Episode 2
He had taken a life. He remembered aiming for the driver who was relentless as he unloaded an entire clip on them. He feared they would soon be overwhelmed and decided to take a shot aimed at his head. What was currently disturbing him was that he wasn't feeling anything at the moment. Why wasn't he feeling guilty? He was calm. Too calm.
His gorgeous captain was driving him back to the station. She had offered to be his police companion for the entire process and he quickly accepted when she mentioned her own experience of taking someone's life.
"Something's wrong with me." He whispered.
"Why?" His captain asked.
"I'm not feeling any guilt." He admitted. "I just reacted."
"It will hit you later." Zoe Andersen replied, giving him a quick glance. "We can't talk or discuss what happened until you speak with your attorney and the investigators. I just want you to know you did the right thing."
"Thank you." He replied. He tried to recall the firefight, and the bullets whizzing by his head whenever he returned fire. His marksmanship wasn't the best in the academy from what he recalled, and suddenly remembered the character traits he selected. He knew Jack Reacher was a marksman, he wondered if perhaps some traits of the famous fictional character were slowly being integrated into his mind and body.
This would also explain why he wasn't feeling any guilt for killing two gunmen. Jack Reacher had a simple mindset when it came to violence- kill or incapacitate using extreme force those who were trying to kill you.
He realized this could be a potential problem. He needed to control his impulses since he was now a cop, not some hobo wandering the country with just a toothbrush and without any permanent place of residence.
It was surreal for his mug shot to be taken, but Andersen was quietly giving her support behind the camera and he appreciated his captain and the new station he was assigned to. She made sure he had something to eat and drink, and while they couldn't speak to him directly, he saw the nods of support from the other cops when he met their gazes.
He was massaging his arm near where the needle punctured his skin to get his blood sample when his attorney appeared in the interrogation room. He calmly answered any questions, and the process continued with his union rep discussing possibilities in case his case went to a civil trial.
The most interesting meeting came from Commander West, head of internal affairs. His questions were short only at the start, only requiring him to answer in one or two sentences.
"Do you have any non-lethal weapons available? Taser? Pepper-spray?" Commander West asked.
"Yes, but at the time of the engagement, these tools were useless for the situation." He replied. "The three gunmen were using high caliber weapons, with armor-piercing rounds judging from the bullet holes I noticed in our shop's interior."
"The suspect and his crew were at a distance of around fifty yards and I determined that it would be ineffective for the nonlethal weapons." He continued. He watched as the commander wrote some notes and gave a quick glance at the one-way mirror inside the interrogation room. He knew other investigators were watching from the other side. "The bullets were already bursting past our cover. They were shooting over the engine block of our shop and aiming for the back seat. It was only a matter of time before one of us was killed. I decided I had no choice but to resort to lethal means."
"How many rounds did you fire?"
"Eight." He replied. "The first five rounds were to suppress the shooters and the last three I aimed to take them down."
"Did you hit what you were aiming at?" Commander West leaned forward.
"The third round hit the driver's door mirror." He replied. "The second one hit the shooter on the forehead, between the eyes. Fire from the vehicle immediately stopped and he slumped forward to the steering wheel. His head was the only exposed part of the shooter. The last bullet hit the suspect who abandoned their vehicle on the lower back."
"I see." He noticed the head of internal affairs looked confused for a moment. "Finally, with police work involving rapidly changing and dangerous fluid environments, is there anything you would have done differently?"
"No."
He surrendered his badge and weapons to Commander West and was told not to leave town while the investigation was underway. It was now morning, and he realized he nearly spent the entire night sitting in the interview room. He was about to leave when he was called back into the captain's office. He was amazed and how refreshed she looked despite knowing she left the station at a late hour.
"The media would soon get a hold of this. You might want to call any family and friends." Zoe Andersen offered him the landline phone on her desk. "I think it would be better for them to hear this from you than from seeing it in the news."
"I'm fine." He replied. "There's no one to call. Thank you though."
"Parents? Siblings?" She asked and he watched as she took out his file and started reviewing his information. "Girlfriend?"
"I'm an orphan, and an only child." He responded. "There's no significant other for the moment."
"I see." Andersen continued reading his file. "Your file is more interesting than I thought, Routh. Ancient and Modern history degree and a minor in music. What's your favorite period?"
"I really don't have any favorites, but I focused my thesis on seventeenth-century architectural and social history." He replied as new memories came in. He was starting to suspect Lucy Worsley was some British Historian, based on the staggering amounts of information he suddenly knew about the Tudors and medieval fashion. He didn't realize skirts were that complicated. "But if you were to ask me to give a quick lecture about my degree, I'd first give a lesson about the kitchen."
"The kitchen?" His captain looked amused.
"The cooking fire, the hearth was the very center of the medieval home." He explained. "You know back then for commoners, they only had one common living space. Their living room and bedroom were centered around the cooking fire. It's where everyone gathers, to stay warm, share stories, discuss topics, and where myths and legends come to life. And our hearth whatever our ethnicity, our ancestors gathered around flames at night as they ate. They told stories about things over which they had no control like where they tell their children where thunder comes from? Or why is there fire coming out of a mountain?"
"Everything you can't understand and control you gave a name to a god. These gods developed their personalities around the hearth and more legends and myths of their character grew. You could the kitchen was the birthplace of our imaginations."
"Intriguing. Please continue." His captain looked interested, and he wondered if she was doing this on purpose to distract him from what happened hours ago. He decided to continue, since the knowledge he had was even fascinating to him, and he felt a distinct pleasure and satisfaction in sharing the knowledge he had. He wondered if this was part of Lucy Worsley's trait.
"But now sadly we lost the hearth. We don't eat around tables anymore. Everyone's doing something else. Nobody gathers and shares stories anymore, we lost our focus, we lost our hearth. The kitchen symbolizes the relaxed feeling of sitting around the fire, listening to stories, which I think is a primal thing, listening together."
"Captain?" He watched as Zoe Andersen stared at him with glazed eyes and a small smile, a far different contrast to the normally cool and calm visage he observed from her so far.
"I wouldn't have skipped lectures if you were my history professor." She commented. "Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It was fascinating to understand history from your point of view."
"Thank you."
"You also enjoyed Officer Routh's lecture, didn't you?" He turned around once he realized the captain wasn't speaking to him.
He saw his T.O., Bishop, Nolan and Chen hanging around the hallway outside her office.
"I was waiting for my rookie to make sure he's fine getting home." Lopez admitted. "I'm sorry captain, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
"But that was fascinating." Bishop replied. "You sure you're in the right profession boot?"
"If he were a university lecturer, we wouldn't be here." Nolan stated.
"It was a team effort." He replied and turned to his T.O. "I'll be fine mam, I'll use the one week of paid administrative leave to look for better living arrangements closer to the station."
"Good idea. Contact me if you're having problems finding a good location." His captain offered.
He nodded in agreement and walked out, eager to investigate the apartment he was living in based on his memories.
Lucy Chen
She watched as Jack Routh disappeared down the hall and she followed her temporary T.O. to the briefing area, confused. She had never seen Jack that animated in all the months she'd known him in the academy.
She never even knew he was that he was passionate about ancient history. With psychologists for parents, she had a more informed view of human behavior, and yet Routh confused him.
She asked him out on their first month in the academy, but he declined her attempts to get closer to him. She would have felt bitter about it, but he had rebuffed every interest directed at him without any hesitation. There were rumors about his sexuality that started from a few of the rejected women, but they all came to a stop when her class saw him dancing with another woman not from their batch.
She started a relationship with a fellow cadet, John Nolan halfway through their training. Thoughts of her former crush were gone from her head until he appeared on their second day as police officers as a replacement for Jackson.
Things became more complicated for her and John, having confessed to him that she found Jack attractive when they started dating since she believed in being honest before getting into a relationship. Now it seemed like it was causing more tension with her and John. She could feel how awkward he felt when he was around Routh.
"Would you please tell me what's going on?" She asked him during their lunch break. Thanks to her more relaxed temporary T.O. her lunch breaks lasted a full hour.
"It's nothing." John replied, and she could see the lie instantly.
"John." She grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Please. We won't be able to get past this awkward stage if we're not honest."
"It's Routh." John admitted. "Ever since he showed up I felt like I'm being left behind."
"You're not the only one." She replied. The first two days of Jack Routh's appearance were the still being discussed around the station. Punching a car window to shooting back against criminals armed with semi-automatic rifles with a double headshot made Routh a popular topic. She had already answered half a dozen questions about him from the women in the locker room, even those that were from the night shift that hadn't met him yet.
"You didn't feel like that with Jackson." She observed.
"It's just, standing next to him, I kind of feel inadequate." John confessed. She understood his meaning, Jack Routh stood out with his six foot three height and muscular Olympic build. Combined with his wavy brown locks and handsome face, the effect was devastating on the female population in the station. She even noticed the captain giving Routh second looks when she thought no one was looking. She knew only her original T.O. came close to his manly appeal.
"And with you having admitted that you asked him out before…" John trailed off. "It made me worry about our relationship."
"I'm not denying he's eye candy." She admitted. There was already a nickname for him in the locker room on his second day. E.C. depending on who was speaking, since he was both eye candy and easy on the eyes. "But I chose to be with you. E.C. won't get between us."
"E.C?" John asked in confusion.
"That's what they call him." She explained as she struggled to control her blush at revealing one of the female locker room secrets. "Forget what I said."
John appeared to look amused at her mistake as he leaned forward and teased her. "E.C. for eye candy right? What kind of candy do you think you would call me?"
"Butterfingers." She replied, joining his game. "Cause of your smooth fingers."
"I am a skilled contractor." John replied proudly. They both laughed after a moment and continued with their lunch.
"Now tell me about this runaway bride." She asked.
Zoe Andersen
She thought she would be alone as usual on the treadmills but there was already someone who was running full sprint on the machine she usually picked. The spot was great, as it provided a nice view overlooking the park of her apartment building.
She decided to use the weights and wait while the unknown sprinter was finished with his session, when she saw the familiar faces of her neighbors looking in the runner's direction. She noticed they were distracted, their movements erratic and uncoordinated in the various weight machines. She followed their gaze and understood immediately.
The runner was a tall hunk, wearing a gray shirt and jogging pants. The sweat around his body caused his shirt to stick to his skin, showing off his toned physique. She saw the man's reflection in the glass window and immediately realized who it was.
She returned the weights to the rack and decided to have a bit of fun, also curious at how one of her rookies was in her apartment building gym. He ignored her as she moved beside him, feeling the stares of the other women behind her back. She set up a mode and started running beside her rookie.
"Good workout?" She asked. She nearly laughed when Jack Routh nearly tripped in his run when he turned to look at her. He quickly lowered the speed, and settled for a fast walking pace.
"Captain!" He replied. "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same question." She replied. "And please, call me Zoe when we're not on duty."
"Okay, Zoe." She noticed he still looked uncomfortable speaking her name but ignored it. "I just moved in this morning. You… you live here?"
"What are the chances right?" She asked. "What floor are you on?"
"Eighth floor." Routh replied. She remembered her elderly neighbors beside her unit had just moved out a week ago, deciding to migrate to another state. She would miss the sweet elderly couple, they constantly spoke through the balcony that was only separated by a thin and opaque divider that reached just above her head. There was enough room however to pass plates of dishes if she leaned on the balcony railing, and the kind old woman handed her dishes with her original recipe for special occasions.
"Eight-oh-two?" She asked.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"It looks like we're going to be neighbors." She smiled as a thought crossed her head. With her position, she knew Routh would be unwilling to piss her off if he started throwing noisy parties and playing loud music. He would make the perfect neighbor and she really preferred her peaceful and relaxing sanctuary, away from the problems of the station. "I live in eight-oh-one"
"Uhmm great?" Routh looked uncomfortable.
"If you're having second thoughts with having your captain as a neighbor you better tell me now." She stated. "Though I have to say, I'm not a fan of loud music and noisy parties."
"I'm not a fan either." Routh replied. She figured he was, judging from his quiet nature. "I better get going, cap… I mean Zoe."
"Go on ahead. I was just waiting for you to finish on the treadmill. That's my favorite spot." She replied.
"The view is relaxing." Routh agreed and turned off the machine as he finished his cooling down. He wiped his sweaty arms and face on a nearby towel and turned to face her with a rare smile on his face. "See you at the station next week, and please call me Jack."
"See you later Jack." She replied. She was not surprised when she continued running on her now favorite machine that the rest of the ladies in the gym converged on her location. It looked like E.C. effect was as potent outside the station as it was inside.
She continued to enjoy her day off, and nearly forgot about her new neighbor as she was reading a book about mythology. Routh's impromptu lecture made her pick up a book that reminded her of his stories about the origin of mythological gods. She was reading about Hestia, the goddess of the hearth when she heard a beautiful yet unfamiliar tune from a piano.
It wasn't loud, if she closed her balcony door the noise would be gone or if she turned on her TV or music the noise would easily cancel out the piano tune. She closed her eyes, trying to see if she was familiar with the tune.
[See you again, piano instrumental]
The melody was both beautiful and sad, and slowly realized that the music was coming from her new neighbor. She remembered Routh had a minor in music and decided to investigate and headed out to the balcony.
The music was louder and she tapped her fingers to the melody. The music ended too quickly for her tastes but then her other senses were assaulted as a fantastic scent drifted through her nose.
She could smell roasted chicken, garlic, herbs, and other spices. Her mouth watered and she unconsciously swallowed. It wasn't time for dinner, but she wouldn't mind having a taste of what Routh was preparing.
"Routh?" She asked through the divider. She heard the sounds of utensils being dropped on plates and saw a figure approach the barrier. Jack Routh leaned along the rail and what she saw she knew would cause most women to salivate and it wasn't because of the wonderful smell of cooked food.
Jack Routh was wearing an apron over a white tank top, showing off his sculpted shoulders and arms.
"Captain?" He asked. "Do you need something?"
"What do you have cooking over there? It smells good." She admitted.
"I decided to throw a little celebration for myself and cooked a specialty dish. "Routh admitted.
"And you didn't invite your captain?" She asked.
"Relax." She added upon seeing how uncomfortable he was. "I didn't mean to be a nosy neighbor. I'm not usually like this, but I really liked the smell of whatever it is you were cooking and got curious."
"You're free to come over." Jack replied. "I cooked food that's more than enough for the two of us."
She was aware of the need to maintain distance with her fellow officers under her command, but the offer was too good to pass up. Besides, she was just being a good neighbor.
"Okay, give me five."
She brought two cans of beer as her contribution to the meal, and she had to be honest, it was one of the best meals she ever had in a long time. The roasted chicken with a side of truffle mashed potatoes made her sleepy, and she didn't bother to act all prim and proper in front of a subordinate.
The ambiance of the place and the company played a part in the enjoyment of her meal. It was peaceful and pleasant, allowing her to relish the flavors in her mouth.
"You're an academic, a musician and a good cook." She joked at the end of the meal. "Tell me Jack, what other hidden talents do you have?"
"I'm boring." Jack admitted, waving his hand as if to physically discard her compliments.
"That melody you played wasn't boring." She reminded him. "I'm not familiar with it. What was it called?"
"I composed it." He admitted as he glanced at the electronic piano tucked away in the corner. "It's called See You Again."
"Does it have lyrics?" She asked. "It's a catchy melody, especially the first part."
"I do." Jack replied, pointing to a stack of sheets on the piano.
"Mind showing it to me?" She couldn't help but ask.
"Maybe later, it's not finished yet." He looked like he was teasing her. "I could show you a sneak peak captain, but it's going to cost you."
"Go on." She wondered what he was about to ask and played along.
"Heard police captains sometimes get complimentary tickets to Dodgers" He stated. "Do you think you can spare a ticket?"
"I'll see what I can do." Is that all? She knew she was right not to doubt Routh's intentions. She was afraid he would bring their work into the conversation, like asking for extra vacation days. But he kept it personal, just as she liked it. Work-life balance was her motto after all.
It shouldn't be too difficult, a quick phone call and she could secure a ticket with a good seat. "Just one ticket?"
"Just one, captain."
She fell asleep immediately after her nightly ritual, and felt refreshed and energized as she prepared for work. She was in the basement and in her car, when she saw Routh walk out of the parking entrance sporting a leather jacket and shades.
He moved in a relaxed manner, and remembered that he still had a few days to go before he was required to report for duty on Monday. The investigation was nearly over, with the I.A. clearing Routh after an exhaustive round of interviews with his colleagues and reviewing the body cam footage of everyone involved. It should have just been a few days, but the double headshot raised some eyebrows up at the division.
He mounted a large gray and white motorcycle, she wasn't an expert on bikes but she recognized the BMW logo. His helmet matched the paint job and she had to admit he pulled the look well.
She was not pleased when he revved up his engine and then shot out of the parking lot like a demon. He better not break any traffic laws.
Angela Lopez
Tim Bradford was an idiot. How could he think that they wouldn't be there when he was discharged? The stubborn idiot even insisted on carrying his bag, despite the wince of pain she noticed as he reached and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
"We're taking you home." She ordered. "Don't say no, Tim. You scared us."
Tim grunted and allowed Bishop to take the bag off his shoulders. "Thanks. How's my boot doing?"
"Restless. She's getting impatient." She replied. "The other two rookies saw some action, and she's left twiddling her thumbs hoping her temporary T.O. will answer any call remotely dangerous."
"Good. I want her to be hungry." Tim replied.
"Is this another twisted Tim test of yours?" Bishop asked.
"What else could it be?" He replied as he entered Lopez's shop. "How is the legacy's replacement? Did he cower like a little girl too?"
She snorted as she remembered Jackson West's embarrassing incident. "No, he's the exact opposite."
"How so?"
"Remember the news about Selby's partner in crime getting taken down a few days ago? He took that shot." Bishop replied.
"I heard rumors." He replied. "Did he really make a double headshot from fifty yards out while under fire?"
"Two shots and three shooters went down. It happened in a matter of seconds." She replied.
"One moment armor piercing rounds were raining through our cover and the next…"Bishop snapped her fingers. "Just like that."
They were in a busy intersection and just stopped as the red light came on. She looked around as was her habit and noticed the big bike beside her and the face of the rider standing patiently with his visor up. "Speaking of my new boot, that's him. I didn't know he got around in a big bike."
"S1000 RR." Tim nodded in approval. "Smart choice, not that expensive, but it's a comfortable ride."
The light turned green, and the bike accelerated from them and headed downtown. It might look cool as heck, but she didn't like being left in the dust and flipped on her lights and accelerated after her boot.
"What are you doing?" Tim asked. "He was under the speed limit. That bike just accelerates that fast."
"Checking up on my boot." She replied. "Haven't seen him in three days."
The rider noticed he was being flagged and slowed down and turned to a side street with less traffic. He pushed his bike up on the kickstand and turned off his engine.
She suppressed a smile as her boot approached her side and removed his helmet, revealing messy hair and looking like he came from a fashion shoot.
"That's your boot?" Tim asked.
She didn't reply and lowered her window, allowing Routh to approach her.
"Good day, officers." Jack Routh greeted them. "Something I can help you with?"
"I'm just checking up on you. How have you been?"
"Busy, I spent the last few days moving into my new apartment. It's just a five-minute drive from the station. I'm on my way to order some furniture downtown."
"This is Officer Bradford, Chen's T.O." She said once she noticed Routh looking at the backseat.
"Good to see you back on your feet sir." Routh greeted with a nod.
"Thank you, Boot. But sucking up to a T.O. doesn't work on me. " Tim replied. "Heard about the shooting, how are you holding up?"
"I'm trying to learn to live with it. That's all I can do." Routh didn't appear to be bothered by Tim's rudeness.
"That's all we can do."
"Visit the truck shop when you're done." She told her rookie before the mood became more somber. "I'm treating Bradford for lunch since he just came out of the hospital, I might as well include you."
Routh quickly accepted her offer and hopped on his bike and put his helmet back on. She noticed him glance back at her revved up his engine a few times, and took off in a heartbeat.
"He's got to be baiting you." Tim snorted in amusement.
"I'll make sure his order is extra spicy." She muttered.
Lunch was more interesting than normal, as Routh finally appeared, catching the attention of everyone seated between the food trucks. Her boot approached her table, sat down on an empty chair and took off his helmet.
She was fascinated at how oblivious Routh was from all the attention he was getting.
"Hollywood." Quigley approached their table and directly addressed Routh. "Good to see you, oh and Bradford's back on his feet!"
"Hollywood?" Routh asked.
"That's our nickname for you, coz you're like an action star!" Quigley grinned. "Heard you were looking for a place to move in…"
"Save it Quigley, he already found an apartment and moved in." She interrupted the older officer.
"Too bad. Anyway, see you around." Quigley left and sat back at his table.
"I think you're smart enough to know better than to accept any offered from him." She addressed her boot.
"I heard in the lockers that he's living in a camper van in the parking lot. Is that true?" Routh asked as they all started on their lunches. She watched avidly for any reaction, but her boot continued eating like normal.
"It's a dead end there. It sucks away all ambition."She replied, watching his face intently. There was no flush, he wasn't pretending it wasn't spicy. She took a tentative bite on her own food and it also tasted normal.
Behind her, she heard a coughing sound and saw Nolan rushing to the food truck to get a bottle of water.
"So that's where it ended." Talia commented.