Men in Blue Pt. 02

Georgie long blonde hair was left loose and she had on the barest minimum of make-up.

Rayanne almost squealed when Georgie knocked on the door.

"Hi, oh don't you look so cute? I just love that rose top!" Georgie enthused as Rayanne stepped out of her apartment.

"Thank you, wow, you look beautiful," Rayanne returned the compliment.

The five minute drive to Jade Gardens was spent with Rayanne telling Georgie about college and how wonderful Mr. Gordon and Miss Kelly and Miss Mendelson were.

It was a maternal and a child instinct; when they arrived at the Chinese restaurant, Georgie took Rayanne's hand and Rayanne let Georgie take her hand. They were seated immediately at a table for two. Georgie almost made Rayanne swoon when she moved her plate setting so that she was seated to Rayanne's left instead of across from her.

"What you drink, huh?" the Asian girl demanded, almost surly.

"Ooh, you got Dr. Pepper?" Rayanne asked.

"Unsweet iced tea for me, please," Georgie smiled.

"I don't know what to get," Rayanne admitted, never having seen many of the dishes described in the quite thick menu.

"Stay away from their seafood," Georgie advised. "I don't even get the shrimp toast here."

With Georgie's help, Rayanne decided on the sweet and sour pork and agreed to split an order of egg rolls with her.

"Mmm, oh, you got to try this," Georgie said, as she ate her cashew chicken.

She used her chopsticks to grasp a morsel, then softly touched Rayanne's face and guided the food to Rayanne's mouth.

They dawdled over the mango sticky rice. Georgie confessed that she was the mother of two adorable, loving children, confessed that she and her husband were separated and she would most certainly be seeking a divorce. Georgie did not tell Rayanne she was gay. Georgie also did not disclose that she was a cop.

Rayanne told her of her upbringing in the Waters Street Projects of Elgee. She said she had a twin sister that lived there (Rayanne did not know of Deechard's passing, of her niece being in the custody of CPS) Rayanne did not tell Georgie about Tara, did not tell Georgie that she was gay.

"Oh? What's your sister's name? I got some friends out there; they probably know her," Georgie said.

"Deechard Williams; can't miss her, she a big girl wear her hair all in dreadlocks," Rayanne said.

"Come on," Georgie finally said after the waitress sullenly asked if there was anything else they wanted.

Again, she took Rayanne's hand, but it was not a matronly gesture, it was a gesture of friendship.

"I uh, I don't have any Dr. Pepper in my apartment but uh, you want a beer or something?" Georgie asked as they climbed the steps to the second floor of their building.

"I get one from my apartment and bring it on over," Rayanne smiled and dashed to her apartment.

"It's open," Georgie called out when Rayanne knocked on the door.

"Here, I got one for now, and I'm leave one here I ever stop by," Rayanne said and handed one of the cans of Dr. Pepper to Georgie.

"Well, I certainly do hope you'll come over again and I promise, I'll buy a big old bottle of it, just for you," Georgie smiled, putting the can into the refrigerator.

She popped the top of her can of beer and urged Rayanne to sit on the couch. Rayanne saw that Georgie used a coaster to put her can on and so did likewise

"That really is a pretty top," Georgie said.

Rayanne told her where she'd bought it and indicated her stockings.

"You said you go to the gym?" Rayanne asked, sipping her Dr. Pepper.

In her sweater, Georgie looked slightly plump to Rayanne, but Rayanne remembered, Georgie had two children. Anyone would be a little chubby after having two children.

"Yeah, I was doing it to lose the baby fat, but then just kind of kept going?" Georgie said. "Kind of went from just wanting to lose a few inches around my tummy to wanting those six pack abs you see those athletes with, you know?"

"Well, you keep it up, I bet you get there," Rayanne encouraged, then looked confused as Georgie giggled.

"Oh, you are just so sweet!" Georgie said and kissed Rayanne directly on her lips.

She stood up, wiggled out of her skirt, and then yanked the black sweater off over her head.

"Ah!" Rayanne gasped at the muscular beauty that stood in front of her, nude except for stockings and tiny panties.

Georgie flexed and posed and Rayanne stared in open-mouthed aw.

"Can I..." Rayanne asked, getting to her feet as Georgie showed her how muscular her back was.

Georgie shivered as she felt Rayanne lightly touch her, lightly trace her muscles. She turned around and Rayanne lightly touched her face, then her neck and shoulders.

"Oh my God; you are just so beautiful," Rayanne breathed as she felt Georgie's bulging biceps.

"Oh, don't," Georgie whined as Rayanne's fingers reached the waistband of her panties.

"Why not?" Rayanne wondered aloud.

"I don't want you to see how wet I am," Georgie admitted, blushing hotly.

"Oh," Rayanne sighed then leaned close to Georgie.

"I'm wet too," she whispered.

"Look we uh, listen, I just left my, I mean, Rayanne, I'm gay, all right? I'm gay," Georgie stammered, grasping Rayanne's soft hands.

"You, you're gay?" Rayanne asked, disbelieving.

"Oh, God, now I guess that's it, huh?" Georgie said, dropping Rayanne's hands. "Huh? Guess you just don't want..."

"Oh, God!" Rayanne laughed and flung her arms around Georgie.

She kissed Georgie's lips hard.

"I'm gay too," Rayanne laughed.

Georgie very easily picked up the black girl, lay down on the couch and lightly, softly stroked the girl's face, hair, and back, while softly sucking kisses from Rayanne's full lips.

But every time Rayanne tried to peel Georgie's panties down, Georgie would stop her.

"Baby, I want to, oh God I want to," she whispered into Rayanne's ear, then lightly sucked the ear lobe into her mouth.

"But Baby, I just left my husband. I mean, just left him. It hasn't even been a week," Georgie said, staring into Rayanne's soft brown eyes. "Can you understand? I just, it just wouldn't be right. Not right now."

"But I been waiting all my life for you!" Rayanne whined, playing with Georgie's nipples and small breasts.

"Listen, my next night off, I mean, I'm getting my kids this weekend, oh I want you to meet them, okay? But my next night off is Monday, okay?" Georgie asked and kissed the girl again. "Why don't you..."

Georgie rolled over on top of Rayanne, pressing her panty covered mound against Rayanne's crotch through Rayanne's skirt.

"...come over, I'll make us some spaghetti, you like spaghetti? I make this killer meatball and then we'll..." Georgie whispered, kissing Rayanne softly.

"Okay," Rayanne agreed.

"Oh I am so happy I met you," Georgie whispered and sucked another kiss from Rayanne.

Rayanne finally wobbled home on shaky legs. She then availed herself of the 'surprise' the lingerie company had packed for her.

In her own apartment, Georgie, having no such 'surprise,' had to make do with her fingers.

In the morning, Ronnie again struggled to get his children ready, then himself ready, but once again, was twenty minutes late getting into the office.

"Mr. Edwards, my office please," Elizabeth asked flatly.

And thirty minutes later, Ronnie Edwards was cleaning out his desk; having quit.

"Please stop by my office on your way out to sign a few papers," Elizabeth asked.

"Mr. Edwards, I'm willing to forget that you quit," Elizabeth tossed out the life line. "We'll let you take a one week vacation; I mean, you already used up your vacation time so it would be an unpaid vacation."

But Ronnie was not interested in any woman's life line; it truly rankled him that any woman would be his superior. Elizabeth Coutre, Georgette Sanders Edwards, his mother, or his sister.

"Very well," Elizabeth sighed.

In his home, Jase cracked one crusty eye open and looked at Ting Chu in the harsh morning light.

She still had on the heavy make-up of a dancer and it did not cover the wrinkles or the sag in her fleshy face. She said she was twenty four years old, but in the morning light, the woman looked forty four or fifty four years old.

"Fuck," Jase groaned and rolled over, then almost screamed; it was his bad shoulder.

"You all right? I get you..." Ting Chu asked softly.

"Fuck, get away from me," Jase snarled, head hurting from all the beers he'd drank the night before, the pain in his shoulder, and withdrawal from the pain relievers he was popping like Skittles.

Ting Chu silently got out of bed and locked herself in the bathroom; her feelings deeply hurt.

While Jase was trying to find something to kill the throbbing pain in his shoulder and his head, Philip Thompson was not so quietly grumbling about being saddled with the rookie trainee, Greg Penner. He hated to admit it, but part of what he hated about patrolling in the cruiser had to wear the dark blue uniform.

The uniform was a size 42R and if truth be known, Philip had allowed himself to increase to a size 46R.

"Man, there's this place in DeGarde, Sweet Pea's? Ever eat here?" Greg asked as he drove. "I swear , best soul food I ever..."

"What?" Philip barked, outraged.

"Sweet Pea's," Greg repeated.

"What? You cracker ass mother fucker; just because I'm black you think I..." Philip screamed, almost reaching for his service revolver.

"Color of your skin ain't got shit do with it," Greg said, stopping the car. "I ate there last night and I'm white."

"Better just bring us on back to the station. Right fucking now," Philip snarled. "And you best believe I'm having me a little talk with Captain Paice. I ever eat at... Mother fucker, that's racist!"

Greg shook his head but did turn the car around.

At the station, Philip sucked in his gut as much as possible and marched into Captain Gene Paice's office. Gene held up a hand, pointed to a seat, and got the Union Steward, Sergeant James Collins into the office, following procedure to the letter. The last thing Gene wanted was any hint of impropriety to come back on him.

Philip again launched into his complaint. Gene looked at him impassively, then looked at a slightly bemused James.

"So, Officer Thompson, have you ever eaten there?" Gene finally asked. "I have. Mondays they have the absolutely best red beans and rice anywhere. Last night was Thursday? Oh my God, the smothered pork chops, holy shit that's good."

"Saturdays is stuffed bell peppers. Tonight's fish; my wife's allergic to fish so we don't go no Fridays," Sergeant James Collins said as he stood up.

He looked at a stunned Philip Thompson and shook his head.

"Really? You got me in here? For this?" he sneered. "Oh, and by the way, my wife is black. She would laugh in your face for saying that's a racist statement."

"Why don't you go on home and cool off, Thompson," Gene said. "I'll send Penner out with Jackson. That'll be all. Thank you."

Chapter 8

The heavy make-up looked hideous when she looked in the mirror. Even knowing it was make-up, Georgie winced when she saw the purple-blue rim around her eye and the bruise on her cheek. She looked like the battered wife of a meth head.

The tiny scabs on her face made her look like she too was a meth head.

She smiled as she thought of Rayanne. Just as she was getting ready to go into the station for her make-up and her instructions for the night, she spotted Rayanne approaching. She grabbed the girl and pulled her into the apartment.

"No, no, help!" Rayanne giggled happily.

"Got to go to work," Georgie said, hugging the girl tightly. "Give me a kiss, hold me over 'til I see you again?"

Rayanne did and Georgie softly sucked on the girl's tongue. Then with a soft squeeze to Rayanne's tight bottom, Georgie opened the door and both walked out into the afternoon sunlight.

"Bye," Georgie called out to the breathless Rayanne.

Again, Georgie parked the Mercury a few blocks away and walked over to where the girls were standing around.

"Hey where was, oh shit, ooh girl, your old man done that?" Whitney asked and Georgie ducked her head in shame.

"Any mother fucker do that to me, I light his ass up, feel me?" one of the African-American girls said angrily.

"It's all right," Georgie mumbled and spit out what looked like a cracked tooth.

(In actuality, it was just a piece of plastic; Georgie was glad to finally be able to spit it out. She'd been afraid she was going to swallow it before the prostitutes had the chance to see her spit it out.)

Georgie was saddened to hear about Deechard Williams' murder and wondered how to break the news to her friend.

"Yeah, girl up and tell Jewels he ain't her man and me and Roseanne? I mean, we sitting there, and next thing I know, I see your girl go flying right by the window and I'm all like 'ooh, girl, now you know Jewels don't play that shit,'" Whitney said.

"My friend? She said Deechard her a baby?" Georgie asked.

"Yeah, Charisse, itty bitty thing, like she ain't getting no food; I ain't seen her," Whitney shrugged.

Georgie offered up a prayer that the baby would still be alive.

They watched Dan Ragliani, Popeye go into the building across the street, then watched him leave again, carrying a guitar case. Roughly an hour later, Philip Thompson, Boom Boy pulled up and went into the building, carrying a guitar case with him.

Throughout the night, young men would enter the building, then leave and set up shop on the corners.

"And here's Jewels; ooh, he ain't happy," Roseanne mumbled as Jase approached on foot.

"Bye," Georgie mumbled and tried to sidle away.

"What I tell you, huh?" Jase snarled at the interloper.

He grabbed her and shoved her against the building.

Georgie had all she could take of the man's bullying. She could tell from the way he carried his right arm that he'd had an injury to his right shoulder and that's where she swung her left hand.

"Told you, it's a hundred use my..." Jase said and suddenly had trouble thinking, so severe was his pain.

Georgie pressed the button on her car key fob, summoning the St. Ann Parish Police Department.

"Huh?" Georgie screamed at the stunned Jase, who was struggling to get his breath. "Huh mother fucker? Want to hit me again?"

She punched Jase in the face and he toppled over backward. His head actually bounced on the sidewalk, then he lay still.

"Hey! Hey bitch! That's my boy!" Philip screamed, outraged.

Inside, Philip was secretly glad he'd have a good reason to beat on a white person, beat on her until she just didn't move no more, then he'd put a bullet between her eyes.

He walked up to Georgie, already swinging a beefy mitt at her already quite battered face. She blocked the punch with her left hand and brought her right foot up and into his testicles, then hit him squarely in the face with a right jab, snapping his head back.

He staggered backward, doubled over in agony, then his rage erupted and Philip pulled out one of his many unregistered pistols.

"Drop it, Officer Georgie Sanders, DeGarde PD," Georgie ordered, her .38 resting squarely between his eyes.

Suddenly the night sky erupted in screaming sirens and flashing lights and squealing tires.

"DeGarde? Bitch, you ain't got no business here!" an outraged Philip Thompson screamed, debating on whether or not to bring his pistol up and shoot the white bitch anyway.

"Yo, yo, yo, Boom Boy, drop it before I drop you," Georgie ordered.

"Ooh, Cruz is going to have one bitch of a headache when he wakes up," Gene Paice laughed as he walked up behind Philip. "Better drop it, Thompson. Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six, huh?"

Philip let the pistol fall to the ground. Suddenly, the cell phone in his pocket chimed.

"Oh, I'll get that," Gene said and dug Philip's phone out.

"Yeah?" he barked.

"Yo, Philip, what the fuck, huh? All I hear on the radio is Waters is all lit up," Dan barked.

"Yo! Ugly Annie, how you doing? Oops, sorry, I mean, Ragliani," Gene cheerfully said while Officer Greg Penner read Philip Thompson his rights.

"What? Ugly, who the fuck is this?" Dan snarled.

"Me? Oh, this is your Captain, Captain Eugene Paice," Gene said, laughing. "Yeah, a woman in blue done busted the Men in Blue, huh? How about that? By the way, where are you? Oh, never mind, you're at home, aren't you?"

Gene walked to his own patrol car.

"So, do me a favor, just stay right where you are, okay? I got Cruz on his way to St. Elizabeth and Thompson's in the back of Penner's car, singing like a bird. I want to come take you in myself, okay? Now don't do anything stupid like eat your service revolver before I get there, huh?" Gene laughed into the telephone.

Dan hung up and screamed in outrage. A quick look around the kitchen and Dan realized, he'd have absolutely no time at all to clean up the evidence. There was a half of a shoebox of heroin on the table, a gallon sized plastic zip bag of meth, in the living room on his leather couch was a duffel bag full of money. His guest bedroom had more money in the large dresser. In his bedroom were several weapons he'd acquired by killing the previous owners.

His garage floor had several spots of blood from their victims and the carpet in his living room and his den had some blood imbedded in the fibers.

So Dan Ragliani did exactly what Gene had told him not to do. He pulled out his service revolver, put the gun in his mouth and closed one eye then pulled the trigger.

Jase Cruz came to in the rear of an ambulance and saw Sergeant James Collins sitting in the back with him.

"What the fuck? Aw fuck, I get shot again?" Jase asked the fellow officer.

"Bet it feels like it; man did that girl put a hurting on you!" James chuckled.

Jase tried to touch his right shoulder and noticed that his left hand was handcuffed to the gurney he lay on.

"But now you awake, I'm going to read you your rights, Jason Cruz," Sergeant Collins said.

"Oh," Jase pretended to lose consciousness and then screamed out loud when James pushed his right shoulder.

"Bull fucking shit, Cruz," the man said, face hard.

"Everything all right back there?" one of the paramedics asked.

"Peachy keen," James said and lightly laid his hand on Jase's shoulder as he read Jase his rights.

On Waters Street, the street was still garishly lighted by the flashing lights.

"So all this time you was a cop?" one of the African-American girls asked as the cars pulled away.

Georgie smiled softly, the girl did not return her smile.

"No, I AM a cop, Officer Georgie Sanders, DeGarde Police," Georgie said.

"And you been doing meth?" Whitney asked.

"No, no, never touched the stuff," Georgie confessed.

"So you was just narcing on us," another African-American woman said flatly.

"Narcing on y'all? No, y'all in the back of any of them cars?" Georgie asked. "No, I was narcing on the Men in Blue."

She looked around at the unfriendly faces of the girls.

"I'm a cop. I'm a damned good cop. The Men in Blue? Those weren't cops. They may have said they were, they may have had badges like they were, but they weren't real cops," Georgie said, squaring her shoulders.

"Uh huh, a cop is a cop is a cop, that's all I got to say," the surliest of the African-American women spat on the ground, very close to Georgie's shoes, then walked away.

Georgie watched the other girls walk away and felt an emptiness inside.

First she drove to the St. Ann's Police Department, spoke briefly with Captain Gene Paice, who again offered Georgie a position with his force.

Then she drove to the DeGarde Police Department, spent the next two hours doing paperwork, and gratefully picked up the keys for her minivan.

"So when you get the kids?" Sheriff Bob Chastaine asked.

"Oh my God, in two hours; Ronnie promised to have them bathed and ready," Georgie said, looking at the cheap wrist watch that was part of her outfit.