Sackgesicht: someone who is mean and looks like a testicle
—reasons to learn German
QUINCY
“Sir,” I said when I saw the two vehicles, exhaustion leeching into my veins.
Jesus Christ, it wasn’t even seven in the morning, and I was already dealing with bullshit.
I’d been on my way to work, for Christ’s sake. But not to actually work. To drive my brother, Auden, to work. I’d been going back home when I’d run into this… mess.
“Who the fuck just leaves their car in the middle of the road like this?” the man continued to rant. “The kind of person who’s a complete and utter dumbass, that’s who!” he cried out, throwing his hands wide.
I tended to agree with him.
There was a brown Toyota Corolla with ski racks partially in a parking spot. The rest of it was in a no parking zone that was so close to the hospital I had no doubt in my mind I was about to be dealing with a nurse.
And I say partially in a parking spot liberally, because it was more out than in.
“Sir,” I said again, sounding just as impatient as I felt. “I can do a full write up on this entire situation. If I do that, I’ll have to investigate why you didn’t see this car, because regardless of it being illegally parked, it’s still out of the road. Or you can take your fucked up front bumper and get it fixed elsewhere without me dealing with the ticket procedure.”
The man, seeing the wisdom of my words, sighed and nodded.
My guess was he was probably texting and driving. He was a young, expensive looking dude. Likely, he had somewhere to be, was talking or texting, and had sideswiped the shithole of a car that was slightly in the road.
Technically, the guy should’ve been paying a bit more attention.
But also, the driver of this vehicle should’ve parked it way better than they had.
Which was why, at seven thirteen in the morning, I was heading inside the hospital to see if I could find the owner of the car to get them to move it into a proper parking spot.
I wiped at my tired eyes as I made the hike to Dallas Memorial.
Not only had I literally just come from this hospital less than seven hours ago with a new case in my lap, but I’d also just dropped my other brother, Atlas, off there before Auden because he was getting a procedure done this morning on his eyes.
I was the official drop everyone off where they needed to go person, apparently.
Technically, I didn’t have any specific shift times when it came to my job as a detective with Dallas Police Department. I hadn’t had actual shift times since I’d left the gang unit two years ago.
I went in when it was needed and took time off when needed. Though I did have specific days off. Well, one day, in particular. Tuesdays.
And since I’d just had that day off two days ago, I didn’t have a single day to look forward to for five more days.
“Yo,” the security guard, Marrott, jerked his chin up at me. “Whatcha doin’ here, buddy?”
I showed him the sticky note I’d written the license plate down on.
I’d have memorized it like I usually did, but there were a lot of Bs and 8s, and I wasn’t willing to forget this one.
I almost felt like the license plate had been specifically done confusingly so it’d make it harder for cops trying to do their jobs.
“You got anyone working here with this license plate?” I asked.
Marrott looked down at the license plate and rolled his eyes. “That’s Hollis Aue. She’s a rad tech. Up on the third floor, usually. There was a big accident not too long ago, though, and she might be in the ER.”
I nodded, then went in search of her.
I found her in the ER, just like Marrott said, holding down a two-year-old standing behind a gaggle of other bodies and a table.