JP woke up slowly… enjoying the ability to do so. Too often she woke up to an alarm clock. Even when she worked evenings and midnights, she woke to an alarm clock. Waking up just because she’d had enough sleep was a rare treat for her. To do so next to Max was ethereal. She smiled to herself and stretched. She didn’t realize that Max was awake, lying silently next to her, watching her. He thought she looked somewhat like a predatory big cat. She was fit without being overly lean. Her curves were healthy and her strength was far beyond what most men expected from any woman. Max knew she was stronger than a lot of men they both knew. That was easy to predict; after all, she worked out as much as he did and she gave it her all at the gym.
After she finished stretching, JP turned to look at Max and saw him smiling as he watched her. She returned his smile, leaned over to give him a quick peck on the lips and then said, “See you in the shower?” Max’s smile got bigger and that was the only answer she needed.
As they drank their coffee and ate their breakfast a little while later they discussed what they were going to do with the day off. JP realized that even the conversation had a lazy feel to it. Neither of them seemed to feel in a rush to get the day going. Neither of them was comfortable “just lazing about,” but by the same token, it felt good not to have to be somewhere by any particular time and they were enjoying that feeling.
- - - - - - - - - -
“I kinda like this city,” said Doug to Stan. “The people seem fairly laid back for a mid-Atlantic coastal place. I’m not saying that there’ll be easy pickings, but I don’t’ think we’ll have to be as persuasive as usual.” He picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, waiting for his lover to reply.
They were enjoying the breakfast that Stan had made. The boat, “Different Flavors,” was docked at the Oceanside Harbor marina where they’d paid for a slip for two weeks. They didn’t honestly expect to be there for two weeks, but it was enough time that they were confident they’d find a playmate… more precisely a playTOY. The bisexual partners had recently also become partners in committing homicide; multiple homicides actually. The current count was seven but they had talked and assumed at least two more before they got back to Massachusetts and into the boring daily grind of their married lives. Well, thought Stan, he HOPED for at least two more. He wouldn’t complain about MORE and if they only found one it would be truly disappointing.
Doug’s thoughts were in much the same place. It was a beautiful morning; the boat rocking was barely noticeable and comforting when it was felt. Breakfast was delicious. Oceanside seemed such a quiet peaceful place. Just the night before they’d met an attractive young man out celebrating his birthday. Discussion with him had revealed that it wasn’t his ACTUAL birthday. His birthday had been on the 14th, but he’d had to work, so he was out celebrating on an evening he had off.
Doug and Stan had agreed that he was quite an attractive young man, and very fit too. They were sure he’d be a fun playmate IF he was gay or bi. While neither man had a problem with murder, they refused to commit a rape, so if they found a male playmate, it had to be one who had a willingness or interest in sex with other men. The young man, they’d learned his name was Sean, expressed no such proclivities. Further, they’d learned that he was a service veteran and a police officer. Both were red flags. During their discussions about disposing of playmates when they were done with them, but Doug and Stan had been clear on a couple things they didn’t want to deal with: military trained personnel and any law enforcement personnel. No matter how attractive they were or how fun they seemed, when the time came to dispose of them the concern was that the intended victim would become the predator. Military trained people, at least to Doug and Stan’s thinking, were far too willing to fight and, if they thought they were fighting for their life (which they would be in this case), they’d kill in self-defense without a thought. Doug and Stan were willing to take some risks to entertain their desires, but dying wasn’t one they were willing to accept. As to law enforcement personnel… killing a police officer would be a HUGE red flag and likely start an investigation that would discover them and their activities. Some random citizen disappearing generated a report and a lookout. The disappearance of a police officer would generate a HUGE search until the officer was found – dead or alive.
Sean – the young man they’d met – had come across as having no interest in playing with men (sexually) and the fact that he was not only a military veteran but also a police officer completely ruled him out. When Doug and Stan had met Sean they’d noticed that he was in the company of several others that they might find interesting; particularly one young lady who was very fit and attractive. Alas, she was ALSO a police officer and didn’t look like she’d be easy to overcome if she decided she wanted to fight… So they’d abandoned hope on that particular evening and continued their search for a playmate / playtoy. They had plenty of time remaining here in Oceanside and were confident they could find someone.
- - - - - - - - - -
Max and JP had enjoyed their day off. Now here they were, early the next morning, sitting in different roll call rooms at the same time. Eddie’s Squad – the one Max was on – was starting day work. 0600 came early but none of them complained. They liked starting early. It meant they’d end the work day well before 1500 (3pm) and be able to enjoy the evening. Two doors down the hall, JP was sitting with her squad getting her morning roll call info. She was assigned to beach patrol and her uniform reflected such. Instead of the long pants Max and his squad were wearing, JP was in shorts, a polo shirt and an all nylon Sam Brown (gun belt). Her boots had been replaced with lightweight tennis shoes that easily shed water and didn’t hold sand in the sole.
After roll call, the officers all headed out to “hit the streets.” For JP and her squad it was more like, “hit the beach.” JP would be on an ATV for most of the day, patrolling the sandy beach, looking for alcohol violations among other things. Part of the day would see her on foot patrol on the boardwalk. She knew that while she was working, Max and his partner, Sean, would be on patrol in an adjoining part of the city’s oceanfront. If she needed backup, Max and Sean would likely be the first “regular” patrol car to arrive. Some of the other beach patrol officers might beat them to the scene of anything, but it would be close.
The morning passed slowly… JP almost called it “quiet” or “boring” but was careful not to say those words out loud. Superstition still existed in her mind – and the minds of lots of other officers as well. Saying those things out loud was believed to be a curse that would immediately change the day. She WANTED it to stay quiet and boring so she avoided doing anything that would change it.
When lunch time got close, JP texted Max to see if he and Sean wanted to come up to the boardwalk to eat. They had just pulled traffic and she had to wait for a reply, but she was going to eat lunch whether they could join her or not, so she parked her ATV and headed to the pizzeria she’d decided on. As she walked up the boardwalk toward her destination, she saw two young looking men coming toward. She was walking north; they were heading south. Both of them were in board shorts, barefoot, no shirts and, she noticed, each was carrying an open can of something. As she got closer she saw that they both were drinking beer.
It might not have been a harmful violation of the law, but open alcoholic beverages were prohibited in public in Oceanside, and the boardwalk seemed to be a favorite place for people to claim they “misunderstood” the restriction. Many people connected the boardwalk to the beach and, for whatever reason, thought it was okay to drink on the beach as well. That was illegal too, but it never seemed to sink in.
The two young men saw JP, and recognized her uniform for what it was, just about the same time JP said, “Good morning, gentlemen. Having a good time?”
One of them didn’t say a word. He looked like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He knew he’d been doing something he shouldn’t and didn’t know how to reply to JP’s polite greeting. The other one… the taller one, JP noticed… looked like JP was a hindrance to his day. “We WERE,” he said with heavy emphasis on the second word. “Then YOU came along,” he finished. His tone of voice was unfriendly; nasty even. JP thought he sounded like a pouty child, but his size said he could be a much bigger problem than that.
“Well,” she said in her professional voice, “here I am and there you are. It’s illegal to drink alcohol in public here in Oceanside. Down ‘em or dump ‘em,” she ordered.
The first young man didn’t hesitate to step over to the sand and dump out his beer. The second one… “the mouthy one,” as JP was already thinking of him, looked her straight in the eye, took a healthy swig – but didn’t come near to finishing his beer – swallowed and then said, “Fuck you.”
His friend looked like he was about to give birth to a large meteorite. JP’s smile and any pretense of being cordial disappeared. She knew this for what it was and could feel the adrenaline dump begin. “Did that sound like a request?” she asked coldly. “Dump it… NOW,” she ordered.
He took another swig, his eyes never leaving hers; swallowed and repeated his response. It earned him what he deserved.
JP stepped forward, pulling her handcuffs from the pouch on her gunbelt. “You’re under arrest,” she said. “Drop the beer and put your hands behind your back.”
The man had been petulant but he hadn’t been aggressive. That changed immediately and JP cursed herself for having assumed this would be a relatively easy arrest. Instead of complying he threw the beer can at her head. She ducked and as she straightened back up she was caught by his fist on the side of her head as he lunged at her.
The fight was on and witnesses all gave different accounts of how it unfolded. Everyone seemed to agree that the punch staggered JP. The arrest report would show that her assailant, one Jerod Sterling, was six feet tall and weighed two-hundred ten pounds. He was fairly fit, although not as fit as JP, but a punch from even a sloppy fat 210 pound guy can hurt. So, yeah… the punch staggered her. Jerod started to follow up but was surprised by how fast JP recovered; not to mention how strong she was.
As he closed distance, apparently in an attempt to grab her in a bear hug, she swung back from the turn caused by the punch. She was turning to her left into him as he came in, and she added all the force she could to strike him right in the middle of his chest with her elbow. At least, she was aiming for his chest… she hit his solar plexus and drove the wind from him. The fight ended fast after that. He was gasping for air and JP was focused on putting him face down on the boardwalk. The fact that it was hot and he was shirtless never entered her mind as a concern.
As he gasped and grabbed his chest, starting to double over, JP followed the elbow strike with a strong kick to the inside of his right ankle, effectively sweeping his leg out and back and dumping him on his face. He managed to stop himself from a total face-plant by putting his hands out, but his already burning lungs were further stressed by the impact of his chest on the boardwalk followed immediately by the impact of JP’s knee as she dropped onto his back.
There was a slight struggle as he fought to keep her from putting the handcuffs on his right wrist, but his heart was no longer in the fight. Once that cuff was snapped on she pulled the arm back and twisted, using his wrist as a lever point and putting him in further discomfort while ordering him to put his left hand behind his back. He resisted at first, but a good twist from JP and more pressure on his back convinced him that the faster he complied the faster she’d remove his discomfort. With both his wrists handcuffed, JP got off his back and helped him up to his knees.
Some of the witnesses actually laughed at how silly Jerod sounded, whining about how hot the boardwalk was on his knees. One bystander was even heard to say, “That’s what you get for attacking a cop… a female cop no less… whimp.”
JP got on her radio and called out with one in custody, requesting a patrol car for transport. Sean’s voice answered volunteering to provide the transport service. JP remembered Jerod’s friend and looked around but apparently the man had run away. The same bystander who had insulted Jerod figured what JP was looking for and said, “He took off as soon as you dumped his fried on his face.”
A couple minutes later Max and Sean showed up to take temporary possession of Jerod. Max restrained himself from hugging or showing personal concern for JP. On duty, they’d agreed, they needed to act as professional as they could manage. Both of them also knew that he’d pamper her later as much as might be necessary. For now, Jerod was going to get a coldly professional ride to central processing where he’d be booked for assault & battery in addition to the drinking in public and open alcohol charges.
- - - - - - - - - -
Two of the bystanders were Doug and Stan. They recognized JP and then Max and Sean when they arrived on the scene. Having seen the fight, as much as both of the serial murderers found JP an appetizing looking playtoy, they were more convinced of their wisdom in not ever targeting cops. Sean, one of the two officers who had shown up, was the young man they had thought about targeting a couple nights before. Now here he was, in uniform and accompanied by his partner. Doug and Stan exchanged a knowing look. Any one of these officers would give them a hard fight. Any two of them would kick Doug and Stan around the block with relative ease.
So, the two lovers walked on, holding hands, and eating the ice cream cones they’d just bought. No one seemed to notice or care. Most everyone on the boardwalk was still interested in the scuffle that had just occurred between JP and Jerod. Doug and Stan were still confident they’d find someone to play with. They were patient and had experience. Somewhere in Oceanside, they knew, was a person who would be happy to come enjoy the luxury of the yacht “Different Flavors,” and play with the men sexually. Little did that someone know it would be the last night of their life.
Discuss Episode 5:11 (this episode) on our forums
Editor’s Notes & Officer Survival Concerns
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 11
Even out of shape people can present a threat. Never assume no fight or an easy fight when you got to arrest someone. ALWAYS be ready for a hard fight and you’ll have less trouble when things go south.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:10:
How often do you think we law enforcement professionals encounter criminals and we’re completely unaware that they are criminals? I’d be willing to bet it’s a lot. On those occasions, our “spidey sense”… that tingling sensation that makes the hair on the back of our neck stand up – it speaks to us and alerts us to the fact that something is wrong. That intuition can be invaluable and should never be ignored. If it happens to you, act appropriately within the law and your agency policy. Stay safe. Once again, we’d like to thank Elbeco Uniforms for sponsoring this episode!
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:9:
Holidays definitely represent unique challenges for us in law enforcement. There are the usual drunk drivers and crowded highways, but there are also problems unique to each jurisdiction and even to each shift. Know yours. Learn from the experienced officers. TALK with your patrol partners and squad-mates about how various calls should be handled. Plan as much as you can… before the unexpected happens. Once again, we’d like to thank Elbeco Uniforms for sponsoring this episode!
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:8:
The incident with Max, the drunk driver and the vehicle rolling away is, like so many other incidents described in The Oceanside Chronicles, a true story. Instead of being drunk, the driver had been quite elderly and as he tried to get out of his car – on a busy residential multi-lane road – he stumbled and fell, and his car began to accelerate away down a hill. The officer involved had to really turn on some speed to run and catch up to the rolling car; get in, stop it and put it properly in park. The old man wasn’t hurt but he was pretty embarrassed. A retesting order for his driver’s license had been issued. Keep alert for the unexpected (as always).
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:7:
For this episode we need to thank Elbeco Uniforms for their sponsorship and support. Stay safe!
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:6:
Police Week is an important part of the law enforcement family experience. If you’ve never gone to the National Law Enforcement Memorial, you should make the time to go visit. It’s an energy filled place and, especially this week while you can visit with tens of thousands of your Thin Blue Line family members, it can truly move you.
Thank you to Elbeco Uniforms for sponsoring this episode.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:5:
We often don’t pay attention but uniform comfort can play a big role in how efficiently we do our jobs. Elbeco makes a wide variety of uniform designs to fit every need.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:4:
We’d like to thank our sponsor, Elbeco, for supporting this on-going fiction crime-drama. Check out their full line of uniforms and apparel on their website.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:3:
With the end of spring and launch of summer there are usually a lot of bar openings, special events on beaches, etc. They all bring with them particular risks and threats that we can only avoid or minimize so much. Temptation grows to play hero, lone gunman, whatever. Remember the Ten Deadly Errors and stay on your guard. The imperative is going home whole and healthy at the end of your shift.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:2:
No officer survival comments on this one except this: We ALL have emotional turmoil that enters our life. It IS very distracting. We can’t safely work distracted like that. Talk to someone if that’s where you are in your head. Get it sorted out. DO NOT go to work that distracted and unfocused. It can get you killed.
Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 5:1:
Few outside our profession can relate to the fears and complications associated with any shooting situation. They’re not usually aware of how politics can impact police work in all the wrong ways. As we can see in this story, the significant other (JP) of an injured officer (Max) is having her doubts about the relationship due to her own fears of lost stability. We also get to listen in on the conversation between the Mayor and the Chief and see how their concerns are different. Be that as it may, the Mayor’s concerns WILL impact how the Chief acts or reacts because ultimately he answers to the Mayor. Please remember to visit our supporter for this episode: Elbeco Uniforms. Great products to cover you in all your uniform needs.
