Title: Rookie Mistakes
Prompt:
writerverse challenge #03 march mini table of doom, prompt #06 ‘promise’
Word Count: 312
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original (
Zeke Jones ‘verse)
Summary: Zeke had learned a lot since joining the police force.
Note(s): originally posted to the
writerverse wv_library Rookie Mistakes
“Why are you always so nice to me when I make mistakes?” I asked, as Howell sat next to me on the bench where new arestees were usually handcuffed, his big hand warm on my shoulder.
“You make plenty of mistakes,” he said, “and I’m hardly ever nice to you.”
“Sir…”
“I was a rookie once, too, you know,” said Howell. “Granted, a lot of the rules were different- or didn’t exist- back in my day, but there are some things about being a cop that haven’t changed since we were invented. Like, never promising a victim’s family that we’ll solve the case.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, rubbing absently at the bruise where Vanessa Galloway (sister to Jeffrey, murdered my first month on the job, killer or killers unknown) had punched me. She had a pretty good arm, for a twelve-year-old.
Howell and I had been the first on the scene, keeping people back until the detectives and the CSU teams could arrive, and we were the ones sent to notify the victim’s family. Howell had been surprisingly gentle- surprising only because I hadn’t known him that long, then, having just been assigned as his trainee- but not much could soften the blow of losing a son and brother.
I’d promised Vanessa that we’d find out who had done it, and today I’d had to tell her that the case was being moved to the cold case files. The fact that I hadn’t forgotten it, that the case wasn’t closed, just pushed to the police’s back burner, wasn’t much comfort, and a slug in the shoulder was the least I deserved.
Howell stood and offered me a hand. “I’m not nice to you,” he repeated. “And some things aren’t mistakes, they’re life lessons. C’mon, rookie, I’ll buy you breakfast.”
I smiled and grabbed my sunhat, then followed my partner out into the dawn.
THE END
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