Jesse said. “Mostly we give out
parking tickets.”
He noticed that Brianna had put her hand on her husband’s thigh.
Neither of them had eaten much of their sandwiches.
“It must make everything very intense,”
Tony
said.
“I always wondered what it was like for the shooter,” Jesse
said. “That might be intense.”
“Exercising the ultimate human power,”
Tony said.
“If the shooter thinks about that kind of stuff,” Jesse
said.
“Do you think they do?”
Again Jesse shrugged.
“I’m just a small-town cop,”
Jesse said. “Mostly we give out
parking tickets.”
“I read somewhere that you came here from Los Angeles,” Tony
said.
His wife’s hand was still resting on his thigh. He had covered
it with his hand as they talked.
“Everybody has to come from someplace,”
Jesse
said.
“I think you are being modest,” Brianna said. “I think you might
know a lot about being a policeman.”
Jesse grinned at them.
“I’ve got a lot to be modest
about,” he said.
Tony gestured to the waiter for the check.
“You are a very interesting man,” Tony said.
“You certainly are,” Brianna said.
“I hope you haven’t minded us
asking you all these dumb questions.”
“Not at all,” Jesse said. “I
wish more citizens were as
interested in the police department.”
“Well, I don’t know why they’re
not,” Tony said.
He stood and put out his hand.
“I know you must be pressed for time.”
“A little,” Jesse said.
“Go ahead,” Tony said.
“I’ve got the check.”
“Thanks,” Jesse said.
“It’s been a nice break to talk with you.”
“Oh, how nice,” Brianna said.
“We must do it again
soon.”
Jesse stood, shook Tony’s hand, and
