Today’s
excerpt is from Horace Goes Home, Book #2 of the Bader Trilogy. Elmer gets a new partner and learns just a
bit about her. Enjoy and have a fantastic day.
m.j.
Reggie laughed,
“Got a favor to ask. Gordon and I
talked. We both like this idea of you
working alone. I know you seem to like
it. But I need to ask you to work with
someone for a while. Her…”
“Hold it. Don’t start with the ‘her’ bit. Remember, I’m married to a redhead.”
“This nice
lady—coming over from drug enforcement—has been working undercover for three
years, but nearly got banged. Gordon
wants her to get a chance here. I want
her on the evening shift. But I want you
to train her for a few weeks. Can you do
this for me? Please…for old time’s
sake?”
“Reggie, just
how many times are you gonna use ‘for old time’s sake’ in the next several
years? Okay…but you owe me. You’re also calling Ruth right now to tell
her this is your idea. Tell her I objected first.”
Elmer had been
taking out his cell phone as he spoke.
Reggie sighed, held out his hand, then took the phone from Elmer, after
he pressed the “one” on the speed dial.
When Ruth
answered, “Hi, you sexy devil—I’m ready for a little action,” Reggie nearly
choked.
“Hi, Ruth—this
is Reggie…using Elmer’s phone. How are
you?”
Ruth laughed,
“Hi, Reggie. What’d he do now?”
Reggie laughed,
also, then explained the situation with the new detective in Homicide. When he finished, Ruth joked, “Sure—just tell
him to sleep on Red’s downstairs couch tonight.
Goodbye.”
Reggie looked at
the dead phone in his hand, as he smiled.
“She said ‘no problem’.”
“Come on,
Reggie—what did she really say?”
Reggie told
him. Elmer smiled, “Okay, I’ll do
it. Got ten says I don’t sleep on any
old couch tonight, either. But please
tell me this gal isn’t good-looking.”
“No bet…see for
yourself,” Reggie said as he waved to the thin young lady standing outside the
door with Alan.
Elmer turned and
saw how attractive—if a bit small chested for Elmer’s taste—she was. He turned back to Reggie and said, “You rat,”
as the young lady came into the office.
Elmer stood up
as Reggie introduced them. “Elmer Bader,
meet Maine Bobbitt.”
Elmer put out
his hand. It was taken and shaken by
Detective Maine Bobbitt. “Nice to meet
you, Lieutenant Bader. Like every detective
on the force, I’ve heard of you. It’s an
honor.”
“Nice to meet
you—and it’s ‘Elmer.’ Come on—you’re
stuck with me for a while. See you, Captain.”
Reggie laughed,
watching them walking out of the office.
When they got to Elmer’s desk, he pointed to the desk back-to-back with
his. “That’s yours.”
Maine sat
down. Elmer smiled, “Pity you weren’t
here a couple of hours ago. I just got
one of those once-a-year deals. Closed a
new case in less than two hours. Got an
easy confession.”
“I know…I saw from
the observation room. Alan and Bert took
me in there…as Alan said, ‘to watch the great Elmer Bader in action’.”
“Did that idiot
also tell you he’s my brother-in-law?
Did he also tell you the last person I tried to train only made it a day
or six with me?”
“‘No,’ to the
brother-in-law; ‘yes’ to Bert only being with you a short time. He also told me why Bert was now with
him. Alan did mention you taught Bert
everything you knew in that short period of time.”
“Nice of you to
repeat that little tidbit. Now then, I
only have two rules for new partners.
One, you get the coffee in the morning.
If it’s not made, make it. Learn
how from Alan. You see Reggie make
coffee, dump it immediately. Make a
fresh pot. I forget what two is. Tell me about ‘Maine’?”
“My mother, God
rest her soul, had a states thing. I’ve
got a sister named Georgia, and a brother named Missouri. My brother is now called ‘Mo’ by his pals in
the Corps. Everyone thinks my sister is
from the south, so she has practiced an awful southern accent. End of story.”
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