Entry #27

Loyalty Above All Else, Except Honor
by Mark Best


Something had died in here, and it wasn’t the owner. I had been a cop long enough to recognize that smell. Judging by the condition of the kitchen, I was guessing a rat. My partner, Eddie, looked around. “She skipped.”

I wasn’t sure. She was scared…anyone testifying against a police officer would be…but she wanted him to pay. So did I. It made being a cop hard when goons like Jenkins disregarded the law. Eileen knew she was in danger, but I didn’t think she ran. “Someone got to her,” I said.

Eddie walked over to the oak hutch and opened the lower right cabinet. “Her purse is gone. I say she got scared and ran.”

At that moment, I hated being a good detective. “It’s nice that you knew exactly where she kept her purse, since you’ve never been here before.”

Eddie shrugged. “Jenks is one of us. Cops don’t do time, man.”

“Jenkins stopped being one of us when he crossed the line, the same line you crossed when you killed Eileen Hanratty.”

“You never did get it, did you Mike? You never really understood what being a cop was all about.” Eddie reached under his jacket. He had always prided himself on being a fast draw. I was faster.

I looked down at my partner, holding his bleeding shoulder and crying. I picked up his gun. “You’re wrong, Eddie. Sometimes I think I’m the only one who gets it.