The FO Officer Ch. 02

"Brendan Howard, I'm placing you under arrest. You don't have to say anything in your defense, but I personally hope you do so I can slam the door on your jail cell myself."

I looked at Jordan and smiled. He looked confused. "Remember my friend, no good deed goes unpunished."

He looked genuinely concerned. I turned to the detective, she had her man, I just needed to know how she got there.

"Just out of curiosity, how did you figure it out?"

Her smile got just that little bit wider. "I read every statement of that day, you were the only one missing from the pond, if you took a leak, which you made sure the officer knew about, several time by his records then you sure empty slowly. I asked every officer that were doing the statements of the people around the pond that day if they noticed anything unusual, one answered that he thought it odd that you were tying a lace on your sneakers that didn't need tying, when I asked him when that was, he told me as they took the prisoners to the van."

With that I held out my hands in front of me. An officer grabbed my wrist and pulled it behind me. I made sure my other arm was there waiting.

*******

At eight that same evening, the front doors to the police station were pushed open. JoJo stood in front in full uniform, flanked by two of the biggest Military Police officers she could second in the time she had available. A hush came over the room, the desk sergeant started to look worried.

JoJo walked up to the desk sergeant and said. "I realize the lateness of the hour Sergeant, however there must be someone back there of a reasonable rank whose head I can stick on a spike for allowing your Detective Sergeant to arrest one of my people."

The pause in conversation went as JoJo expected.

"Allow me to help you Sergeant. Get your Detective Sergeant Haskins out of her interview room and up here. I may also suggest that she has Staff Sergeant Brendan Howard with her when she does."

The desk Sergeant could see his retirement coming sooner, rather than later. No one, including Mister Howard had told the desk sergeant that he was a serving member of the armed forces. He was on the phone for a few minutes, within five of those minutes the detective Sergeant entered, along with Brendan.

The glare wasn't lost on Brendan; he was just grateful it was directed at the detective. JoJo turned to the two mountains standing by the door. "Gentlemen, I leave this individual in your very capable hands, please make sure the bruising isn't noticeable by the time of his court martial."

Being escorted out by these two individuals meant I didn't hear what happened next. JoJo soon shared when she got back to the car almost an hour later.

*******

"It's the case she's on at the moment Brendan. She doesn't believe in coincidences and you turning up just as they were about to kill her was a big one. The fact she couldn't get anything about your past raised a flag as well, fortunately it raised one at the intel regiment as well and they told me where you were."

I paused on my next question, I got the feeling JoJo was expecting me to.

"What are you doing about her now ma'am?"

JoJo smiled, I knew she would, I just bloody knew it.

"She's feisty for a redhead Brendan. You're going to have to watch that one. She's coming to Kenton tomorrow at ten in the morning, you're going to talk to her, walk around the barracks with her and do what it takes to put her mind at ease with you."

JoJo's eyes held me. "Don't make me take care of this myself Brendan, the last thing I want to do is shake her career, more so when I had to point out to her that she shouldn't have arrested a serving member of the armed forces without notifying his or her regiment in the process. It's not your mess and you shouldn't be cleaning it up, but shit happens Brendan."

A thought seemed to cross her mind then, she did put it into words when she said. "She tried using the defense that you had no military ID on you."

I looked down at my running kit, JoJo's eyes followed. "No place to put it ma'am."

They dropped me back at my car and then I headed for home, still trying to figure out how it all went so wrong.

*******

I was in the security hut along with my cousin when her car pulled up.

My cousin watched the car come to a stop, when she hesitated; he looked at me and said. "That her?"

I nodded. Then the bastard turned to his second in command and told him that the person in that car looked suspicious, perhaps they should strip search her, in the interest of camp security of course.

I still called him a bastard when I left the hut and went to Detective Sergeant Elizabeth

Haskins' car. I couldn't think of a meaningful answer if she were to ask about the laughter that followed me out of the security cabin. She looked me up and down, it was the first time she had seen me in uniform, so I suppose I understood.

"You need to come into the office, camp security has to have a photo of you. You will then be issued with a visitor pass."

The smirk came next. "So my Police ID won't work here?"

I shook my head. "You won't even get a free coffee with it in the canteen, hence the visitor pass."

While we were getting the logistics sorted, the detective asked me why I didn't have a hat on. The silence that followed made me itch.

"It's called a beret. I don't have the same head cover as these folks because I don't belong to this regiment. At best when in camp, we wear a camouflage equivalent of a baseball cap."

"So where is it?"

Was it just me who was confused?

"Where is what?"

"Your hat. You said you don't wear what these folks wear, so show me."

Two of the guards had to leave to do their rounds, I could hear them laughing the second they got out of the door of the security hut. It was also then that I spotted the smirk on her lips. I spotted the same smirk on my cousin as well, but I completely ignored him.

After a few minutes tapping keys of a keyboard, then her picture being taken for her pass and files, my cousin handed Elizabeth her visitor pass. But she still refused to leave until I had my 'hat' on. I sighed and pulled it from my pocket, then placed it on my head. The round of applause from the rest of the security team made her smile. She also seemed to be enjoying herself way too much at my expense.

Her arm went around mine and we walked back to her car, we parked in one of the designated spots for the Unit building and went in.

JoJo was just putting down her desk phone when we came in, the smile on her lips wasn't missed.

The Detective's smiled back at JoJo. "Told you I would do it."

JoJo's hands went up in submission. "Okay, okay a deal is a deal."

That's when I stopped dead center of the room and wanted to know what was going on, both women still had a giggle fit, damned if I knew what was so funny.

"Please take a seat Brendan, this is going to take a few minutes to explain."

Even being pissed, you always do as your boss tells you to do. I had to hold back on the crossing of my arms, the thought that I would look like a petulant child flashed before my very eyes.

"Brendan, your introduction to the Unit has been, shall we say, Unique."

I would have gone with 'hit the ground running' but I had to agree with her, she was my boss after all.

JoJo continued, "After we got your statement and although I didn't believe any action needed to be taken. I did keep and eye on all this, other than General Brownlow having a quiet word or two to some of the higher up's in the Police force, neither of us believed any more action was needed. Some call it 'the old boys network' Brendan. Most of the time it does work."

The detective pulled a chair over and sat looking at me from one side. Her hand was now on my leg, forcing me to look directly at her.

"I thought I was going to die that afternoon. Instead, I woke up in hospital and being told that a man, who no one could identify, came to my rescue and also incapacitated the two people sent out to kill me."

The detective paused for a moment, took a breath and told us all that her police case went from slipping from her fingers over that call in the parking lot, to charges being pressed against three individuals.

She went a little pink around the cheeks, then said." I would love to expand on that statement. But I can't, since it's an ongoing investigation."

JoJo smirked, that woman had the highest security clearance of us all and she just sat back into her chair and said nothing. Elizabeth did explain that while the two attackers were being processed they decided to try and opt for an easier sentence and turned on the people paying them.

"Even with Kenton Barracks being only a few miles from the pond, I still didn't connect the dots that someone who could incapacitate two men and keep me safe until help arrived and yet disappeared when said help arrived, could have come from here, and I'm a bloody detective."

We both heard JoJo giggle in the background.

"At first all I wanted to do was thank you. Then I started to dig and found out who you were; it took me a while because you were doing the best you could to distance yourself from what happened and any way of proving it was you. While I was, shall we say beating the bushes to see what dropped out, I got a visit from my boss and was told flat out to walk away from this and focus on the trial of the three individuals on my own case."

It seems her father was also ex-military and as she grew up, he had told her about debt and honor within the service.

"I felt that debt for the very first time and went to my father to ask his advice. That's when it got even weirder, he had gotten a call from his old regiment telling him to get his daughter to back off from finding the individual responsible for stopping her being killed that day at the pond."

Her smile came next, after her father had told her what he was instructed to say, in the next breath, told her to find him using any means possible. The detective looked at JoJo, who in turn nodded for her to continue.

"My station boss sat me down and told me to tread lightly. He even told me my own security clearance wasn't high enough for what might come next."

JoJo leaned back in her chair, a smile once again hovered on her lips.

The detective looked at JoJo and then back to me. "I was threatened with suspension if I didn't back off on finding the man who rescued me from a certain death and to concentrate my efforts on my job."

She dropped her head and confessed that she left the police station almost in tears.

"I went home to write my resignation letter. I was half way through writing to my boss and telling him to go fuck himself and his job when the doorbell rang." She looked directly at JoJo. "She stood there with another woman."

"That would be me."

I turned to look at Ashley. In uniform leaning against the doorframe to the office and with headgear on. My attention then went back to the detective.

Her arm came up and she said. "So picture the scene, I'm at home and two women come to my door and when I open it both pull their jackets aside, I got the impression that it was to prove they weren't armed, but could be if I continued to push at finding you."

Taking the time to look directly at JoJo, I had to ask. "You threatened her?"

JoJo smiled, the other two laughed. I looked once again at Detective Sergeant Elizabeth Haskins. Her cheeks went a slight pink color, she sought my hand as a way to make me once again focus on her

"I beat the bushes Brendan, remember that. I beat it and got what I was looking for. I got JoJo and Ashley. We sat down and drank coffee for the next couple of hours."

JoJo's concern was that the adverse publicity could kill off the Unit before it was fully up and running again. "Remember Brendan, we don't have pictures taken of ourselves, we don't stand in front of a camera and flash our faces across the world and the internet. That's what General Brownlow and the Prime Minister are for. If we do it, we may as well drop our pass off at the gate, as we leave Kenton Barracks."

Elizabeth nodded her head in understanding

"I owe you my life. I'm told by JoJo that you acted on instinct and it was that action that kept me alive, the two people sent to kill me are in jail and face some considerable number of years behind those bars. On top of that, the the three individuals who ordered the hit on me are likely going behind bars for some time as well."

By now Elizabeth had let go of my hand and had stood, then held out her hand, she was giving me the option to hold her hand rather than insisting. I took the option.

"I turned up and took the smirks from your cousin just like JoJo said would happen. So you're mine for the rest of the day as long as we don't leave the Barracks."

Okay, so I'm a guy, that still makes me a bit slow on the uptake. Therefore, I did what was becoming naturally now, I looked at my boss.

She was still smiling. "I came to the conclusion over coffee with this detective that it would be to our advantage to have her on the inside looking out, rather than on the outside looking in, Brendan."

I decided to have a little fun with this. "I could just kill her and hide the body, no one will know, I promise."

That's when she poked me in the ribs. "For that you're paying for dinner as well."

Both JoJo and the detective looked at each other.

"Well, I did warn you he is a handful."

Her eyebrow arched, the smile quickly followed. "Don't worry, I carry handcuffs."

The room erupted into laughter. I thought it prudent to concentrate on the task in hand. So I stood and offered my elbow.

"If the detective would slide her arm into the loop and we shall proceed."

"I will, just don't forget your hat."

For a guy, I know I can be on the slow side. But I do know when I'm being baited. I still put my cover on as we proceeded on our walk around Kenton Barracks.

After an hour of talking and walking over almost every inch of the Barracks my summation of Detective Sargent Elizabeth Haskins was that she was no slouch, her eyes were everywhere and she asked some really good questions. It was only on her insistence that we went straight to first names, rather than formalities.

I even got to ask her a question that had been bugging me for some time, why did she arrest me.

She seemed to pause at that.

"Thinking about it, I wasn't sure that people like you existed. I mean, you had just saved a police officer from being murdered and all you wanted in return was your anonymity to stay intact. I'm not including you in this statement now obviously, but others out there in this great big world would have jumped on the publicity wagon, opened their own social media blog and milked it all to death."

She paused for a moment, smiled at a couple of soldiers that had to look twice at this woman walking around Kenton Barracks arm in arm with someone dressed in green.

"Even a few years ago Brendan, we didn't have things like influencers, social media has had to add new words to its dictionary to even keep up. Yet here you are, hiding in the shadows, rescuing damsels in distress and trying so damn hard to stay invisible."

That got me smiling. "You picked the right place to die then, the Unit doesn't do publicity."

My arm got another hug right about then. We walked on for a while longer, I pointed out parts of the camp, even the interesting history of Kenton Barracks.

I felt my arm get a squeeze once again, then she said. "That's also why I arrested you, you just didn't fit any profile I knew about. No one shies away from their ten minutes of fame unless they have something to hide, but after half an hour of questioning. I realized that what I saw in front of me was just you and nothing more. You had no ulterior motive."

I looked at her and smiled. "Then my boss walked through the door."

Elizabeth nodded. "Oh yes, you were pretty much keeping your mouth shut from the time I arrested you to the time a uniformed officer walked into the station flanked by two MP's. By the time the dust had settled on that evening, I could see me reduced to a uniform and walking the beat once again because of you. Yet none of that happened and that again piqued my interest."

We both smelt coffee just then so we slowed and entered the canteen. We both started to get the look. When Elizabeth asked why, I had to mention that my rank should have me in the sergeants' mess and you signed in as my guest.

Converting our coffee's to go, we sat overlooking the assault course. It was an interesting afternoon, she learned about me spending so much of my adult life in uniform and I found out her life history, well from university onwards. She decided that her childhood was out of bounds, I chose to respect that. She also found it amusing that I still stood and saluted an officer as he or she passed us.

That's where Ashley found us. I really had a bad feeling about her being here.

Her hands rested on her hips. "Have you asked her yet?"

Elizabeth looked at Ashley then slowly turned her head to look at me. "What am I missing here?"

I tried for annoyed, but Ashley and I have too much history for that to work. "You're an evil woman and I'm removing you from my Christmas card list."

Elizabeth grasped my arm and placed herself in front of me, still looking at Ashley. "Ignore him, he's being a grouch. I hereby add you to my Christmas card list if you tell me what he was supposed to ask me."

Ashley stood her ground, her stare was centered on me, the smirk sealed my fate, more so when she said. "You're a member of the Unit and you're afraid of a girl."

She then turned her attention to Elizabeth. "He's going to ask you on a date, However, we have a tradition here so I need to tell you this first. You get to come out with the wives first, so we can all check you out and ask your intention on our Brendan."

They both heard me groan.

Elizabeth was still standing with her back to me, she still had a fierce hold on my arm as well.

"A girls' night out with the wives and women of the Unit?"

Ashley nodded. "Don't blame me, Ruth started it, she'll be there so you can get the background from her, Brooke and Rick are coming over from America as well, it's grandparent week so they are dropping off the children with Rick's in-laws over here and Brooke is joining us on the girls' night out."

My groan got ever so slightly louder. Elizabeth looked behind and centered her gaze on me. Her grin a forewarning. "A girls' night out date huh? You see the sacrifices I have to make for you. I have to endure a girls' night out where all the women will share every secret they have about you. I should get awarded a damehood after this, honey."

Thinking to myself if she had noticed the Freudian slip, the cautious part of my brain had already done the math's, after all if she's even accidently calling me honey, then he wasn't looking at a total refusal of a date with me, not the guy who saved her from being killed as Ashley had predicted.

I lowered my head, my shoulders demonstrating defeat as well. Elizabeth let go of my arm. She walked up to Ashley, linked arms and headed back to the Unit office.

I followed the obligatory three paces behind, hearing every whisper and giggle on the journey back.

JoJo booked a room for Elizabeth at the officer's mess that turned out to be well needed.

From what the wives were saying the next morning, they didn't think she drank much, but getting it all in one evening sure messed with her body chemistry. Brooke spent the night with her as well, just in case.

Around ten in the morning, my cell pinged. "I'm dying. Tell my folks I love them and have them carve that on my gravestone."

It still took me a while to compose a reply, as I was laughing too hard to see the letters on my cell. I also shuddered to think which of the group gave her my cell number last night. I finally sent.