2019-07-23 - Keeping the Quota

It was a rare night, clear and cloudless, and the two had a quota to keep up. (because that's totally not a myth!) Parked beside the road on the shoulder, out near Dead Man's Curve, the two have a few snacks to make the night pass faster. There's a pack of donuts, (don't judge!) and some energy drinks and soda. Since Andi is driving, Rick is in charge of the radar gun in their unmistakable cruiser there beside the road. "What do you think of all those Addington murders? Another last night."

Leaning a bit back in his seat, although that radar gun is kept ready in case it's needed, Rick shrugs a little at the question. "Aside from the fact that it seems to be someone going for the Addingtons, obviously?" He shrugs a bit, "Probably lots of work for all of us. Some for the investigation, and probably a number of us assigned to keep an extra eye on them, just in case." He looks a bit thoughtful. "Think this will get more priority? Due to this being the Addingtons, I mean."

"Oh you bet it will. When Addingtons die, people start panicking. Namely the Addingtons. I've not heard a statement from the Matriarch Margaret yet. We'll see how much longer she waits. The Mayor, Clyde Addington, finally made a statement. We'll see how it goes." There's a car coming, probably not speeding really, but it's coming towards them. They have a game they play. "What do you think? Bet you a twinkie it's 55. Under speed."

Sitting up a bit straighter as that car appears, Rick readies the radar gun. "Doesn't look to be going too fast, at least," he replies, before he adds, "But we'll have to check just to be sure." Radar gun kept in place to check now.

Vroom, vroom. The car comes, a dark sedan with tinted windows. It approaches then takes the curve at a sedate speed. Under the limit, if Rick checks it. Andi glances over to see how fast it was. "Hope they get that guardrail in soon. I'm surprised there's not a suit against the county for it."

"This one drives slower than what I do on my motorcycle," Rick remarks a bit lightly as he checks. "Yes, safely under the limit." He nods to the part about the rail. "True. In a way, it could possibly be good if there was a suit. Maybe the people responsible for getting it up would get the needed push to do so then."

"You and that motorcycle. I keep telling you it's too rainy here to own a bike. You keep proving me wrong. You and this weather." Andi gives a grin in his direction then looks over at the broken rail. "You make a good point. I guess something like getting that done is above our paygrade. We'd likely get yelled out of there."|

Rick grins as he hears that, nodding once more. "Hey, it took me all over the country, right?" It's offered a bit lightly, before his expression goes a bit distant for a few moments. It doesn't last long, before he grins again, nodding. "Worse things in life than getting yelled at," he remarks, a bit lightly.

"So where all have you traveled? What parts of the country?" Andi looks curious about his travels, especially after that distant look.

Another car is coming from in front of them and this time it seems to be going a little too fast. Not much over, three miles per hour, tops. Likely the second that Rick gets the MPH it'll instinctively slam on the brakes as soon as it sees the car there. "Watch how fast the front of this car dips down when they hit the brakes." Andi sounds amused. "If they're only a couple over, I'll flash the lights and slow them down. I'll not pull them over for that much. This time."

"A little bit of everywhere, really. I sort of just drifted around, doing some odd jobs," Rick replies. "It was..." And then that other car is coming, and he focuses on getting the speed. "Close to the limit. Just two miles over," he replies, nodding to the part about the front dipping down. "Never fails, that one. But at least they should be on the right side of the limit now, right?"

As promised, Andi flips on the rolling lights and the driver gives one of those hand lifts of acknowledgement, knowing they'd been caught. They aren't on but a moment before she's turning them back off. "Sounds fun, that drifting around. I drifted so much I ended up divorced. But we're trying to give it a go again. Not marriage, but living together at least. It's a little scary, but I found out that without him? I'm just not interested in perusing that route anymore." For the moment there's no more cars. It's not like they have much time left on the clock though. "What are your plans for tonight?"

Rick nods a bit. "Oh? That sounds quite nice. I hope the two of you will make things work well this time around," he replies. He pauses a little as he hears the question about plans for tonight. "I don't know. Grab something to eat, take a walk or something?" A brief pause, before he adds, "You?"

"I hope we can. And me too, once we're done, food." Andi replies and it looks like she's going to say more but another car comes along. It's not going terribly fast but maybe a few over. "What do you think, Rick? Get this one then go? Fulfill our quota for the day?" They'd already made several stops and issued a few tickets. "Or let them go with a warning and head out? Or just flash the lights again?" Andi leaves it to her partner, wondering how he would handle it.

As the car gets closer, it's more apparent that even though it's only going a few miles over the limit, the driver is weaving over the line. On both sides.

Rick nods a bit as he hears that, before he frowns as he hears what's said. "Depends on how..." He trails off as he watches how the car is weaving, before he brings up the radar to check the speed. "I think we might need to stop this one. Not as much for the speed, but that weaving is looking quite dangerous," he replies.

"It is. And on this particular curve too. Make sure the driver is alright, for one. And.." Well there are too many scenarios to mention so Andi doesn't. Held hostage, drunk, high, sleepy, running from something in a hurry and more. "Let's do this. I'll let you take point when we get them." Lights, dash camera, action. Peeling out after them, well maybe not peeling out, but Andi takes off, lights and siren going. "Turn on your body cam if you're taking this one. You're vested right?" Calmly going though the checklist they'd already gone down at the beginning of the shift.

The car takes the curve a little fast, crossing lines as they do. No other traffic to speak of. They don't immediately pull over, going another mile, probably not even realizing they are being pulled over. Finally, the car does and Andi notes the tag to the dispatcher, asking for status.

Rick nods, checking both his vest and the body cam a little carefully as they catch up with the other car. "Camera on, vest in place," he replies, before he looks to the other car. "Let's do it," he says, getting out of the car. Watching the other car carefully for a few moments before he moves over towards it, steps measured.

When Rick gets out, Andi follows him, casually unfastening the snap over her sidearm as they approach. "No warrants." On the owner of the car at least.

Inside the car when Rick gets there, the man is seated with both hands on the steering wheel. Black leather glove covered hands. He's wearing a baseball cap low on his brow and a reddish beard conceals his jaw. He doesn't look up at the approach of Rick. "Was I speeding, officer?" There's a derisive note in his voice.

"Everything okay here?" Rick asks as he reaches the car, taking a few moments to look around it, just in case. "You were going a little too fast, yes. But more importantly, you were driving a bit recklessly. Nothing happened, but if there was another car going the other way around there, it could have gone very bad." If there's any kind of reaction to that derisive note, it doesn't show.

Andi hangs back, just offering support, noting the make and model of the car even though she'd called in the tag.

The driver keeps his gaze averted from Rick, both hands remaining on the wheel. "Everything is okay here. I didn't realize how fast I was going so I over corrected at the curve and it made me swerve. I promise it won't happen again." Since no license or registration is asked for, the man doesn't offer. Mama didn't raise no fool.

Rick nods a bit as he hears that, studying the man a bit carefully. "Ah, such things happen," he remarks, before he adds, "But still, I will have to see your license and registration." Offering a brief smile to the man, keeping his eyes on him for now.

Magic words. And it wasn't please, which is good, because the officer hadn't said that. License and Registration. "Of course, officer." Careful to keep his face averted and the cap pulled low, he reaches down in the seat beside him to an area that had been concealed. Everything happens at once, the man reaches and draws a gun, blindly aims it towards the officer and pulls the trigger while jerking the car into reverse and flooring it enough to hit Andi before anyone knows what's happening.

While he didn't exactly expect the gun, seeing how the man reached into the seat had Rick being a little cautious. "GUN!" he calls out as he sees the weapon, throwing himself backwards to try avoiding getting hit. He doesn't quite succeed, as the bullet hits the side of his vest, near the shoulder, and grazes his arm, digging through the arm of his uniform, drawing blood from him. He tries getting to his feet again, and draw his weapon, but it's taking far too long. Some angry words being muttered under his breath, but it's not in English.

The world briefly falls apart as Rick calls out gun. Andi reaches for her own and lets loose on the car as it backs towards her. She gets a shot or two off before she has to throw herself to the side to avoid getting ran over. The perp takes a shot at her since he missed with his car then he throws gravel as he speeds off.

Andi is hit. "Son of a fucking bitch!!!" And she's pissed. It's not something she expected to happen with the pull over but at least it was caught on camera. Hopefully. The bullet lodges into her vest, which bruises the hell out of her ribs.. "Hurts like a mother fucker." She hurries to her feet to check on Rick, a hand holding her side. "C'mon, we gotta get to the car. Now." Then make the call.

Nodding a little as he hears Andi's words, Rick starts running back to the car. "Still in one piece?" he asks, as he reaches the car, moving towards the passenger seat again.

"I'm fine." Her tone is clipped, but Andi looks back over at him. "You bleeding?" Taking back her hand from her ribs she looks surprised to see she's actually not bleeding. "Feels like it should be bleeding like hell." Undecided, she looks over at him. "You need medical attention don't you? You're hit?" She calls in to the dispatcher the tag of the car again, putting out an APB.

Something new though comes back. "That car was just reported stolen by Delpha Miller from 103 East Second Street."

Andi curses emphatically. "So we have nothing on the driver. Let's go. Or I can put out an Officer down and an ambulance can transport you. Or I deliver you. Which are you feeling?"

"Bleeding?" Rick pauses as he looks to his shoulder. "I didn't even..." he begins, grimacing momentarily. Holding one hand over the wound, he presses it towards that wound. "Hey... If I need to get medical attention, you should get checked up too. Just in case." Frowning at the words about the car reported stolen, he leans back further in his seat. "Let's go..." he says, before he mutters a bit to himself. "When I said I wanted to be like my mother, it wasn't getting shot I meant..." Is he aware he said that or not? Who knows?

When Rick starts talking about his family and getting shot, Andi realizes he does need medical attention and she hits the siren, the lights were already going from the stop, and she slams down the accelerator as she drives him to the hospital. Lifting the radio, she calls in, "Officer down, transporting to the hospital.. ETA 7 and a half minutes." Thank God it's not raining, she can press it.

"Don't crash..." Rick comments, sitting up a bit better. "I should have suspected he had a gun..." That is offered a bit quietly, shaking his head a little as he speaks.

"Whatever we have on your body cam will have to do. Mine and the car's cam won't do anything but show a stolen car that will tell us nothing." Andi doesn't mention the crashing thing, her partner needed her at her best right now and her ribs hurt like hell. But she's able to tune it out. They approach the hospital and she speeds in to the emergency room and jumps out of her car. Since dispatch called ahead, someone is already there with a stretcher and they get Rick out of the car and on it before wheeling him inside. "See you inside in a few!" Andi calls after him. She doesn't take the time to come down off the adrenaline rush, it'll hurt like hell when she does, but she gets back in the car to go park proper so she can go back inside with her partner. Before she does though, she reaches in the metal case in the seat and tugs out a form. May as well get started writing her report now. Taking it with her, she heads inside. waiting for an update on his condition so she can let his family know. If he has contact information on file.