Oceanside Chronicles – PD: Season 5, Episode 13

July 25, 2016
Season 5 Finale! As the tourist season continues, recent events take a toll on the squad, a serial killer is revealed and Max celebrates happy news with JP.

Tracy had been partying with Doug and Stan for nearly three days straight, with breaks for food, bathroom visits and the occasional communal shower to wash off the results of all their sexual activity.  Every time Doug or Stan started to think they were done with this young lady, she’d come up with something new or tempting for them to try.  Before long they’d HAVE to end the partying with her specifically because they’d need to get back on the water and up the coast to their home port in Massachusetts.

As much as Doug and Stan were thinking they were going to have to call it to an end, Tracy was only considering how.  The two men, who she had thoroughly enjoyed her time with, were starting to prove how boring and mundane they could be.  Bisexual as they were, they were a lot more fun together than most of the men she used for her pleasures, but it appeared as if they had limited imaginations as well. Together they’d used and pleasured her pretty well in over the course of the three days, but it would soon be time for them to move on. They’d made that clear.  She had no intention of letting them go anywhere until she’d gotten what she wanted though and she wasn’t quite done with them yet.

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Eddie looked tired as he took his place at the podium for roll call.  Max had seen Eddie looked tired before, but he knew how the man felt.  It had been a rough couple of weeks for law enforcement.  Between the mainstream media’s sensationalizing of two justified (probably – the grand jury hadn’t heard the evidence yet) officer involved shootings and the (apparently) resulting attack on officers in Dallas plus all the other random attacks on police officers that were filling the news… doing the job was becoming emotionally taxing.

Max took a moment to look around the room while Eddie composed himself before starting.  His current patrol partner, Sean Davidson, was beside him and looked fine.  He and Max had talked while on patrol, as all partners do, and Max knew that Sean was feeling the pressure.  Cops were always on the alert but this most recent set of circumstances had them all on edge like never before.  They all felt like the community was out to get them, even though they knew that wasn’t true.  The problem was that even if only one-tenth of one percent of the community WAS out to get them, they had no way of identifying who that 0.1% was.  As a result, if they wanted to go home alive, they had to view almost everyone as an increased potential threat.  Sure, there were the people they knew personally that they didn’t have to worry about.  There were the neighborhood folks that they knew well enough to be 90%+ sure they didn’t have to worry about them.  But MOST of the people they interacted with were first time encounters on calls, traffic stops, etc. and they had no idea in those circumstances who they could or couldn’t trust.  It definitely wore on them.

To Sean’s right sat Mike and Kyle.  Neither of them looked like the current situation bothered them a bit, but Max knew better.  Eddie had confided to Max – due to Max’s medical knowledge and background (he’d been a corpsman and combat veteran in the Navy) – that Mike had just started taking a prescription for blood pressure.  Kyle also knew this info and Mike was on a nutrition program along with a new exercise regimen. It had made him grumpy but might prolong or safe his life.  Other than that, the two big men seemed their normal selves.

Behind Max and Sean sat Sam and Dave.  Sam had previously been Max’s partner and Max knew the young man was squared away.  He’d deal with the stress as best he could – which was probably better than most in Max’s estimation.  Dave was a mostly lazy cop to begin with and he didn’t really like people very much.  Max thought it was probably a good thing that Sam handled most of the public contact in that partner team, but he worried that Dave wouldn’t act with enough motivation to help or save Sam if need be.  It was something Max would have to talk to Eddie about over a beer one evening.

Behind Mike and Kyle were sitting Pete and Bill.  They were the perfect “average” cops. Pete did the job, didn’t seem to let it bother him much, but didn’t seem heavily committed to it either.  From what Max understood, Pete liked to take his boat out by himself so he could fish and forget what was on shore.  Bill was pretty much just counting days until he’d had enough and put in his retirement papers.  He had a fairly lackadaisical attitude about the job in general and the way things were going, now was no time to be lazy, mentally or physically, on the job.

Max looked back to the podium where his Sergeant, once Field Training Officer and friend stood.  Max was most worried about Eddie.  There was no doubt that Eddie viewed the squad as his family, and all of the officers on it as his “children” (in a way).  He worried about their safety. He worried about their health.  He worried about their careers.  It was a lot of weight to carry around.  Max knew Eddie could handle it well and he did; but the recent events added a level of worry to Eddie’s normal load and that was what had Max concerned.

Once Eddie started talking, going through the few sheets of paper he had in front of him, roll call didn’t take long.  It was a day shift and most of their work was court appearances or avoiding “the brass.”  Mike and Kyle had court during the morning hours, then the shift would meet for lunch, calls for service permitting, and they’d get through the afternoon as usual.  The beaches were busy because of the summer tourist crowd in Oceanside and the heat had many tourists waling malls and going to the movies.  That also meant the bars stayed busy and people drank too much.  That caused too problems: Medical calls for the dehydration and police calls for the stupidity of drunks.  It was all part of the job.

As Sean drove the patrol car in a random pattern around their patrol area, Max let his mind wander only slightly.  It wandered to his girlfriend Jessica Porter – or JP for short.  She was also an officer in Oceanside and she was assigned to the Beach Patrol unit.  For a brief moment Max considered how good she looked in her uniform – but that was mostly because she had good legs and the shorts she wore showed them off well. She had once been on Eddie’s squad with Max, but she had the chance to move to another unit and she took it for two reasons. The first and foremost reason at the time was to advance her career.  Every officer in Oceanside knew that you didn’t make it up the Chain of Command by staying only in patrol.  Everyone started there, but no one stayed there if they wanted to get promoted.  Her other reason for moving was because she and Max had an obvious attraction to each other and dating someone you work with – on the same squad anyway – was just a bad idea.  After she’d made the switch to Beach Patrol, she and Max HAD started dating and – except for a brief glitch after he’d been shot a few months back – they’d been together ever since.  It wasn’t uncommon for her to spend the night at his place and she’d had a key for several months.  She knew she loved him and was pretty sure he loved her just as much.

What was on Max’s mind this morning as Sean drove around was the ring he had in his gear bag.  Max not only loved JP but had thought long and hard about how well they fit together as people.  Sure, especially since they were both fitness freaks, the sex was great, but it went far beyond that.  Their personalities complimented each other.  Where he had strengths and weaknesses, she had matching weaknesses and strengths.  Their personalities fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.  JP was on day work to and they MIGHT see each other if circumstances or work made it happen.  When they both got off work, they were supposed to meet for dinner and then spend the evening together.  Max had been pondering proposing to her for several weeks and had finally found a ring he liked.  He hoped she would like it too and would say, “Yes” to his proposal with as much excitement as she could muster.

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On board Different Flavors, the boat Doug and Stan had been cruising the coast with, Tracy licked her lips and then her fingers.  The BBQ she’d just finished eating was SO tasty and it seemed like the perfect end to her time aboard the boat.  She took a few sips and then a big gulp from the glass of red wine she’d enjoyed with her dinner.  It was NOT the glass of wine that Doug had given her prior to dinner. She’d carefully not drunk that.  She suspected that it might be drugged.  Through all her time partying with the two men, she noticed that they never once talked about how far north they’d take her or where the next stop might be.  She’d seen items of clothing on board that would fit neither man and were for both genders.  Ultimately she came to suspect that they were up to no good and, although she continued to party with them and enjoy them both thoroughly, she was careful never to eat or drink anything they prepared for her.

Earlier, with lunch, they’d tried to push a “new bottle of wine” on her, but she demurred, confessing to her preference with wine for dinner and as a relaxation drink after some strenuous sexual activity.  They backed off, took her up on her offer on the “strenuous sex,” and then lost track of which wine bottle was which.  She hadn’t lost track though and she made sure the men ended up drinking that bottle of wine they’d been so pushy with.

It was a shame, she thought, that they couldn’t have joined her for dinner.  They might have enjoyed the meal and they certainly seemed to get off on her seeming submissive preferences for cooking and catering to them.  But since they WERE her dinner, having them join her would have been a bit difficult.

Tracy left the table as it was, grabbed her small shoulder bag and headed down to the stern.  She already had their dingy in the water and she climbed in with no issue.  The small motor and five gallons of gas would get her to the shoreline where she could easily scuttle the small boat a few hundred yards off shore and then finish the swim in.  It wouldn’t be her first time having done so.  Different Flavors would drift for quite some time and eventually either run ashore or be found by other boaters… or maybe even the Coast Guard.  She was careful to leave no clue of her stay behind.  She left no finger prints and had carefully cleaned out the sink and shower drains to make sure she left no hair.  She’d vacuumed the salon and state rooms thoroughly.  She was comfortable that she’d left no trace evidence behind.  She’d found enough cash on board to finance her trip farther north along the coast and she had months before she had any commitments to be anywhere.

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JP had nearly choked on her happiness as Max got down on one knee.  It hadn’t occurred anywhere special – just in his living room as she sat on the sofa. They’d been chatting casually and then out of the blue he’d gotten up, knelt down, pulled out the ring and proposed.  The flood of emotions overwhelmed JP. It was more than she’d ever expected.  She could barely speak to say yes but Max got the message.  He slid the ring onto her finger and she launched herself off the sofa onto him on the floor.  It was hours later before they were snuggled together in his bed.  Max was sleeping and JP was listening to him softly breathe as she looked at the engagement ring on her hand.  She wasn’t sure what the future would bring but she felt sure that she could handle whatever it was better with this man by her side.

Editor’s Notes & Officer Survival Concerns

Episode 5:13 forum link

Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 13

We need to thank Elbeco Uniforms for having sponsored four seasons of Oceanside Chronicles.  We’re now on a break until Season Six launches in October of this year.  What will it bring?  Tracy – the cannibalistic sex freak – will be back.  Max and JP will continue to develop their relationship.  Eddie’s squad will see some changes and Oceanside PD will, no doubt, see some challenges ahead!

Episode 5:12 forum link

Officer Survival & other comments on Episode 12

Recent events have everyone in the country seemingly on edge. Stay alert. Stay alive. Don’t lose sight of why we do the job. Thank you to Elbeco Uniforms for sponsoring this story segment.

Episode 5:11 forum link

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.

Episode 5:10 forum link

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!

Episode 5:9 forum link

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!

Episode 5:8 forum link

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!

Episode 5:6 forum link

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.

Episode 5:5 forum link

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.

Episode 5:4 forum link

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.

Episode 5:3 forum link

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.

Episode 5:2 forum link

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.

Episode 5:1 forum link

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.

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