The next few weeks went fairly quietly with no major problems. Molly continued her work at the school and teaching the students there. And from what she told me, they all seemed to be recovering well from the trauma that Bill Williams had put them through. I continued my work with the police, and things seemed to move on from Bill William's rampage. The school bought new cabinets to replace the ones that had been shot up, and small patches were placed over the spots where the shot went through the wall. Molly also told me that there were plans to truly replace and or repair the damage done, but that couldn't be done until the summer so work crews wouldn't be disrupting the students.
And the station began its own "rebuilding" process. Work crews had given Officer Howard their estimates on the cost of repairing/replacing what the car bomb had destroyed. He didn't like the cost of the work that would have to be done, but then no one does. And the workmen were slowly beginning to put our front office back together. As they began their work, Officer Barnes and I were called in to Officer Howard's office on other "getting back to work" related issues.
"Is something wrong, sir?" Officer Barnes asked after a moment when we first entered the office.
"No, nothing wrong... at least not really," Officer Howard sighed, "Still a little POed that the government felt it important to tread all over our jurisdiction and won't give me straight answers... but there is nothing that can be done about."
Officer Barnes and I nodded. I had personally wanted to get some answers as to who Robert Honorius was and what his "OSS" was really about. I tried a private web search of my own... the only results I got were on historical people named "Robert", a Roman Emperor who was known as Honorius, and the Office of Strategic Services, the ancestor of the CIA. With no information to find, figuring out that mystery, I accepted that trying to figure that all out would be nothing more then a dead end and gave up. Hopefully the CIA guys gave Honorius's family some adequate explanation as to why their relative was dead.
"What we're dealing with here is more putting things back together after Williams' attack," Officer Howard sighed.
"We can do whatever you need, sir," Officer Barnes spoke. I nodded in agreement.
"Good to hear," Officer Howard nodded, "as you both know, Williams' van killed our DARE officer and the Dispatch officer."
Officer Barnes and I both nodded.
"Now, I'd like to hire replacements right away... but since most of the money that would be needed to pay them is going into rebuilding our front office and replacing the equipment damaged in the blast, and the rest is going into the benefits packages for the two officers that were killed," Officer Howard continued.
Officer Barnes and I nodded again, remembering the funeral for the two officers that were killed a few days before. Everyone said a few things. When they got to me, I got a little nervous, mostly as I didn't know them all that well. They'd been fairly friendly or at least tolerant toward me, but that was about it. I ended up admitting that they only thing that I could say was that they seemed to fair and open minded and that they did not deserve what happened to them. I wished I could have said something better then that.
"So, until next year when we can begin to negotiate our budget, we will be short handed," Officer Howard finished, "I have a small rotation of officers taking over the Dispatch duties... the next post that will need to be filled until next year is doing some of the DARE work... mostly dealing with any and all legal matters at the schools. Mostly with the High School and Middle School, though there are a couple of instances that will require you to be at the Elementary School."
"You're transferring us to the DARE program?" Officer Barnes asked.
"Not on a permanent basis," Officer Howard sighed, "you'd be there full time every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and you'd be on call on Tuesday and Thursday. And summer isn't to far away... and that would have you back on patrol duty full time... at least until next fall."
No one said anything for a moment.
"I know you won't like it, Officers Barnes, Wayne, but we don't have much choice," Officer Howard sighed, "we don't have the budget at the moment to afford a replacement DARE officer and rebuild and repair what Williams blew up."
"Of course, sir," I said slowly.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And so for the next few weeks, Officer Barnes and I largely did DARE work. We were responsible for dealing with potential drug and weapons violations that could occur. The thought of that happening was shocking to me, as I had figured that with Columbia Falls being a rural area, they wouldn't have those problems. And Officer Barnes did remind me that these things did occasionally happen. Not as frequent as in bigger cities, but that was more of an issue related to population density rather then the moral values of the society.
Settling into the DARE work took time during the days that Officer Barnes and I did it, and it also brought about more of the same concerns that Patten had started after the School Board Meeting in which Hireman wanted to fire Molly for being a target for lunatics.
The main incident occurred one Wednesday afternoon when I had gone to get a drink of water. As I approached the watering fountain, a flash of metal caught my eye. I glanced up to see a high school senior at his locker while taking a pocket knife to his backpack... or at least I assumed it was his backpack. I wasn't quite sure what his plan for it was, but according to the manual on what the DARE officers were to follow, the school followed a zero tolerance policy, which meant nothing that could be used as a weapon. I then slowly approached the teen.
"Excuse me, young man, but I am afraid I will have to ask you to come with me," I spoke calmly and as tactfully as I could manage.
"What?" the teen looked up.
"Your pocket knife," I spoke, "it's a zero tolerance violation."
"I was just tryin' to get these straps off my backpack, man," the teen answered, "they get caught in stuff."
I glanced down to see that he was holding the backpack upside down and had already cut one of the straps used to either tighten or loosen the shoulder straps, off.
"I ain't out to hurt nobody," the teen continued.
"I can see, that, but it is also something you should have done at home," I answered, "I can tell the office that you weren't causing any trouble with it... but the rules say I have to take you to them and hand the pocket knife in. You should get it back at the end of the day."
"Why they make stupid rules like this?" the teen wondered as he sighed and handed me the pocket knife while we walked along.
"To play it safe, I suppose," I explained, "suppose someone brings a knife in and uses it on a classmate... that sort of thing."
"I wasn't going to do anything like that," the teen told me.
"I'm sure, but that is what the people who make the rules are concerned about," I told him with a shrug, "and I thank you for cooperating with me."
"Don't want to get attacked, man," the teen answered.
"So long as you don't assault me, commit violent crime, or threaten my wife, you're in no danger from me," I answered.
By that time we arrived at the office. I approached the main secretary's desk and presented her with the pocket knife.
"Caught him performing some alterations to his backpack," I spoke as I handed the startled secretary the pocket knife, "he isn't a danger to anyone and he was only using it in a non-violent capacity... but by your zero tolerance policy, I've brought you the "weapon" and would ask not to go too hard on him."
"I see," the secretary answered, "Dylan, is this true?"
"Yes, ma'am," the teen, Dylan answered.
"I'm afraid you'll have take half an hour's detention after school," the secretary spoke, "in accordance with school policy and the officer's suggestion."
"Yes, ma'am," Dylan sighed.
"Run along now," the secretary answered, "Officer Wayne, a moment, please."
I paused and glanced back at her while Dylan left the office.
"Officer Wayne, it isn't my place to judge how you deal with violent criminals," the secretary spoke, "lord knows... according to the news you've had more then your share... but this is a high school. Outside of mandatory drug searches, we do not invade student's privacy."
"I didn't," I answered, "he was cutting his backpack straps out in the hallway."
"That's a load of BS and you know it," the secretary answered.
"Pardon?"
"You're nothing more then a bully with a badge," the secretary answered.
"I've never bullied anyone," I answered.
"That's not what Mr. Patten has seen," the secretary answered, "and he's been a very respectable man for years."
"For a R.A.M. defender," I grumbled.
"Actually, you're wrong there," the secretary answered, "if you hadn't been such an aggressive bully, he would have been your defender before all school related issues. He was never in R.A.M., not ever."
I let a slight growling sigh escape. Patten seemed to have friends in the other schools as well, not just the Elementary School. The revelation that he wasn't a former R.A.M. member was surprising, but then just about everything he had unleashed was a "shocker". I did my best to hold my temper, as it would not look good for me to blatantly argue with her... at least not here.
"He may not have been a R.A.M. member," I answered, "that does not change the fact that I caught "Dylan" red handed as it were in terms of violating your school's weapons policy."
"BS," the secretary answered, "you caught the scent of metal in his locker and bullied him into surrendering it to you."
"Your whole hallway smells like metal... and tile... and some hints of wax and floor cleaner," I answered her, "and as a tiger, I am of the cat family. While my sense of smell is better then yours, I couldn't tell the difference between the pocket knife's scent and the locker's scent. Dylan had it out in the open. It's why I also knew he wasn't threatening others with it."
"BS."
"I can prove it," I answered.
"BS."
"Just follow me," I sighed and turned to head out.
The secretary followed quietly while I lead her back to the DARE office where Officer Barnes was reviewing the various security camera images.
"Hey, George, you deal with the kid with the knife okay?" Officer Barnes asked.
"You know what he did?!" the secretary blurted from behind me, "why didn't you stop him?"
"Stop him?" Officer Barnes asked.
"She's certain I cornered the boy, ripped his locker open and took him in," I explained.
"You just walked past the locker," Officer Barnes answered.
"Mr. Patten has told her what he thinks of me and she's decided to agree with him," I answered.
"Ah..." Officer Barnes nodded and turned to face the secretary, "first off, madam, Joseph Patten is missing A LOT of information when it comes to my partner. He doesn't know his and Molly's past. I doubt he knows all the details of what R.A.M. did to get rid of both of them. And I doubt he even knows about what went on the cases my partner and I were involved in."
"Joseph Patten is well respected..." the secretary cut in. Using the same defense. That supposedly that because he might not be racist lunatic like Beauregard was enough to prove that I was wrong.
"Second," Officer Barnes answered as he turned and pressed a few buttons to play back one of the camera images, "watch this."
She then came around me and leaned over Officer Barnes's shoulder to look at the screen Officer Barnes was pointing to. It showed a black and white image of me lapping water from a water fountain with Dylan in the background cutting the straps on his backpack. After a moment "I" then approached Dylan and then lead him away.
"The kid was out in the open with it," Officer Barnes answered, "I was about to go out myself when I saw George handle it."
The secretary backed up a bit and then sighed.
"It would appear that I was wrong in my assessment," she said simply.
"Next time someone spouts off stuff... make sure he knows ALL of the facts," Officer Barnes told her.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Not all of my interactions with school faculty went that way, as there were a few that were more positive, or at least weren't as direct. With those that agreed with Patten's little speech, it would probably take a while to prove that I wasn't a bully or aggressive for the sake of being aggressive. Mostly because, just as with R.A.M. few actually bothered to ask for an explanation. Most simply repeated Patten's accusation and left it at that. It was frustrating, but there wasn't much that I could do about it other then argue... which I didn't do, because given that the high school secretary insisted that I had essentially assaulted a student until she saw the security camera footage that showed what I had reported... I figured it wasn't worth it.
However, not all of my interactions were on the negative side. After a couple of weeks of going through the mixed DARE and patrol work, I settled into a quiet dinner at home with Molly. Most of our dinner for the night was actually pork, but as Molly went to serve it, there was a knock at our door.
"Are you expecting someone?" I asked.
"No," Molly answered, "I got all of my work done at school and no one asked if they wanted to come out..."
I got up and made my way out to the front door, with Molly following. When I opened the door, I found an Indian man and his family there. And by Indian, I mean from India. I didn't know if they were Hindi or Bengali or one of the other specific ethnic groups that came from the Indian subcontinent, I just knew that by the way he and his family were dressed that they were a fairly traditional Indian family.
"Uh... hello..." I managed to say to the man.
He then promptly bowed, as did his family.
"You are the great tiger people we have seen on news," the man spoke, "what a great day."
I glanced to Molly who looked as puzzled as I was.
"Can I ask who you are?" I asked.
"Of course," he answered, "I am Rathik. This is my wife, Mugdha. These are my daughters Shanti, Kalamala, and our son Aadi."
"Are you from India, originally?" Molly wondered, "what brings you here?"
"We are of Indian heritage, yes," Rathik answered, "though my family moved to America shortly after the Second World War. Mugdha and I were born in America. But our families are both very traditional."
"And you are why we have come here," Mugdha spoke as she and Shanti held out necklaces that looked like they were made from flowers, "those blessed with the form of Durga's mount and lords of the wild in their own right..."
"Our forms were made from science, not sorcery," I corrected, "and Molly and I are both Christian."
"All different paths to the same place," Rathik dismissed it, "and yes, we know you were transformed by science... but your forms are still symbols of power... the "King of Beasts" to all Bengalis."
Molly and I blinked, probably looking very surprised.
"Well... it's very nice of you to come out here and pay homage to us, but I don't think we deserve it," Molly spoke.
"To provide proper veneration is only part of why we are here," Mugdha replied as she placed the flowered necklace around Molly's neck, and then took the second from Shanti and tossed it to me, "for while you may not claim connection to Durga and the Hindu gods of the forest... you still represent their power... and that power must be respected."
"The other reason," Rathik finished, "is to provide you with a good service..."
"We can't afford good house keepers," I said quickly.
"No not that," Rathik answered, almost sounding annoyed, "In New York, I worked as a tailor. I make many fine clothes. Then news talks about Animal People... and how silk is preferable to other clothing on your fur..."
"A lot of fabrics itch a lot," Molly nodded, "think like wearing a stocking cap."
"Yes," Rathik answered, "and I have done a web search. Providers of silk garments do not live near you."
"Most ranchers out here require much sturdier attire," I commented, "cotton, denim, and leather... etcetera, etcetera. And silk can be expensive..."
"More expensive to mail it to you from wherever you get your present clothes, yes?" Rathik wondered.
I looked down, checking to see that I had changed out of my uniform and into something more comfortable. I then glanced at Molly and shrugged.
"We can't really be sure," Molly told him, "we've only gotten clothing from a shop in Peoria, Illinois, where we're originally from."
"Where Animatrix is born!" Aadi cheered.
Rathik only chuckled at his son's antics, "anyway... I can provide you with cheaper clothing..."
"Some sort of silk substitute that you're selling?" I wondered.
"No... still silk," Rathik sighed, "I'm talking about moving my operation here. Provide you with what is comfortable to wear and provide the people with the finest. We have come to provide you with an advertisement for our services so that you will know where to see to your needs."
"Thanks, I guess," I said weakly, "this is somewhat of a surprise."
"A pleasant one, hopefully," Mugdha answered, "it'll take awhile for us to move things into an old office Rathik has bought... and it will be a few days for our equipment to arrive, but we wish to provide you with the finest... and with what is comfortable for you."
"And of course fine intimate wear for those that wish it," Rathik gave a smirk, "You will come and see our shop when you can?"
"Sure," I shrugged, as Aadi, Shanti, and Kalamala then shook my paws and then Molly's.
The man and his family then made their way to their car which they had driven up to our cabin in, leaving Molly and I still too "surprised" to do anything but slowly shut the door.