“That’s wonderful! Twinkie, did you have a good time?”
“Yeah, I really did. It’s a fun place to work,” Jennifer said. “Hey, Jeff? Monica and I are going to the movies. Would you like to come with us?”
“To the cinema?”
“No, silly. To the movies!”
“Oh, thank you very much, both of you. But I think I’ll take a rain check, if that’s okay? You two should go and celebrate, have a good time.”
Jennifer and Monica disappeared into Jennifer’s room to get out of their Dave’s clothes and came out twenty minutes later. Jennifer was wearing a different pair of jeans and another shirt, while Monica was wearing one of Jennifer’s black AC/DC t-shirts. Both were no longer wearing their Dave’s baseball caps and had their hair combed out. “Okay, we’re going. I should be home around eleven or twelve,” Jennifer said.
“Alright, please be careful driving out there, the leaves on the roads are wet and slippery. Have a good time,” Jeff said. Genghis produced a much better bark as the two girls went out the front door and down the side stairs to Monica’s Camry.
Monica dropped Jennifer back off at 12:45. After the movie, they had gone shopping at Walmart. Jennifer entered the apartment with a plastic shopping bag and an artificial Christmas tree in a large box. She pulled the fully assembled tree out and attached it to the stand. Then, Jeff and Genghis helped her unfold and fluff the branches of the four foot tree. It came already pre-wired with tiny colorful lights. They set it up in the corner of the living room and started putting ornaments on it that Jennifer also purchased.
Jennifer thought back while trimming the tree and couldn’t remember a Christmas where she wanted to celebrate the season. When she was a very little girl her mother and she used to decorate the tree all the time together. And on Christmas morning she would roll out of bed early and run to see all the presents under the tree. Her mother would be waiting for her, sitting in that old wing-back chair with camera in hand. But then her mother met and married Doug, and as Jennifer got older, less presents were given. Then, her mother and stepfather got more involved with drugs and booze, and the decoration of Christmas trees and presents stopped altogether. Christmas mornings became just another day. On several occasions she would wake up on Christmas morning to an empty house, just her and her little dog. She remembered one particular morning waking to find her mother and stepfather passed out in the car after a Christmas Eve party. She physically had to drag them into the trailer. She was thirteen.
They finished off their new Christmas tree with shiny tinsel, then Jennifer turned off the apartment lights and plugged in the tree.
“Wow, Twink! This is nice,” Genghis said, colorful lights reflecting in his eyes.
“Yes, Twinkie.” Jeff had a silly grin on his face. “Just like a real human family.”
“And that’s not all,” Jennifer said, as she reached into the plastic shopping bag and pulled out two movies on DVD. They made coffee and popped popcorn, then settled onto the couch and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas,followed by It’s a Wonderful Life.
Chapter Sixty-One
Dawson DeLaRue walked into the fourth floor break room of the Westberry Police Department and found Frank McVie sitting at a small round table unwrapping a sandwich from a brown paper bag. He glanced up as the Lieutenant entered.
“Hey, Lieutenant,” Frank said, taking a bite.
DeLaRue walked over to the coffee maker with his cup and pushed down on the red dispenser, filling his cup with hot water. “Hi Frank, brown bagging it today?” Dawson turned and leaned against the counter to face him while submerging a tea bag into his cup.
“Yeah, I just didn’t feel like having a greasy burger today.”
“Eating that shit everyday will kill you, yah know.” Just then, another police detective walked into the break room.
“Well, I’ll be a son of a bitch!” Frank responded, while getting up, “Eugene, how yah doing?” He extended his hand. “What are you doing out here?”
“Frank! Long time,” he said, taking Frank's hand. “I’m doing okay. I stopped by to pick up a case file. How’s Mary? Still a dispatcher?”
“Yup, she sure is. About to get ready to retire in another six months. Eugene,” Frank turned toward Dawson, “This is my boss, Lieutenant Dawson DeLaRue. LT, this is Eugene Mitchell. He and I worked Narcotics together before I switched over to Homicide.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of you, but not had the pleasure.” The two men shook hands. “I read about the commendation you received a couple of months ago for that drug ring you busted.”
“Oh, thank you, Lieutenant, but it wasn’t just me. I have a good group of guys and gals working with me. And besides, it was more luck than anything else.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Frank said.
“Yeah, well, wish I could get that lucky with this new shit that’s on the street.” Mitchell pulled a Styrofoam cup from a tall stack of cups.
Dawson took a sip of his tea. “New shit?”
Mitchell reached for the coffee. “Yeah, it’s something that hit about six, eight months ago. Its street name is Dragon's Breath, and it's really addictive. One hit and you're hooked and incredibly easy to OD on.” He poured himself some coffee, then replaced the coffee pot back into the coffee maker. “The OD count is up to nine. It’s something the lab is trying to break down, but they can’t figure it out. Strange stuff!”
“Well, if there is anything I can do for you,” Frank said, “let me know. It’ll be like old times.”
“Yeah same here,” DeLaRue added. “If there’s anything my department can do for you don’t hesitate.”
“Thank you Lieutenant,
