Page 24 of Espresso Your Love
A female dispatch voice comes over the radio. “Unit 3, we’ve got a call from Ms. Patterson at 258 Maplewood St. She’sreporting that some lawn ornaments are missing—specifically, some garden gnomes. Nonurgent, but check it out.”
“Dispatch, this is Unit 3. We are in route. Copy,” Mitchell responds then turns to me. “Probably teenagers bored and playing pranks. We’ve had some things similar.”
“Let’s find out.”
Ms. Patterson fills us in on her missing lawn ornaments when we arrive. We reassure her we’ll find Glenn, Ben, and Ken—yes, she named them, and no, I’m not making this up. We’re now driving around the neighborhood in hopes we find kids running around or her missing gnomes.
“Look there, is that one?” I ask as Mitchell slows the cruiser to a stop.
“It’s got a green hat like she said.”
I grab the gnome and put it in the car. “Does this look like a Glenn, Ben, or Ken to you?”
“I’ll bet it’s Ken.”
Some of the calls I’ve been on so far seem silly and insignificant, but it’s a breath of fresh air. I like this slower pace of everyday life. Being an officer in the city meant putting my life on the line every day and never knowing what I was walking into. The stakes were high every call of every shift. Each time I put on my uniform, I’m still doing the same thing—I will risk my life for my community, but it is different here. And it’s been exactly what I needed after my last security detail.
I shudder as the events of that day run through my mind. Too many people’s lives were on the line, and I can’t let this Autumn Festival be a repeat. It’s why I’ve gone over the plan a million times. I’ve talked it through with Mitchell; I even went to Chief and told him my plans. I need to make sure this is a safe event for the town, for its people, for Cassie. This event will go off without a hitch—for her sake and mine.
“Found another one.” Mitchell pulls over and grabs this one. “I’m guessing Glenn on this one.”
“He looks like a Ben to me.”
“I’ll bet you a coffee tomorrow morning that it’s Glenn.” Mitchell grins, placing it in the back with Ken.
“You’re on.” We shake on it then Mitchell pulls away.
We drive by the town park and see a group of teenagers walking by, gnome-less. We stop to give them a gentle interrogation about the gnomes to see if they know anything. If they did, they were probably just trying to have harmless fun. While I don’t encourage stealing someone else’s property, it’s not the worst they could be doing.
One starts to look extremely guilty. No one fessed up, but they point us to the third gnome. We give them a reminder about respecting others and their property then drive back to Ms. Patterson’s house.
“I knew you boys would find them!” she exclaims as we put them in her yard.
“Can you put Glenn by that pot?” She points to her flower bed.
“Yes, ma’am,” Mitchell says to her then whispers to me. “Coffee’s on you tomorrow, Hayes.”
She thanks us profusely and sends us away with a box of freshly baked cookies.
“Does everyone give baked goods as a thank you in this town?” I ask.
“The charm of small-town living, my friend.” He slaps me on the shoulder and walks around the cruiser to get in.
I grab two cookies out of the box and hand one to Mitchell.
“I can get used to it.”
We get back to the station to fill out paperwork on Operation Garden Gnome Rescue. After that gruesome torture, it’s time to head home and feed Max. There’s a town meeting tonight, my first one since I’ve been here, and I’m truly curious how thesethings work. Is it really like the movies and television shows make them out to be?
I change out of my uniform and get Max his dinner.
“Be a good boy. I’ll be back soon.” I scratch his head and walk out the door.
Leaving Max feels like leaving my wallet at home. Maybe that’s not a good analogy since I left my wallet at Coffee Loft pretty easily. But it feels weird like I’m missing a limb. He’s always with me, from home to work.
I lock the door and head down my steps when I see her. She’s her polished self again, no dressed-up-dog pajamas in sight. Her blonde curls are loose but tame, flowing down her shoulders on her purple coat.
“Hey, neighbor.” I give her a soft smile, not too eager, even though my heart feels like it will burst at any moment.
