Memorite Rogue, Chapter 1, Scene 5
Here's the next installation from my novel.
If you find it interesting and want to go ahead and get the whole book, both print and ebook versions are available through http://memoriterogue.com/
Memorite Rogue
Chapter 1
Scene 5
2:01am
Pulling into the parking lot behind the college administration building, the officer could see the flash of the ambulance lights against the wall of the breezeway that passed through the middle of the building. He couldn’t see how the ambulance got to the other side, so he swung his patrol car into the grass on the side of the building and circled around to the wide, brick walkway.
The ambulance was up next to the bushes that lined the walkways on the side furthest from the building. One EMT was helping a disheveled looking kid in the bushes to sit up, while a girl watched. The other EMT was leaning over a body on the walkway near the wall of the administration building.
A small crowd of students had gathered on the walkway several yards past the body. They were straining to see what was going on. Those in the front were trying to keep back but those in the back were inching them closer. More students were coming from the direction of the dorms. The flashing lights had obviously brought out some curious insomniacs.
John Levin opened the door to his patrol car and stepped out. Leaving the flashing lights on, he stood between the open car door and the patrol car and pulled out his radio. He glared at the crowd as he radioed in his location. He was pleased to see their reaction. The front of the crowd began pushing back in earnest, not wanting to face the possibility of interfering with the police. Soon the line stopped moving forward.
He knew how incredibly stupid individuals could get when in a crowd. This not his first time to have to single handedly control a group like this. The previous week he’d had to deal with a group of protestors who had assembled in almost the same spot. What they were protesting wasn’t clear, and it didn’t appear that many in the crowd cared. He saw some of the same faces, now.
Replacing the radio, he shut the car door, hiked up his gun belt, and walked toward the crowd. Most of them were intimidated, and were either backing up from the scene or trying to leave. A few had overconfident smirks and were actually pushing forward. The officer let his hand rest on his gun, but left the snap closed. He stepped around the body and approached the crowd of students. A few left. Some of the faces lost their smirks.
“I’m gonna have to ask all of you to step back past this line.” He gestured to the strip of concrete that ran across the brick walkway, still keeping his other hand resting on his gun. More smirks disappeared and the crowd inched back to where he’d motioned. More students were also approaching from the direction of the dorms. He gave the crowd one last stern look and turned to retrieve his crime scene tape from the trunk of his patrol car.
“This guy’s gone.” The EMT told him as he walked past. “You wanna look ‘im over or anything?”
“No, right now I just need to secure the scene and locate witnesses.”
“Quit pushing me!” someone whispered loudly from the crowd.
“Aw, quit bein’ a baby. It’s just one cop. What’s he gonna do?”
“Then you get in front.”
“Right, like one cop can do anything. Look how many people are already here. We don’t need to let him push us around.”
“Hey, moron, loaded gun, big stick, that not mean anything to you?”
“So what, he’s not gonna use ‘em, he’d start a riot.”
The officer had reached the patrol car and had retrieved the tape. The crowd had again surged forward past the point he’d specified. Several of those with smirks were in the second and third rows, egging the first row forward. Some of the ones who’d lost their smirks had regained them. The crowd mentality was beginning to build up as several troublemakers played them along. All for the fun of causing trouble. The mood was beginning to approach a pivotal point.
Walking back calmly, posture confident, Levin again approached the crowd.
“You, you, and you, up against the wall.”
Two smirks disappeared instantaneously. The third remained but looked slightly weakened.
“You can’t . . .”
“Are you resisting an officer?” He flipped the snap open on his gun. Two of them moved to the wall, the third hesitated, his smirk fading.
“I ain’t afraid of . . .”
“You two,” Levin said sharply, cutting the student off and pointing to two other students in the front of the crowd, “I need your help. Can one of you attach this tape to that bush there and the other attach the other end to . . .” He looked at the building, “that column over there?”
Suddenly it wasn’t the cop against the crowd. The troublemakers had been separated and others had been designated helpers. A new line had been drawn.
“You can’t make them do anything,” Said the most stubborn of the troublemakers.
“Shut up, Larry.”
“Yeah, quit being such a jerk.”
“Against the wall, now,” the officer now laid his hand across the top of his billy club. Resisting an officer did give that officer the right to force compliance, and the crowd was suddenly on the officer’s side. Larry’s smirk melted and he grudgingly turned and faced the wall.
The two students the officer had motioned to, took the tape, and did what he asked. One was grinning from ear to ear. The other tried to act more dignified, but couldn’t help the smile that found its way onto his face.
Securing the police line, the two returned the tape to the officer.
“Need us to do anything else?”
“Well, d’you guys think you can watch the crowd and make sure they stay past the line without being bullies about it?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“We wouldn’t bully anyone.”
“Fine then, I appreciate the help.”
Remember the smirk chorus, the officer turned to them, “You three stay exactly where you are.” Turning back to the two temporary ‘deputies’ the officer said, “Oh, and guys, make sure these three idiots don’t go anywhere.”
The crowd laughed at that, and the two helpers smiled and assured the officers they’d make sure the three didn’t leave. Levin approached each of the three, handcuffed them, and sat them down. He then walked to the other end of the walkway and put tape off that side of the crime scene. In the distance, he could see another patrol car heading toward him, and he hid his sigh of relief from the crowd behind him.
Posted by Danny Carlton at September 14, 2007 7:49 AM