The others were drawn to the news playing on the television, their attention collectively turning toward it. Clearly, apart from Jack and John, the local Detroit officers were all familiar with this Marino Bishop.
"That's strange. The news says Bishop was arrested at a church after killing undercover officer Ray Bortnaux. But I remember Bortnaux was under Marcus Duval, right? One of the Anti-Gang Unit guys. Why would someone from that division go undercover? Especially against someone like Bishop—they'd know each other inside and out," Ronick said, frowning in confusion.
"Who knows? Maybe it was just a coincidence—they ran into each other at the church, recognized each other on the spot. You know how the media is, they'll blow a whisper into a hurricane," said old officer Jasper dismissively, clearly not interested in the matter. He then turned to Alice and held out his hand with a grin. "Now, young lady, may I have this dance? For my retirement?"
"Of course." Alice took his hand with a warm smile. "I'm definitely going to miss you, old man."
The matter didn't seem important enough to interrupt the festivities. The music played on, the dancing continued. As night fell, Jack extinguished the charcoal grill and brought in a crate of "room temperature" beer from outside, drawing cheers from the group.
"I have to admit, I'm starting to like you two Los Angeles folks. I've heard it's sunny there all year round, no snow ever—sounds like heaven," Ronick muttered from a sofa, sounding drowsy and full.
John, holding a bottle of "room temperature" beer and swirling it gently to melt the ice inside, smiled and replied, "That's Hawaii you're thinking of. Jack just got back from there. Winters in L.A. can be chilly, especially after it rains—but yeah, it's way better than Detroit."
"Maybe I'll start my retirement in Los Angeles, then head to Florida. When I get tired of beaches and sunshine, I'll come back north," Jasper said, catching his breath after dancing two songs, now savoring a glass of that supposedly 30-year-old Irish whiskey from the evidence locker.
"Was Hawaii fun?" Alice asked Jack curiously.
Jack subconsciously touched his waist—the bullet hole he'd patched up before leaving L.A. had long since healed.
"It was alright. A girl like you would be very popular there—especially in a bikini on the beach."
"Then my New Year's resolution is to vacation in Hawaii next year. I swear I'll quit smoking and stop falling for bad boys—just one normal relationship, that's all I ask."
But no sooner had she spoken than Alice pulled out a slim pack of women's cigarettes, lit one up, and offered one to Alexis.
Alexis rolled her eyes. "Didn't you just say you were quitting?"
"I did. But it's not midnight yet. I've got half a pack left—what a waste if I didn't finish them," Alice said, completely unapologetic.
"Guess we should be grateful there aren't any bad boys here," Alexis said pointedly, sneaking a glance at Jack, and the two women suddenly broke into giggles.
Alcohol really was magical sometimes. Everyone was tipsy, even if they weren't drunk. The tension between Alexis and Ronick had noticeably eased—at least for the moment.
But the peace didn't last. A crackling sound came from the radio, followed by a call. Jasper answered it and, after a brief exchange, turned to the young sheriff with a complicated expression.
"What's going on?" Ronick asked as he pulled himself from the sofa and walked over to take the radio—but the call had already ended.
"That bastard Bishop is being brought here. The command center says the highway is closed due to the blizzard, and the prisoner transport bus is coming to spend the night at our station."
Jasper didn't notice Ronick's face darken instantly and kept talking, "I'll be damned if I don't give that cop killer a piece of my mind."
Jack glanced at John, sighing silently. He knew tagging along with this guy would bring trouble—and here it was.
John looked right back at him, eyes wide, clearly thinking the same thing.
—
A blue-and-white prison transport bus with yellow stripes appeared in the snowstorm, moving slowly and cautiously.
Even so, the bus skidded a bit when it finally stopped—enough to make everyone uneasy.
Jasper opened the door, only to catch a mouthful of snow, then turned to Ronick with a wry smile. "So what do you think of this New Year's gift?"
"Not great," Ronick muttered, trudging outside into the freezing wind. Jack and John followed to help hold the door. Alice ducked out from under their arms to get a closer look.
"What are you doing out here?" Ronick shouted at her. The wind howled so loudly that even standing face to face, it was hard to hear.
"I just wanted to see him. I've heard so much about Bishop over the years—I want to see him with my own eyes," Alice said, hugging herself as she shivered but still stood her ground.
"I thought you said you swore off bad boys? Get inside, there's nothing worth seeing," Ronick scolded.
"There's still almost three hours until midnight, boss," Alice shot back with a cheeky grin.
The bus door opened. A Black officer in a state trooper uniform stepped out, pulling his cap down low against the wind, and walked toward Ronick. "You must be Sheriff Ronick. Good to meet you."
"No offense, officer, but I'm really not comfortable with this. The 13th Precinct is shutting down, we're short-staffed. Couldn't you have gone to a proper detention center?"
The officer clearly expected this response—there was a violent criminal on board. If it weren't absolutely necessary, he wouldn't have chosen to spend the night in a station about to be shut down.
"The roads are closed because of the blizzard. Command says this is our only option for the night. If you've got a problem with that, take it up with them."
Seeing that the conversation was heating up, Jasper quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. "Come on, Sheriff, it's not like you're gonna throw them back into the snow in this weather.
They just need a room with bars—we won't be doing any of the guarding. They'll handle it themselves. No problem."
"Fine, fine. But they're your responsibility. Neither I nor my team is getting involved in this mess," Ronick said reluctantly, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Jasper clapped him on the shoulder with a laugh and turned to the trooper. "Bring 'em down. Let's get everyone inside."
______
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