Page 5 of Enforcing the Rules

“Goddamn it, Kate? Look what you did!”

We both glanced at her tanned legs.

“At least it was an iced coffee,” I offered, trying to divert her anger as I tossed her a pack of wet wipes.

“What the hell?”

“Look!” I pointed across the street. “That’s Mavis Reid. She’s a skip.”

Lizzie dipped her head and peered through the windshield. We both watched Mavis Reid walk into Hokie’s Wholesale Beads on Main Street.

“What’s she wanted for?” Lizzie asked, cleaning her legs and tossing the wipe out the window.

“Hey! That’s littering.”

“Do not even start with me right now.” She took a sip of what was left in her cup, and stuck her tongue out at me, then looked back at the bead store. “So, what’s her big crime?"

“Bad check writing. Like, a lot.”

“What’s her bond worth?”

I popped open the glove box and pulled out a bent file folder. It contained the three skips my boss had given me. They were all small time. Flipping through them, I located Mavis Reid and scanned it. “My cut would be five hundred. I sure could use it, too. My car payment is due tomorrow.”

I drove a used Camry. It was a piece of crap car with a dented door that stuck, but so far, the engine was dependable. She had a sweet sound system, and everything else worked. That was all that was important to me. Currently, my favorite band was humming through the speakers. Staring at the gauges, I realized I was barely above E. “I also need gas money.”

“So, what are you saying? We’re going to nab this woman right now?”

“Not we. Me. But you’re helping.” I pulled into a diagonal spot on Main and parked, then shouldered the door open. “Come on.”

“Do I get to carry the taser?” Lizzie asked as I strapped on the official bullet-proof vest that said Bond Enforcement in big white letters across the chest and back. I took the ID pouch that hung from my rearview mirror and slipped it over my head, pulling my long blonde braid out. My shiny new badge was pinned to the ID pouch. I’d worked hard for it. So hard. I strapped my utility belt over my jeans. It held my taser, mace, cuffs, and a flashlight.

“Damn, girl. You look badass. A badge and everything. So, you’re official now? Licensed and everything?”

“Yep. Since last Wednesday.”

“Did they give you a gun, too?”

“They don’t give you anything. You purchase it.”

“So, you have a gun?”

“No. I have a taser. I don’t want to shoot anyone, Lizzie. This woman just missed her court date.”

“What if she’s dangerous?” Lizzie stared at the bead store like it was a drug den or something. I’d known Lizzie since grade school. She’d gone off to college and was now married to Matt Collins. He was a firefighter for the city of Durango. Lizzie was a dental hygienist. I only ever saw her on Sundays anymore, and only then on the weekends Matt was on duty at the station. Lizzie was the opposite of me in a lot of ways. So many, in fact, people wondered how we were besties. It mostly had to do with the fact that both our asshole fathers had left our moms high and dry when we were both in first grade. She lived two houses down from me and after that summer, we were inseparable. We’d bonded and were determined no one was going to tear us apart.

Lizzie was all girlie-girl, her nails always done and her hair always curled and held back with a cute head band. She wore cute sundresses and listened to boy bands. I, on the other hand, wore ripped jeans, halter tops, and listened to rock. Her music rarely had a guitar in it. Mine always did.

I’d even taken up guitar when we were in high school. I had hopes of forming my own girl band, but I couldn’t sing to save my life.

“Kate! Is she dangerous?” Lizzie snapped me out of my musings as I stared at the shop.

“She might run, but she’s not going to shoot us.”

“How do you know?”

I rolled my eyes. “She’ll probably come peacefully. Most do.”

“That’s not how they show it on TV.”

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