole who got out of the car. If he'd listened to Fish, he wouldn't be lying in the hospital right now."

After Rudy left, Sean found the number for WakeMed. It took some doing, and he got a bit of the run around, but he finally found someone to give him the information he was looking for. He asked them to email him a copy of the lab report that showed Hags had diamorphine--heroin--in his system and evidence of long-term intravenous injections. He was as ready as he was going to be. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes again, enjoying the relief his grainy eyes felt from having them closed. When he felt sleep tugging, he sat up and forced his eyes open. He had to get moving again or he was going to drop off. He looked up Fish's address and then rose.

"I'm going to go check on Fish," he said as he walked through the reception area, not slowing to hear Michelle's reply.

Ten minutes later he pulled to a stop at the curb of Fish's house. There were two cruisers there already. The Fisher home was a tidy little single story with a two-car garage in a small subdivision that was still being developed. The house was adorned with ruddy-brown brick on the front, black shutters, grass that was still filling in, and a lone, scrawny tree in the front yard. He stepped to the front door and rapped softly. If anyone was sleeping, he didn't want to wake them. Paul Limbrose opened the door almost immediately, holding it close so his body filled the gap and blocked the view into the house.

"Hey, Sean. Come on in," he said, stepping back and opening the door wider.

"Fish here?"

"In the back. He and Emma are sleeping."

Sean nodded. He didn't want to wake Fish and his daughter. He turned to Laura, Fish's wife, who was standing there with her hands clasped and her eyes questioning. "How're you holding up?" he asked.

"Okay." She swallowed hard, obviously steeling herself for whatever Sean was going to tell her. "Any news?"

"Yeah. You already knew it was a clean shoot?" She nodded. "Okay, good. I showed the mayor the video this morning. Rudy said to tell you and Fish that Brunswick is behind you. I also got the report from the hospital and the victim was spaced out on heroin. Fish did the right thing."

Laura looked like she might cry but then recovered. "That's good news," she said, her voice trembling, as Paul and Derrick nodded and relaxed slightly. "He'll want to hear that," she said as she started to move away.

Sean caught her arm and pulled her to a stop. Laura was young, like Fish, with short brown hair, large brown eyes, and a small nose with a faint band of freckles across the bridge. She was pixie cute, but the strain of the last few hours made her look haggard. "No. Let him sleep. You can tell him when he wakes up. Also tell him not to report for duty until Friday, and let him know if he needs a few days in the office, I've got plenty for him to do."

Laura pursed her lips tight. "I'll tell him. Thank you, Sean. I was--"

"He did the right thing," he said, cutting her off. "Once he gets his head around it, he'll realize it for himself. We're going to give him time to do that, and if he needs some help, we'll get him that too. Don't worry, it's going to be okay."

"We'll be there for him, Laura," Derrick said. "Fish is a good cop. He'll bounce back."

Paul nodded then smiled. "I'll see to it. I'll drag him back out there myself if I have to. I'm not going to cover for his lazy ass forever."

Laura's snicker turned into a brief sob, but then she gathered herself. "I can't tell you how much the support has meant to me... to us."

Sean took her hand and held it. "If you need anything, anything, you call me, okay?"

She smiled, looking like she was trying to not cry as her eyes welled with tears. "I will, but the guys have taken care of everything. You should see all the food."

"They'd better or I'll kick their asses." He looked at Paul. "When he wakes up, have him call me. I need to get his report."

"Will do."

"Take care of them."

"We've got it worked out. A least one person will be here twenty-four, seven, until, I guess, Friday."

Sean motioned at the door with his head. The three men stepped outside.

"I'm supposed to meet with Hudson Voiles later today to show him the video. That should put this to rest, but if it doesn't, it may mean we lose the Tilley contract. I--"

"Good. I never wanted to go into that shithole anyway," Derrick said.

Sean nodded in sympathy. "I know how you feel, but I don't want Fish blaming himself for that either. If they kick us out, that proves they weren't behind us in the first place and he did us a backhanded favor. When it's over I'll call and let you know what happens so you can keep Fish in the loop. If he asks about it before then, tell him I'm meeting with their mayor and leave it at that."

"You got it. This is some fucked up shit," Paul said.

"Yeah. You're telling me." Sean yawned and then shook his head. "Shit! I need some coffee," he added as he stepped off the porch.

After he returned to his office, he sat, nursing the cup of coffee, wondering if there was anything else he should, or could, do to minimize the impact of what happened. He was concerned in his slightly sleep-deprived state he was overlooking something obvious, but he finally decided the video spoke for itself. He realized he'd completely missed breakfast, which explained why he was feeling so lethargic, so he left for an early lunch. He was just biting into his sandwich at The Big Belly Deli when his phone rang.

"Sean."

"Sean, Rudy. Hud and the Tilley city council would like to meet with you as soon as possible. Shit is really hitting the fan over there."

"I'm having lunch, but I can be there in thirty or forty minutes."

"Okay. I have him on hold. I'll tell him to expect you between eleven-thirty and eleven-forty-five."

"I'll be there."

"Need anything from me before you go?"

"No, but I'm giving you a heads up. I'm not throwing Fish under the bus for this."

"Yes, well, as messed up as this is, throwing him under the bus won't solve anything and will probably only make it worse."

"It will make it worse. Not only will it appear we're admitting he made a mistake, but it'll also piss... upset everyone on the force, myself included. Our officers need to know we're behind them or they might not be so willing to risk life and limb."

"Is that a threat?" Rudy asked, his voice cold.

Sean sighed, biting off the smart-ass response that came to mind. "Not at all, but think about it. How willing would you be to walk into a dangerous situation knowing even if you don't make any mistakes, even if you act to protect yourself in good faith, your employer will blame you for anything that went wrong and hang you out to dry? Don't you think if that happens, sometimes it would seem wiser, or easier, to simply not notice and walk on past?"

Rudy was quiet a moment. "Yeah, okay, I see what you're saying."

Sean nodded. "Mr. Mayor, you have my word on this. If one of my guys screws up, he's going to know it. Remember Officer Brady? If it's a big enough screw up, I'll bring the charges myself, but when they don't screw up, I'm going to stand behind them, and I expect Brunswick to do the same."

"Okay. I'm with you."

"Thank you. I'll let you know how the meeting went."

Sean finished his lunch and returned to the station just long enough to grab his laptop. At the Tilley City Hall, he was quickly ushered into Hud's office. Like Rudy's office, Tilley's mayor's office was well appointed, but it wasn't as large or opulent as Rudy's. It was more on par with his own office.

"Gentlemen," Sean said as he entered.

"Chief," Hud said, his voice decidedly cool. "Rudy said you had something to show me. Do you mind if Greg and Vince sit in?"

"Not at all. Shall we get to it?"

Sean sat down in a guest chair as the three men watched over his shoulder. He first gave them Fish's account of what happened, what information he had about Hags' condition, and the fact he was expected to live. He then gave them the results of the blood work from the hospital. After he finished catching them up, he performed the same routine for them he had for Rudy earlier. Unlike Rudy, Greg and Vince both committed to understanding how Lexington had been shot with the first video. The ending, while surprising them, only reinforced their opinion. When the second video began playing, he didn't stop it until Fish knelt beside Lexington.

"What a dumb-ass!" Greg sneered when the video finished. "No wonder he was shot!"

Vince said nothing but shook his head in disbelief.

"Can we get a copy of that?" Hud asked.

"Sorry. Can't do it without a court order. State law."

Hud grunted. "That would put a lot of the complaints to rest, or should," he said as he waddled around his desk and sat down, the chair groaning under his weight. "I had the man's family in here this morning raising hell."

"Well, now you can tell them you've seen the video and he got what he deserved," Greg said as he sat down, Vince taking a third chair.

"I can't tell them that!" Hud objected.

"Why not? It's the truth. I'm tired of pussy-footing around stuff like this. It's part of the reason we're in the mess we're in. That guy got just what he was asking for."

"I'm with Greg on this," Vince added. "You can dress it up however you want, but I would have shot the guy too, and so would've anybody else. You saw what can happen if you guess wrong. So, no sir. As far as I'm concerned, this issue has been put to bed."

Sean didn't smile, but he wanted to. Maybe Tilley deserved to make it after all. "Thank you, gentlemen, for the support. Officer Fisher, the officer who shot Hags, is devastated by what happened. What about you, Mayor Voiles?"

"Well, I obviously can't come right out and say Hags got what he deserved, but yeah, I think this answers all my questions."

"There's a thirty-day cancellation clause in the contract, not to mention an escape clause for something like this. Are you going to execute either?" Sean asked.

Hud looked at Greg and Vince, both of whom were shaking their heads. "No, I don't believe that'll be necessary."

Sean closed his laptop and rose. "Thank you, gentlemen. May I communicate your statements of support to Officer Fisher?"

The three members of the Tilley city council rose as one. "Yes, please do."

"You let the mayor see the video!" Yolanda Hags yelled, her fists clinched tight with rage. "He's my husband and I have a right to see what happened!"

"Ms. Hags, as I said before, I'm prevented by state law from releasing the video to you. You can stand there and yell all you want, but it doesn't change anything. If it were up to me, I'd be happy to let you see the video, but it's not up to me. Get a court order and I'll let you watch it as many times as you like," Sean explained, choking back his anger and annoyance, and forcing his voice to be calm and pleasant.

It'd been four days since Fish shot Lexington. The people from PISTOL were in the office conducting training, and he didn't have time for this.

"Why can the mayor see it and I can't?"

"Official business."

"This is bullshit! Your fucking cop shot my husband. He wasn't doing nothin' and he needed that gun for his protection. I think you're hiding something! How are we going to pay the medical bills? I'm going to sue you, I'm going to sue the officer who shot Lex, and I'm going to sue Tilley and Brunswick."

"That's your right, but I'm not letting you see the video without a court order."

"You fucking cops are all alike! You're always--"

"May I remind you, Mrs. Hags," Sean said loudly, talking over her, "when your husband is released from the hospital, he's going to be charged with drug possession, driving under the influence, and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Your husband has been arrested three times before on drug-related charges. This is going to be his fourth arrest on drug charges, so he'll be hit with the habitual felon statutes. He's not the boy scout you're trying to make him out to be. Now, if you have nothing else to say, we're done here. Get a court order and I'll let you see video. Sue if you think you've got a case, but I think your time would be better spent preparing for the fact your husband is probably going to spend some time as a guest of the North Carolina Department of Corrections."

Yolanda, a woman who had probably been attractive once but had been worn down by a hard life, glared at him. "You fucking white cops, always giving it to the black man, aren't you?" she sneered.

"Mr. Hags' actions, not the color of his skin, are the reason this happened. Your own mayor issued a statement supporting the officer. The only person who thinks this a race issue is you."

"Fuck you and fuck Mayor Voiles! He don't give no shit about nobody but himself, spending our money to help white men buy up our town! And now this! This ain't right!"

"I'm sorry you feel that way. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do," Sean said as he indicated the exit.

Yolanda stormed out of the lobby, slamming the door open as she did.

"Well, that was pleasant," Terri said from behind the glass.

Sean shook his head, his lips thinned as he seethed. "Yeah. I can remember when I thought I wanted this job."

Yolanda had been raising hell since the incident, using the now standard playbook of race baiting and making her husband out to be a good, decent, hardworking family man who was gunned down by an overzealous cop. She'd had a brief moment in the spotlight when Raleigh station WRAL gave the story thirty seconds of airtime, along with a brief clip of her lamenting the actions of the Brunswick Police Department, on their evening news. Somehow, the fact Lex was a three-time loser on drug charges, was a habitual heroin user and was doped to the gills at the time of his shooting, that an illegal weapon and drugs were found in his car, not to mention he hadn't obeyed Fish's verbal instructions to remain in the car, didn't come up. Because of her actions, he was rapidly losing any sympathy for Lexington's plight.