To get caught up, you can read:
“Listen up!” Sgt. Daniels ordered in his ‘command voice.’ Mostly it was the voice he used when he lost his temper but he referred to it as his command voice when he was trying to teach people how to talk to the public in a professional manner. Max had ignored that speech on orders from Eddie. As Sarge opened his Roll Call briefing the squad settled and got quiet. Sarge continued.
“For those of you who don’t know, I’ve submitted my retirement paperwork. Effective immediately I’m processing out. Corporal Presser,” Sarge nodded in Eddie’s direction, “is your acting Squad Sergeant. Starting today all leave requests and paperwork goes through him.” Looking down at the piece of paper in his hands, Sarge continued. “Check the board for details about Captain Lidecker’s funeral arrangements.” Captain Lidecker was perhaps the least popular command staff member on the agency. He had a reputation for unnecessary force and lying to cover it up. He’d been involved in several shootings and although they were all cleared, the homicide guys had made it clear that his next one might not be.
Several officers on the agency had filed complaints with the Chief about him but nothing had ever come of the complaints. Afterward, the Captain had given the officers who complained assignments that they’d dislike but that weren’t so harsh as to be called retribution. He was a sneaky bastard who knew how to cover his ass in paperwork and policy. He had a bad rep and when he suddenly died of a heart attack not a single officer shed a tear. Sarge cleared his throat before continuing. “Anyone not working active patrol on the street is ordered to attend one viewing session and the funeral. Before you ask, yes it’s paid time. The Chief doesn’t want Captain Lidecker’s family to feel that the agency isn’t supportive. No matter how you feel or felt about the Captain, he was one of us and we will show proper respect for him.”
Sarge paused for a moment and glanced around at the squad. “It’s been a pleasure working with all of you. No inspection tonight. Stay safe. Go to work.” With that, Sarge walked briskly out of the room, leaving the squad sitting all slightly in shock. Not a one of them was disappointed to see Sarge retiring but the way he was going about saying goodbye was a bit of a surprise. They’d all expected him to make a much bigger deal out of it when the day came.
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All of Season 1 of The Oceanside Chronicles, including officer survival notes and an alphabetical list of characters can be purchased as an anthology on Amazon.com via Amazon Prime.
http://amzn.to/2du9jDO
