The Demon and the Deputy

It was about as big as I'd expected, but a lot easier to get around in. The Hamilton County Public Service Building took up an entire block, so it was easy to see. I walked up the front steps and through the revolving doors into the main lobby. Right in front of me was a huge sign that pointed left to the 'Police Department' and right to the 'Sheriff's Office'. That was where I was going, so I turned right and started reading the office doors. Didn't have to read too many, as the Personnel Department was the second door on the left.

The receptionist looked up and her eyes focused on my name tag. "Good morning, Officer Kerry. Please have a seat and I'll tell Captain MacFarland that you're here." I did as she said and sat down to wait.

Didn't have to wait long as a tall, smiling gentleman appearing to be in his mid-fifties came out almost immediately. He was wearing the brown and khaki of the Sheriff's Office and had twin silver bars on either collar. I came to my feet and stood at attention.

"Good to see you, Kerry," he smiled, offering his hand. The ensuing handshake showed that there was a lot of strength left in those arms. "Come on in," he continued, "let's get this taken care of."

He showed me into his office and indicated a chair at the side of his desk. There was a file in front of him which was apparently my personnel record. We went over my career to date in law enforcement and why I was moving from Lincoln PD to Hamilton SO.

The entire interview took about an hour. As it wound down, he handed me a check-in sheet and indicated that I should get to the main admin office and then uniform issue. "I'm happy that you're willing to work in traffic. However, department procedure is that you spend your first month in the jail. You're too experienced to waste time with that, so I'm going to start you in patrol. You're comfortable starting on morning watch?"

"Yes sir," I confirmed. "I prefer graveyard shift, but I'll work whenever you need me."

He nodded. "Good attitude. We work rotating shifts here, so you'll get plenty of all three. You can start tomorrow at 2230 at the Bayview Precinct."

"Yes sir. Thank you, sir."

"One other thing," he added. "We have a County Dance at the Excelsior tonight. It starts at 2000. Your friend Mitchell will be there. He can introduce you to some of the crew."

"I appreciate the invitation, sir, but... "

"That's not an invitation, son. That's an order. I'll see you there tonight."

I nodded and allowed myself a half-smile. "I'll be there, sir," I confirmed.

Now the Captain smiled. "Good. Welcome aboard, Deputy Kerry."

The Excelsior was huge, probably the largest hotel I'd ever seen. Our High School graduation was here, but I'd been in the hospital at the time, so I didn't get to attend.

Paul Mitchell was there, as Captain MacFarland had predicted. Paul had been my best friend starting in middle school and through our high school years. We'd even gone to Hamilton State together to get our degrees in Police Science. It was Paul who'd suggested that I leave Lincoln and apply for Hamilton County. He introduced me to several other deputies, most of whom had a great time ribbing me about being 'just' a city cop. I pled guilty and we all headed to the bar for a drink.

When the dancing started, I hung out along the side and watched, as I didn't know anyone other than Paul, and I didn't feel like dancing with him. The dance included county civilian employees, the PD, the SO, the Fire Department and the three ambulance services contracted to the county. There were quite a few women in the ballroom.

It was probably 30 minutes or more before my attention was drawn to a smallish woman sitting on the wall to the right of where I and the other deputies were sitting. It didn't appear that anyone was asking her to dance, so I figured it might as well be me.

I walked slowly across the room to where she and her friends were seated. When I asked if she would care to dance, several of the other women looked at me with apparent surprise. She looked up, smiled, and offered her hand.

The DJ was playing a slow ballad, what they call a 'clutch and grab special', so I got to hold her. She didn't seem to mind and I sure as hell didn't. We slowly moved through the rest of the couples pretending that they knew how to dance. I'd never had dance lessons, but my partner appeared to know what she was doing, so I let her lead. As the song played, she moved closer and closer until we were in a tight clinch. When it ended, I gave a polite bow and lifted her hand to my lips, kissing the back of her fingers.

She gave me the most curious smile, as though she was wondering if I was from another planet. I walked her back to her chair and asked if I might dance with her again that evening. "If you don't," she replied, "I'll be very, very disappointed." I assured her that I would be back. As I turned away, I heard one of her wide-eyed friends ask, "Is he for real?"

I returned to my new group of acquaintances, most of whom were staring at me with the same wide eyes. I looked at Paul and shrugged. "I do something wrong?"

He lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have any idea of who you were dancing with?"

"Uh, no," I admitted. "Should I?"

"Man, that's the demon. Stay the hell away from her."

I gave him a very dubious frown. "What are you talking about? Why would you call her a demon?

"Just hope you never find out." He shook his head again, then walked off, leaving me wondering what was going on.

I got another drink, then sat down and waited. About an hour and a half later, I took another brief stroll across the room. The same attractive young woman was waiting, and she smiled and reached out as I extended my hand. As we walked toward the dance floor, I heard one of her cohorts say, "Two dances with the same guy? What the fuck?"

This song was even slower than the one we danced to the first time. She moved deeper and deeper into my arms, finally laying her head against my chest. She was shorter than me, maybe 5'5" to my 5'11", just the right height to let me lay my cheek against her forehead. She was petite but felt rather well-muscled. I guessed that she was with one of the emergency services divisions. She had short-cropped dark hair, which reinforced my suspicion.

When this song ended, she pulled back slightly but stayed within my embrace. "When they announce the last dance," she told me, "you better be moving toward me." I know it was just the dim light in the ballroom, but I could have sworn her eyes were red.

A large figure met me as I returned to my seat. "Kerry," the captain asked, "who was that you were just dancing with?"

Shaking my head, I admitted, "I don't know, sir. Didn't think to ask her name. Paul told me they call her the demon."

"Ah," he smiled. "Sergeant Dalca. I'm glad to see that someone in this department has some balls. Good for you, son."

That comment left me good and confused. MacFarland walked off and I continued to my destination, to be met by two of the other deputies.

"You got a death wish, boy?" the taller one asked.

"Okay, guys, enough is enough," I hissed. "What's with this demon crap?"

The smaller of the two looked at me. With a perfectly serious expression and in a perfectly serious voice, he told me, "We're not screwing with you, Jay. There's something weird about her. Be careful."

"Do you really believe she's a demon?"

"I don't know," Turner, the smaller deputy admitted. "A couple of the guys have dated her, once. Won't do it again. I won't do it the first time."

I looked and listened, trying to gauge what they were saying and how they were saying it. They sure didn't sound like they were trying to trick me. "Well," I told them, "I'm committed to one more dance with her tonight. We'll see where it goes from there."

Erickson, the taller man, nodded. "Okay, but you be careful, man. This is a small department. We need you on the road, in one piece."

With that the two walked away, leaving me wondering what I was getting myself into.

It was just past 1:00am when the DJ called the last dance. With my curiosity peaking, I started walking toward my now 'mandatory' partner. She was watching me approach. I heard her chuckle and say, "Don't wait up for me, girls." She walked straight to me and slid into my arms.

The DJ couldn't have picked a better closing song. The soft, quiet, slow and lengthy strains of 'Nights in White Satin' filled the ballroom. We started to very slowly slide across the dance floor.

I don't know what got into me but, about half-way through the song, I kissed her forehead. She drew back, looking at me with that peculiar expression again. Then she reached up and kissed my lips.

I thought I'd been hit by lightning. This time, I pulled back. Looking down, for the first time I saw her eyes clearly. They were a magnificent soft purple. The effect was almost hypnotic. It was like she was daring me to kiss her.

I should have run right then. But I've never been the brightest bulb in the box, so I leaned in to taste those lips again. My fate was sealed.

I don't think I've ever been so disappointed to hear a song end. To my surprise, however, she didn't let go of my hand.

"How much have you had to drink tonight?" she asked.

"Four shots of scotch," I replied.

"Alright, then, you're not driving. We'll go get something to eat, then I'll take you home. Come on."

I had the crawling sensation that every eye in the hotel was on us as she led me from the room. I don't think I cared. As we reached the door, Captain MacFarland nodded to us.

"Take care of him, Sergeant. He's your new deputy. He'll be joining your shift tonight."

The woman looked at me with an uplifted eyebrow, then replied, "Don't worry, sir. I'll take very good care of him."

I wondered if there was a double meaning there.

As we walked toward her car, she smiled and chuckled. "So, I've spent the whole night dancing with my knight in khaki armor. I haven't seen chivalry like that since the dark ages."

Considering it a joke, I laughed and replied, "Well, my father told me to always respect women, and he taught me how to do it. And I spent the night dancing with the lightning."

She looked at me with a combination of curiosity and respect. "You speak Romanian?"

"No, ma'am," I replied. "I studied mythology and demonology off and on since I was a teenager. Took them as my electives at Hamilton State."

"So," she said, reaching for her keys, "you know exactly what a demon looks like."

"Right," I snorted. "Nobody has ever told me what a demon looks like. And who says they'd all look the same?"

"Good boy," she nodded, opening her door. "Let's go get some food."

She took us to a 24-hour restaurant that specialized in a breakfast menu. I'd seen this place when I first got into Hamilton but hadn't had the chance to try it yet. We went inside and she led me to a corner booth. We could see the door and the register, and no one could get behind us.

"Well, Romeo, you got a name?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Jay Kerry."

She looked at me and shook her head. "Let's dispense with the 'ma'am' stuff, okay? I'm Sandy Dalca." She saw me pale slightly and asked, "Something wrong with my name?"

"No, ma'am. Just makes me a little uncomfortable."

Picking up a menu, she queried, "You're gonna have to explain that, if you don't mind."

I sighed and shrugged. It wasn't a pleasant memory. "My high school girlfriend. Had plans to go to college together and then get married. Her name was Sandy Jefferson."

Dalca nodded. "Something happen to her?"

"She was killed about three weeks before graduation. We were walking together. A drunk driver jumped the curb and hit us. Knocked me through a fence into some guy's yard. Pinned her to a tree." I reached for the glass of water the server had brought us when we first sat down.

"I'm sorry. How badly were you hurt?"

"Not bad. Broken leg, broken ribs, separated shoulder. Various cuts and bruises. Kept me in the hospital for about a month. The only good thing about it was that the doctor told me Sandy never knew what hit her. She died instantly."

"Is that why you want to work traffic? One man crusade to get DUIs off the road?"

My eyes narrowed as I considered that. I started chewing on my lower lip. "I don't know. Maybe at first. But I really do like traffic work."

"Okay. We'll get you out of patrol as fast as possible. MacFarland told me you're going to the TIDE squad."

"TIDE?"

"Traffic Investigation, Detail and Enforcement. We can talk shop later. Steak and eggs for you?"

"No ma'am. Just a cheese omelet with salsa, if that's alright."

"Okay by me. Coffee?"

"Please."

She nodded, laying her menu on the table. "Well, I'm hungry, so I'm gonna get a bit more. But we've got to get past this 'ma'am' stuff. I'm not your maiden aunt."

"Is your family Romanian or Wallachian?"

Her eyes widened and she nodded again. "Good boy. The family is from Romania. So, Einstein, what do you think my real name is?"

I pursed my lips and started talking, more or less to myself. "Dalca. Daughter of the Lightning. Romanian. Carries herself like royalty. Daughter of the Blood. Your name's Alexandra?"

Her hands dropped to her hips and she stared at me. "I'll be damned. You're a lot smarter than you look. Yeah, it's Alexandra. My sire used to call me Alex. That okay with you?"

I nodded. "Pretty name. It fits you." Just then the server reappeared and took our order. We sat back with our coffee and Alex started teaching me about Hamilton County.

While we waited for our food my curiosity got the best of me. "If you don't mind my asking, why do they refer to you as the demon?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Bunch of superstitious morons. When they found out that my family was Romanian, they decided I was Dracula's daughter. Don't even know the difference between Romania and Transylvania, much less Wallachia. They've been treating me like poison ever since."

"You would think we'd have outgrown that silliness by now," I observed.

"No. There's still a lot of fear and stupidity out there, just about everywhere."

"Well, you fit the mold," I chuckled. She gave me an odd look, one that said there had better be more to that comment. "Dracula's daughter was small, dark and beautiful. We should probably add brilliant, too."

"Nice tap dance, Romeo. Dracula didn't have a daughter."

"You haven't been watching your vampire movies," I snickered. I was saved by the arrival of our food.

By the time we finished eating, she was glancing at the clock.

"It's getting a little late. Why don't you crash at my place tonight? We'll come back for your car in the morning."

We didn't exactly crash. It was more like a trainwreck. By the time she was through with me, I thought I'd fought the Third World War and lost. She may not have had fangs and horns, but she was a demon in bed. Showed me things I don't think were in the Kama Sutra. When it was time to go get the car, she looked at me and started laughing.

"You gonna make it, Romeo?"

I groaned. "I'm sore in places I didn't know I had places."

That really set her off. She climbed out of bed, reaching for my hand. "Come on, let's fire up the hot tub. We can soak for a while and then go to bed. We'll get your car on the way to the precinct tonight."

"I'm not sure I can survive going back to bed with you."

"We're going to sleep, numb nuts."

"They're not all that feels numb."

"Get the hell out of there!" she laughed, dragging me out of the bed and into the bathroom.

We soaked for about 30 minutes. She made sure that we dried each other off, not satisfied to let me suffer in peace. At least she didn't try to molest me again.

When we crawled into the bed, I fell onto my back and groaned. She slid in beside me, gave me a kiss on the cheek, then lay her head on my chest just inside my shoulder. She was asleep in seconds.

I lay there and held her, listening to her breathe and watching her chest slowly rise and fall. It was only now that I realized how beautiful she really was. They may have named her the demon, but I thought I was holding an angel. I didn't want to, but I quickly fell asleep as well.

We got to the precinct a bit early so that she could show me the layout and where to find our radios, keys and the like. While we were at it, she walked over to the vehicle key locker and grabbed a set of keys. "3864," she yelled at the dispatcher.

He looked down at a shift roster sheet and wrote the number next to her name. "You got it, Sarge."

"Special car?" I asked.

"I like it. Has a mixed VIDS bar (red and blue lights). It's an older squad, but it's reliable." After that we headed for the squad bay and the shift briefing.

The watch commander was a Captain Anderson. He got everybody to settle down then introduced me. "We've got a new deputy starting with us tonight. Kerry, you want to stand up for a minute?"

I did so, waiting until everyone took a quick look, then sat back down. The captain continued.

"He's transferring in from Lincoln City PD, so he's not a newbie. Dalca, you're his FTO" (Field Training Officer).

That drew a few curious looks, but I was already learning that where she was involved, the curious was the norm.

"Not a hell of a lot new going on, but we had another attempted break-in at Castleton's. PD's gonna be watching it close, and I want Alpha 13 and 14 to slide by there every hour or so. That's a high-profile target, so let's see if we can't catch these people before they can get inside. Other than that, any questions?"

There weren't any, so the captain dismissed us and told us to get on the road.

Alex handed me the keys and headed for the rear parking area. Our car was third in the first row. I unlocked the doors and climbed in. When she slid in on the passenger side, she looked at me with an impish grin. "You didn't open the door for me. I'm disappointed."

I chuckled. "That might have been a bit much here, don't you think?"

She shrugged. "Well, if you drive like you dance, we're in a world of shit."

"Gee, thanks," I grumped. "I asked you to dance. Didn't tell you I knew how."

She smirked at me. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"You wanna teach me?"

Her eyes narrowed and her forehead creased. "You'd let a woman teach you?"

"Why not?" I shrugged. "You're better than I am."

"You are really something, Romeo. Alright, let's hit the road."

"Is this Alpha or Charlie watch," I asked.

"Morning watch is Alpha. Evening watch is Charlie."

I reached down and picked up the radio mike. "Radio," I spoke, "Alpha 3 in service."

"Clear, Alpha 3. In service 2317."

She pointed left out of the parking lot, so I turned right. I grinned at her as she gave me the evil eye. Then I circled the block and headed off in the direction she wanted.

"Smart ass," she commented.

"Guilty as charged," I admitted.

It was a quiet night, so she gave me the grand tour of the precinct. She pointed out areas of emphasis, our handful of trouble spots and the locations where drug activity was prevalent. We backed up a few calls but nothing that required a Code 3 response (lights and sirens). We talked a lot, joked a little, and I learned a good deal about the precinct. It wasn't traffic, but I was going to enjoy patrol in this zone.

About 4am she said she wanted breakfast and pointed me to a diner that served all-night customers. After we settled down in a booth and placed our orders, she folded her hands and looked at me.

"Jay, can I ask a favor of you?"

The use of my real name surprised me. She got my full attention. "Sure. What do you need?"

"I really like my apartment, but it's very tight on my salary. I need a roommate. You interested?"

I sipped at my coffee, looking down at my hands. "Shouldn't you get a female roommate?"