Josie had two moving violation citations and one parking ticket under her belt. Bender was right. If you watched for them, it was easy to spot driving infractions.
She typed into the computer the disposition of their traffic stop, but before she pressed the ‘send’ button, her partner stilled her hand.
“I’m hungry. Let’s request Code 7.”
“Sounds good.”
“Wanna go to the deli in the supermarket? We can get hot chicken and have our choice of salads. We’ll take it back to the station and eat.”
“That works for me,” she said with a grin.
After they’d picked up lunch, she thought it might be the right time to ask him about Lieutenant Mancuso’s officer-involved shooting.
She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake and wouldn’t come off as a gossip. But Bender was treating her more like a partner each time they worked together, and the question seemed relevant to the job.
“The other day, someone mentioned a shooting involving the lieutenant. I must have heard it wrong because I thought they said he killed his sister.”
He grimaced. “Your hearing is fine. He was on probation working morning watch. Apparently, he was pretty salty and kept running his mouth that he was hoping to get into a shootout. It was early morning, 0300 hours or so, and he and his partner got into a pursuit of a stolen vehicle.
“The suspect vehicle hit a pole, which dumped a dead body out of the trunk. When the suspects were cornered in a cul-de-sac, they both bailed out of the car. The driver was a female with a cell phone in her hand.
“Mancuso mistook the glint of her phone cover as a gun and shot her—killing her. When he went up to the vehicle, he saw it was his sister.”
“You’re kidding,” she whispered.
“Nope.”
“How awful. What was up with the body that fell from the trunk?”
“You know how they say that truth is stranger than fiction?”
She nodded.
“There was some dude who was knocking off whores and dumping them in the Hollywood Hills. Mancuso’s sister and boyfriend lifted the murderer’s ride, not knowing there was a dead whore in the trunk.”
Josie hesitated. “The lieutenant killed an unarmed woman while he was on probation and still kept his job?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know how he did it. But rumor has it, he promised the chief that he’d speak to every graduating class before they hit the streets—telling his story.” He looked over at her as they pulled into the station parking lot. “But if you weren’t told about the incident in the academy, I guess he’s not doing it anymore.”
“I’m positive he didn’t address our class because that’s not something I’d soon forget.”
“As much as he’d like to, I’m sure it’s an experience he hasn’t forgotten, either.”