The Night Shift

The Night Shift

Officer Dean Williams, bone tired as they neared the end of the long night’s patrol, could hardly keep his eyes open as he listened to his partner, Nick Matthews, drone on and on about how many fish he was going to catch during vacation at Elk River next week. It was only by accident that he spotted the light moving around in the supposedly closed and locked gun shop.

“Man,” Nick said, “them fish practically jump into the boat, sometimes two at a time! You really ought to think about coming along, kid.”

The last thing in the world Dean had any interest in, was spending two weeks, 24 hours a day with the fat, vulgar man sitting next to him. He got along okay with Nick during duty hours, he had even stopped after work for a few beers occasionally, but the thought of spending any real time with the near retiree, was just too depressing.

“Well, maybe you WOULD rather go dancing?” Nick said with a slight smirk . “Maybe that would be more fun?”

With some dismay, Dean realized an embarrasing secret and probably the hated nickname had followed him from college and the Academy. “No! I don’t! I..., I dunno,” Dean tried to think of a good excuse, “I should spend some time with the folks, Mom hasn’t been feel... Hey, what was that?”

“What was what?” Nick slowed the car.

“Inside McGinty’s. I thought I saw a light moving around, but the place should have been closed hours ago.”

“Damn, Dean,” Nick muttered, checking his watch, “there’s only twenty minutes left in the shift. Do we really want to get involved with something, this late?”

Dean was inclined to go along with Nick and just ignore what he had probably not really seen, but it had been a slow night. In fact, it had been a long, slow, six months since he had partnered with Nick and he was itching to get a little action. Maybe if he showed some initiative, he might even pick up a citation and move into something more interesting than neighborhood patrol.

“Awww, let’s check it out, it’s probably just McGinty himself, probably forgot something and came back.”

“Okay, okay,” Nick said with an exasperated sigh, “we’ll check it out real quick. Hell, maybe McGinty will stand us to a drink for being so conscientious!”

Circling the block, the patrol car eased to a stop in the alley behind the gun shop just as the door opened and two black teenagers staggered out, their arms laden with boxes. Nick trained the spotlight on the two and they froze in their tracks. Stepping from the patrol car, Dean was just unsnapping his pistol from its holster when the shop door crashed open.

“Hold it right ther..” Suddenly the dark alley lit up with flashing crashes.

The first bullet of the volley from Jameal “Tiger Killer” Malone’s gun smashed the patrol car’s windshield, grazing Nick’s head. The third bullet struck Dean just under his right eye. Dead before he hit the ground, "Dancing" Dean Williams never saw what happened next.

Officer Nick Matthews, his eyes blinded by the blood dripping from the gash in his forehead, never quite got his seat belt unbuckled before the second volley nearly severed his head.

“What you standing around for, fools?” Jameal barked at the two frozen teens, “get them boxes picked up and let’s roll the fuck outta here!”

The shocked, teenaged initiates of the 5th Street Hitmen, quickly grabbed the boxes and followed their War Lord.

Since Nick hadn’t called in to report the suspicious lights, no one found the fallen officers until a surprised, Gus McGinty, opened the store the next morning.