Page 4 of Under the Radar

A police K9 Suburban turned onto the street and parked directly behind her SUV. A tall, slender cop jumped out and retrieved a huge, harnessed German Shepherd. The cop approached Winters, who was running her tag and license. They exchanged a few sentences, a couple nods, and agreed on something.

The cop with the dog approached her. “I’m Sergeant Brewster, and this here is Hawk.” Hawk sat obediently and stared at her. He wasn’t the kind of dog she’d fuss over and try to pet, what with the slight curl in his lip. His eyes tracked her every gesture. Thank goodness she was used to her best friend’s retired K9 Flynn. This dog made Flynn look petite. Hawk was massive and oozed mean. Mo swallowed hard. The longer Hawk stared at her, the more she felt like a piece of human snack jerky.

She only wanted the police to check out her car, maybe dust for fingerprints, and send her on her beach-dreaming way. Let them figure out who had broken into her SUV. Easy, right? Guess not. Brewster led Hawk halfway around her vehicle as the dog sniffed. He sat down on alert. Mo recognized the stance and the eager eyes from the couple times she’d asked Flynn to find her missing bedroom slipper.

Oh crap, what now?There was a half-eaten egg sandwich leftover from the drive into work this morning, and the remnants of a cup of coffee in the vehicle. Maybe the open bag of chocolate candy in the trash bag got his attention. PMS was a bossy bitch and had made her buy the family-size bag a while back.

The policemen glanced at each other and then at Mo. Officer Winters spoke first. “Miss Reardon, here’s your license and registration. I’d like you to stand over here by the patrol car while they take a look inside your Escalade.” The dog leaped into the cargo area on Brewster’s signal.

Mo sauntered over and stood next to Officer Winters. “I thought you needed a warrant or something to search a vehicle.” The dog jumped from seat to seat.

“Hawk gave us the probable cause we needed to search your car. He alerted outside the vehicle. Are you sure you want to stick to your story of what happened? You’ve got time to change it if you want.”

Mo’s heart gave a heavy thud. She took a deep breath. “There’s nothing to change. I told you what happened.” She fumbled in her purse for a tissue to dab the sweat off her face and addressed the elephant on the street. “Is Hawk trained to alert for drugs?”

Winters didn’t look at her but mumbled a definitive uh-huh as he continued scribbling in the notebook.

Impossible. “He must be picking up on something else.” She took a couple steps toward the Escalade. “Hey, Sergeant Brewster?” Brewster stuck his head out of the cargo hatch. “There’s chocolate candy in the trash in there. Make sure Hawk doesn’t eat it. You know, chocolate isn’t good for dogs. It’ll make him sick.” Brewster shook his head at her and resumed his search.

Mo drummed her fingers on the hood of the cruiser. “I don’t understand why you brought a drug dog here to sniff my car. I called you thinking you’d dust for prints and file a report.” She glanced at the time. Oh, this was just peachy. She’d officially missed her window to beat the weekend traffic across the Bay Bridge.

Winters slid his notebook and pen into a shirt pocket. “Well, Miss Reardon, there are a few reasons why someone would try to steal your Escalade in this part of the city. One—it was just sitting there and looked like a fun challenge.” He raised his fingers to count. “Two—it could’ve been part of a gang initiation, and if it was, you need to thank God you weren’t in the vehicle at the time, because an experienced drug runner would’ve shot you and dumped your body. Or three—gangs and drug dealers love Escalades, and that model has all the bells and whistles. Not only is it a status symbol on the street, but your tinted glass is a breath away from being illegal. They love those dark windows because their competition can’t see who’s in the vehicle.”

Oh. Mo folded her arms and leaned back against the cruiser. What had been an annoying delay just turned downright scary. She rolled her shoulders to loosen the tension building in her neck.

Brewster leaped out of the cargo area with Hawk on his heels. “You want to see what we found? Come over here but don’t touch anything.”

Mo took a few tentative steps toward the SUV and spotted her suitcase opened wide. Brewster folded back the top layer of clothes and exposed several rows of bags. White bricks, to be exact.

Mo’s heart sprinted, but her brain froze. An effervescent hysteria bubbled up from deep inside. No, no, no. “Whatever it is, it’s not mine. When I left the car this morning, that suitcase was full of summer clothes and beach towels.”

Brewster stripped off his latex gloves and handed the dog a treat from his pocket. He started taking pictures with a fancy camera. “Heroin, looks like the good stuff.”

Mo’s panicked brain reengaged as she shook her head. “It’s not mine.” She paced back and forth, waving her arms. “I’m sure everybody says it’s not theirs, but that,” she said pointing, “is really not mine. I don’t smoke, and I rarely drink. I wouldn’t even know what to do with drugs.”

The pitch of her voice squeaked higher. “You’ve got to understand—I’m nervous to even try CBD oil.” She bent forward, placed her hands on her knees, and gulped for air. Brewster leaned against the bumper of her SUV. “The lab will analyze how pure it is. Bags like these are crammed into every spare nook and cranny of your car. There are dozens of unattached bolts and screws on the floor. If I had to guess, I’d say your Escalade is worth millions on the street, depending on the dealer.” He reached in his pants pocket and pulled out a container of gum, offering Mo and Winters a piece. They both declined.

“Well,” Mo blurted out, “can you get somebody out here to confiscate this…that—that stuff? I don’t want to touch it. I had nothing to do with it.” The temperature must’ve gone up ten degrees in the last few minutes.

She swayed from the sweltering late July heat and sat down on the curb. To hell with her Jones New York white capris she’d purchased at the outlet. “Do either of you have anything to drink, please? I’m all out.”

Officer Winters disappeared a minute and came back. He handed her an unopened bottle of icy water. “Drink this and try to relax, Miss Reardon.”

“Thank you.” She cranked open the bottle so fast the water squirted out the top and dribbled down her chin. Mo swiped the blessed coolness away with the back of her hand and pressed the frigid bottle to her cheek. “That’s a lot of heroin, Officer Winters. Will this be on the news? Big drug busts are always on the news.”

He paused for a minute. “No. They’ll keep this quiet for a few days to gather the facts. Remember, a person is innocent until proven guilty.”

“No, they aren’t,” Mo sputtered, water spraying her blouse. “Not anymore. One negative media post and my life is ruined. I’ll be convicted in the court of social opinion.”

Winters narrowed his eyes. “Well, if you’ve got nothing to hide, don’t worry about it.”

Right. Okay.Except her job as a social worker depended on her trustworthiness. The school administration and a whole slew of parents expected her to be a good example for the children. She’d spent the past three years building relationships in this community as a social worker. One inconclusive news report or mug shot would derail her work with those wonderful kids and families in a single news broadcast. She hugged her knees.

“My police car is nice and cool inside. You want to sit in the back while Brewster and I handle things here?”

“Really? Yes.” Mo hauled herself off the ground, climbed into the cruiser, and rested against the back seat. She placed her hand on the door before Winters shut it. “Am I under arrest?”

“No, you’re not under arrest. But we’re taking you to the precinct for a statement and an interview. You’re welcome to call a lawyer.” Winters took a long draught from his water bottle and sighed. He bent down by the open door, squinted at her, and lowered his voice. “Miss Reardon, I highly encourage you to call your lawyer. If you can’t afford or don’t have one, I’ve got business cards for those who do pro bono work.”

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