over to the officers. ‘What’s with tomorrow? You need to take her statement now.’
The female officer shook her head. ‘No, Sam; not according to the guidelines from our captain. As long as she files her report by noon tomorrow. We can hold them tonight on suspicion. But if she doesn’t come in by then, they’re back on the streets. What exactly’s your involvement anyway?’
Leroy inclined his head in the direction of 23 rd . ‘I live only half a dozen blocks away. I had just gotten home, when I heard a scream. I ran up here, and caught those two punks chasing her.’
‘That was a piece of luck. For her, I mean; not them. Did they say anything to you after you called it in?’
‘Diddly squat. Just stood facing the wall. Here: you’ll need this.’ He handed her his handkerchief, still containing the Magnano. She took the handkerchief, checked the contents, then showed it to her partner. He reached inside the car and retrieved a small transparent plastic envelope. Dropped the knife inside and sealed it. She held out Leroy’s cuffs.
‘Here you go, Sam. Fair exchange. You never know when you might need these.’ As she spoke, her gaze fixed his. ‘At least we can get them on possession of an illegal weapon. Something we can really hold them on. Until something more serious, that is.’
She looked down at the blue and white. In the street lights they could make out the two sitting in the back of the car, silently staring out in front.
‘Just a couple of kids. See her top? It has some buttons missing: do you think…?’
‘She says only robbery. Maybe she got away before it could develop into anything else. Though she really needs to be checked over. Look: her arm is bleeding. Tonight, I mean; not by noon tomorrow.’
The male officer flashed Leroy a stare, then asked the woman, ‘Ma’am, you’re bleeding. You need to be checked over by a doctor. Would you like -?’
‘It’s all right, thank you. I’m okay. Just a little shaken up. I just need to go home. I only live a couple of blocks away.’
‘Which street?’ Leroy asked.
‘Holly Court,’ she replied. ‘It’s only five minutes away.’
‘I know Holly Court,’ said Leroy. ‘I’ll walk her home. If that’s okay with you, ma’am.’
She looked up from the kerb and, before nodding to Leroy, glanced over at the female officer.
‘It’s okay, ma’am; he is a cop, just like us. You wouldn’t think so, to look at him.’
The woman smiled weakly at the joke, then stood up. She swayed slightly, unsteady on her feet.
‘We’ll take these two in then,’ said the female officer, ‘and leave the lady with you, Sam. Remember to call in tomorrow morning, ma’am. Detective Leroy will give you the address.’
‘I will. Thanks.’ The woman steadied herself. The uniformed officers got into their car, and left, saying goodbye to Leroy as they turned the car around.
Leroy stepped over to the woman and held her arm. ‘You’d better take my arm,’ he said. ‘You’re still a little shaky.’ Giving her his arm for support, he led her down 30 th Avenue.
‘You sure you’re okay to walk?’ he asked after a hundred yards or so. ‘We could have gone back to my place where my car is parked, but I guess that’s just as far to walk.’
‘Yes, I’m okay to walk,’ she replied.
‘You live alone?’ he asked.
‘U-huh.’
‘Same here.’
In silence, they crossed Pacific Avenue. ‘What exactly happened, then?’ he asked, as they took a footbridge which took them over one of the canals.
‘I had been out with a couple of girlfriends,’ she replied. ‘We had been in a restaurant on the 3 rd Street Promenade. We shared a cab back home. We dropped one of them off on Lincoln, and me just back on Pacific. Then the cab went on to the other side of the marina.’
‘And then what?’
‘The car had just gotten round the corner when I saw - or rather heard – those two guys. They were walking on the other side of the road -
The female officer shook her head. ‘No, Sam; not according to the guidelines from our captain. As long as she files her report by noon tomorrow. We can hold them tonight on suspicion. But if she doesn’t come in by then, they’re back on the streets. What exactly’s your involvement anyway?’
Leroy inclined his head in the direction of 23 rd . ‘I live only half a dozen blocks away. I had just gotten home, when I heard a scream. I ran up here, and caught those two punks chasing her.’
‘That was a piece of luck. For her, I mean; not them. Did they say anything to you after you called it in?’
‘Diddly squat. Just stood facing the wall. Here: you’ll need this.’ He handed her his handkerchief, still containing the Magnano. She took the handkerchief, checked the contents, then showed it to her partner. He reached inside the car and retrieved a small transparent plastic envelope. Dropped the knife inside and sealed it. She held out Leroy’s cuffs.
‘Here you go, Sam. Fair exchange. You never know when you might need these.’ As she spoke, her gaze fixed his. ‘At least we can get them on possession of an illegal weapon. Something we can really hold them on. Until something more serious, that is.’
She looked down at the blue and white. In the street lights they could make out the two sitting in the back of the car, silently staring out in front.
‘Just a couple of kids. See her top? It has some buttons missing: do you think…?’
‘She says only robbery. Maybe she got away before it could develop into anything else. Though she really needs to be checked over. Look: her arm is bleeding. Tonight, I mean; not by noon tomorrow.’
The male officer flashed Leroy a stare, then asked the woman, ‘Ma’am, you’re bleeding. You need to be checked over by a doctor. Would you like -?’
‘It’s all right, thank you. I’m okay. Just a little shaken up. I just need to go home. I only live a couple of blocks away.’
‘Which street?’ Leroy asked.
‘Holly Court,’ she replied. ‘It’s only five minutes away.’
‘I know Holly Court,’ said Leroy. ‘I’ll walk her home. If that’s okay with you, ma’am.’
She looked up from the kerb and, before nodding to Leroy, glanced over at the female officer.
‘It’s okay, ma’am; he is a cop, just like us. You wouldn’t think so, to look at him.’
The woman smiled weakly at the joke, then stood up. She swayed slightly, unsteady on her feet.
‘We’ll take these two in then,’ said the female officer, ‘and leave the lady with you, Sam. Remember to call in tomorrow morning, ma’am. Detective Leroy will give you the address.’
‘I will. Thanks.’ The woman steadied herself. The uniformed officers got into their car, and left, saying goodbye to Leroy as they turned the car around.
Leroy stepped over to the woman and held her arm. ‘You’d better take my arm,’ he said. ‘You’re still a little shaky.’ Giving her his arm for support, he led her down 30 th Avenue.
‘You sure you’re okay to walk?’ he asked after a hundred yards or so. ‘We could have gone back to my place where my car is parked, but I guess that’s just as far to walk.’
‘Yes, I’m okay to walk,’ she replied.
‘You live alone?’ he asked.
‘U-huh.’
‘Same here.’
In silence, they crossed Pacific Avenue. ‘What exactly happened, then?’ he asked, as they took a footbridge which took them over one of the canals.
‘I had been out with a couple of girlfriends,’ she replied. ‘We had been in a restaurant on the 3 rd Street Promenade. We shared a cab back home. We dropped one of them off on Lincoln, and me just back on Pacific. Then the cab went on to the other side of the marina.’
‘And then what?’
‘The car had just gotten round the corner when I saw - or rather heard – those two guys. They were walking on the other side of the road -
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