Return to Cedar Point

Adum Brate drove into Cedar Point completely focused on his driving.  It wasn't because he was trying to impress anyone.  It was because he was more than half afraid he would see his ex, 'lose control' of the police cruiser he was driving, and run her down, leaving a very awkward situation for the Cedar Point Police Department.  He was coming into town to pick up Michael Katz, who had been arrested for drunk driving or drunk and disorderly by the CPPD, but had a warrant out on him for aggravated assault over in Adum's town of Alexandra.  I would also prove to be a reunion of sorts.  He had not seen his friends in Cedar Point in a couple of years ... since his divorce, slide into the bottle and subsequent recover and promotion to the youngest police chief in Alexandra history.  It could even be fun ... for a standard prisoner pick-up.


Nick Callahan tapped away at his keyboard looking a little under-slept. He heard a small commotion in the next room and two male voices bantering back and forth before the unmistakable bark of Angie Johnston shutting them both up, just before she did a quick knock and opened the door "Got a minute Chief?"

Nick chuckled and looked up "Yep. What's the ruckus behind you?"

Angie stepped in and shut the door, holding an incident report in her left hand "Nault puffing up and taunting the perp. First successful takedown he's had and now we get 3 days of this shit."

Nick nodded, looking towards the door "Won't be much longer. Brate's on his way in to get Katz today. Then he's Alexandra PD's problem. Course we still got Nault.... What can I do ya for Angie?"

Angie smirked "Maybe your Chief buddy Brate would do a rookie trade? They got anyone good in Alexandra?" She straightened up and slid the incident report to Nick on top of his desk "I pretended you were out when this came in but we're going to have to send out an officer. She requested you of course...."if you weren't too busy cooking for anyone" she said."

Nick saw the report and cringed "Fuck, send Nault on it. That'll teach her." It was an account of vandalism from some spray painting and egging on the side of Chen's Supermarket.

Angie tugged the report back "Will do. But who is she?"

Nick was suddenly deeply concerned with the state of his stapler and replied vaguely "Who is who?"

Angie rolled her eyes "I just filled them all this morning Columbo. Who's the woman? You've been tired but cheerful since you snuck out early on Valentine's Day. You're getting laid. Want me to ask Ms. Chen who she thinks it is or just tell me already?

Nick put the stapler down and met Angie's eyes slowly "Tallulah Beal." His eyes twinkled a bit and the corners of his mouth were fighting a smile.

Angie grinned broadly "Bout fucking time. I won't say anything."

Nick shrugged "Ushi figured it out so it won't be long before the whole town knows."


Adum pulled his Alexandra cruiser next to the CPPD one and killed its engine.  For several seconds he looked down as if riffling through paperwork, but he was delaying the inevitable.  He hadn't stepped foot in Cedar Point since the day he laid his resignation, but not his service piece, on the Chiefs desk.  Maybe he didn't know ANYONE in the PD anymore except for Callahan.  Taking in a deep and calming breath, he got out of his car and walked into the PD, glancing at the Chief's door, but not heading towards it.  He looks at whoever is at the front desk, his ocean blue eyes very neutral.  And found himself speechless.  Of course whoever looked at him could not possibly miss the black pants and white shirt with the Alexandra Police Department patches all over it.  Maybe that would be enough.


Ryan Yamada stood up after what felt like hours of mindless data entry, heading for the printer. He looked for his forms and frowned to see nothing in the print tray. With a sigh he pulled out the paper tray and found it empty. He groaned and trotted over to the supply cupboard as Angie practically shoved Cody out from the door that led to the holding cells. She was pressing an incident report into his hands "Chen's. Now Constable!" She ordered.

"Yes Lieutenant Johnson." Cody said in a bit of a tone.

"Wait Nault." She called after him "Let me take a copy of that...just in case."

Cody shuffled back and handed Angie the form.

Ryan turned back toward the front door just as it opened and the tall figure of Chief Adum Brate walked in. Ryan broke into a huge grin and strode toward the front counter, still holding a pack of printer paper.

"Alexandra's finest! Hiya Chief Brate." his tone was a little teasing. Ryan had texted Adum when he had made the lateral shift from the West Van PD but this would be the first siting between the two since both their uniforms had changed.


Adum looked over the head of the receptionist hearing a familiar vice.  Angie, and what could be nothing but a rookie, the way she was badgering him.  But he turned his face when he heard his name in a familiar voice.  "Ryan!"  he smiled.  "I thought you were lying.  You really DID come here.  Probably a good thing.  I seem to remember getting into a lot of trouble with you as kids."  he looks at the papers in Ryans hands, knowing they were probably for the printer.  "And the old man has you stocking the copier."  he shook his head.  "Nice."  it was a mixed blessing seeing the familiar faces, but he kept his face as it should have been; happy.


Ryan laughed and reached out a hand to shake, as he shifted the paper packet under his arm "No rest for the wicked Chief. Welcome back to Cedar Point buddy."

Angie looked up, hearing the familiar voice, and finding the printer out of paper as well "Well holy sheet.....seems like only yesterday Brate...Chief Brate so I hear." She yanks the packet of paper from under Ryan's arm "Don't run away now. I'm coming back for my hug." She gave Adum a wink and then unceremoniously shoved Cody out of the way of the printer paper drawer. Cody was staring between the three of them and nodding at the stranger they all seemed to be fawning over.


Adum shook hands.  "The Cedar Point uniform looks good on you."  he chuckles. and nods between them.  "Yea.  Chief Winters left it to me in his will.  Youngest Alexandra Chief ever ... as I am told over and over and over by anyone who knew him."  he will gladly wait for the hug and ignores the rookie for the most part.  He looks like a lost child.  He turns his attention back to Ryan.  "Hows it going?  Your mom, your sister....  Life."  


Ryan shakes firmly and warmly and then lets go "Can't complain. Dad's a little rough though. The docs made him retire because of his heart condition. Mom's coping the best she can. Steph is Steph. Garrett.....well he sort it out. Life is good. I'm healthy. I have a job. I'm not that sad shit you're pulling out of our holding cell. Jesus man....."

Angie comes in from the side like a silent boss and wraps a pair of strong voluptuous arms around Adam "You're getting skinny. Don't they have sandwiches on that damned island?" She's in her early 60s and treats all the young cops like older versions of her kids sometimes.


Adum winces.  He'd had no idea Ryans father had been ill.  He glances at the door to the holding cells. Both stations were built pretty much the same.  "Yea well .. the drinking I can relate to.  The bashing in the womans skull ... not so much."  although there is a tint of .. envy ... in his voice.  He brushes it away to hug Angie.  He grins down at her.  "Never DID have a woman to cook for me and make me fat on love."  he simpers, trying to keep MOST of the acid out of his voice.  He did all the cooking even before his marriage went to hell.  "But they have good food on the island.  I'm just too busy to eat any of it."


Angie pats Adum's stomach with a hrmph and a laugh as she pulls away "Come on skinny, let's go bother the other Chief." She points a finger around the office after she says it "But as far as anyone else is concerned he's NOT here." She gives Nault an extra hard stare and barks "Chen's!" Cody deflates a bit and skulks off, unappreciated and un-introduced. Ryan watches him go and shakes his head "Better him than me." He turns to Adum "Hey man, beers later?"

Angie has already started heading for the door between the office and the holding cells.


Adum looks at the Chief's door.  "Of course not, the old man never worked a day in his life." and he turns to Ryan and hesitates.  Then realizes he's really been hiding on his island for too long. "Yea.  I'll call and we'll get together ... whenever."  he then turns to the Chiefs door and approaches, not allowing his hesitation show in his stance.  He knocks three times.


Nick Callahan looks sideways at the door with suspicion and then sighs. Three knocks, familiar. And it wasn't Ushi Chen. That woman would pound and scream until she gave him a headache.

He stood up, sending his desk chair rolling backward and crossed the space to the door he rarely acknowledged "Get the hell in here Brate, I'm a hunted man." he joked.


Adum mock rushes in, hurriedly closing the door and looking around, as if for eavsedroppers.  Then he straightens.  "How hunted can you be? You aren't here.  You arent there.  Maybe your under my desk on Alexandra."  he grins, for some reason suddenly more relaxed.  He offers his hand.  "Hey Chief.  How you doin?"


Nick cracks up, reaches for the hand and pulls Adum into bro style half hug, clapping him on the back "Chief Brate. You son-of-a-bitch. I'm alright. How's Alexandra treating you?"


Adum returns the hug.  "Its good.  About as slow as it was when I worked here."  his voice falters slightly.  "Good.  It's good. I'm good."  and he realized he was good ... or a hell of a lot better than he was two years ago when this very man pulled a gun out of his mouth.


Nick gives Adum one last slap on the back and eases away from him "I believe you. And I'm glad to hear it." He gestures to the chair across from the desk "Are you on a strict deadline? That jackoff in the cell isn't leaving without you anyway."


Adum takes the proffered chair and sits.  "No.  I told my people not to expect me back before morning."  he tells the chief.  "They're hoping I'll go out and get laid and not bother to pick up this jagoff until morning.  Besides ..."  he smirks.  "I can't find he chief to sign off on the S.O.B.  Why?"


Nick walks behind his desk and eases down into his own chair, leaning forward and putting his right elbow and forearm on the desk. With his left hand he rubs unconsciously at his white beard "Ah well some days, everyone wants a piece of you. You know how it is Brate? Besides this gives you a night in town if you want one to go out and "get laid". He chuckles a bit and drops the hand from his beard to casually rest on the top of his other arm.


Adum sits back and nods.  "Those days when the citizens you are sworn to protect don't want to deal with anyone but the towns top cop, because even if it's littering, they are just that important and so is the situation?" he chuckles.  "Well 'getting laid' will probably be more like 'getting an iced tea' with Ryan or someone after his shift is up.  Either way it's my excuse to get out of town for a while."  he shrugs.  "Truth be told, I will probably take the ass hole, have one of the boys tuck him into his cell in my jail, go home, change and then turn around and come back ... if I can make myself."  he motions to his uniform.  "Can't go bar hopping with Ryan dressed like this."


Nick looked Adum over "Might keep the fights down in the bar. You know Adum, I think we still have a few boxes of yours in storage down in the training gym. Could be clothes in them..."


Adum considered the suggestion. "Well I did leave everything behind.". He remembered. "Sure. And a night at the hotel. Then pick up Katz in the morning.". He paused and grins. " You gonna join us?". He almost teases.


Nick rubs at his beard again and a bit of colour rises in his cheeks. He's not known to be easily embarrassed so this is a rare sight "Let me see if I can re-arrange another appointment. Been awhile since I went out with you young pups." He teases back. 


Adum raises his brows at the color in the Chiefs cheeks. "You had another appointment? As in a DATE?". Adum shakes his head. " I really AM a hermit. Even you have a social life."


Nick clears his throat " Still getting used to it myself. It's Tallulah Beal from the B&B. We were going to head into Vancouver and stay at a hotel and then she's talked me into...." He hesitates awkwardly and then says "a yoga retreat. But we could leave from here as easily if we get up earlier."


Adum's jaw drops. He just can't believe it. Then he begins to chuckle. Not a mean spirited sound. "Well good for you! Maybe there's hope for the rest of us.". By that he means himself, even though he was sure if he COULD date.


Nick started laughing too "Yep. You want to go get your stuff? I can keep you company or just give you the key code to get in. We've had to change it a few times because that fucking nimrod rookie kept writing it on little scraps of paper and losing them all over town."


Adum stands, still smiling.  "Come with me."  he decides.  "That way no one will accidentally see you in your office."  he chuckles.  "That's the lost little boy I saw earlier?"


Nick stands up too, stretching his left shoulder back as he does until there's a little pop. He shrugs both shoulders up like this is a normal pattern and then shakes his arms out "Yeah Nault. Kid's a bit of a piece of work." He points toward the door that leads out the way of the holding cells "You want to peek in on Katz? Air bag went off and bloodied his nose but it didn't break as far as we could tell. He went a little ape shit when Douglas tried to clean him up so she left him ugly."


Adum shakes his head.  "Gung ho, eh?"  he sighs.  "I don' know about those kind, to tell ya the truth." then he frowns.  "Douglas?  You mean .... Megan?"


Nick shook his head "No, the older sister, Tamela Douglas. She might not have been around much while you were here. After Eryn...she took some time off....Tamela was almost my daughter in law. She's back in the game now and one of our best. Megan still works at the bar with their Dad."


Adum nods, listening carefully.  "No.  I mean Megan may have mentioned her once or twice, but ...  we were kids back then."  he glances at him.  "Maybe I'll run into her.."  he murmurs.


Nick half smiles and raises a brow curiously and then gestures at the door "Shall we?"


Adum nods and moves forward into the holding area.  He steps forward and folds his arms, simply staring into the cell at the battered man.


Nick hangs back, letting Adum take the lead with his soon to be prisoner. He picks up a random document from the file cabinet and casually looks it over, glancing up frequently.


Adum looks at the man and he man looks back.  "Do you know what I want, Miser Katz?"  he asks.  "I mean, surely you wonder why all this extradition rigmarole for drunk driving."  he pauses as the man glares.  "They're giving you to be because your wife .. you remember her?  You left her bloody on your hotel room floor?"  he waits, his arms still folded across his chest.


Nick turned the report over and continued to scan it. The door to the main office opened and Ryan walked in just in front of Angie  mid conversation.

"And then we had this Easter portrait at this place where you hold live rabbits..."

Nick whipped around and gave them both a look that said "not now".

Angie had been cracking up but her smile fell and she grabbed Ryan by the back of his duty belt and yanked him back out with her like he was in danger of getting sucked out an air lock in space. Ryan's story cut off and he gulped as he disappeared and the door shut with a firm click.


Adum glances at Nick and Angie, but keeps his eyes, for the most part, on Katz.  "She was airlifted to a hospital in Vancouver.  You will stay with us until the doctors decide if she will live ... or die.  Until then you're being charged with aggravated assault."  he pauses to see if Kats will reply or not.


Michael Katz glared at the two cops.  The younger one was from a different department.  He remembered the uniform from Alexandra Island.  He looks the Alexandra cop in the eyes.  "Tuesday won't press charges.  Believe me, she won't."

Adum meets his gaze with his own.  "If she dies, I'll be happy to do it FOR her."  he tells the man, who blanches slightly but maintains his bravado.  "As a matter of fact, I think I will call Vancouver for an update .....  in the morning."

Katz swallowed visibly, and sat down, dropping his head in his hands.

Adum watched him a moment longer before turning back to Nick.  "Chief Callahan, I'm ready to take a look downstairs."


Nick gave the prisoner a look of disgust mixed with a hint of sadness and then nodded at Adum. He led him out into the office. Angie and Ryan were speaking quietly at the front desk and stopped suddenly as they saw the chiefs appear. Nick ignored this and kept walking to the back past the lockers and to a doorway that lead to a narrow dingy stairway. At the bottom is an open room with assorted exercise equipment on the outside and mats put together in the centre as a sparring area for training. There were a few doors off the main room, two were washrooms with shower stalls and one in the middle that was a storage room with boxes on generic metal shelving. In the furthest corner were some marked A. Brate.


Adum noted the sudden silence and, in a way, realized it was a rank thing.  He only hoped it would not carry over into off hours.  The last thing he wanted was to lose his friendship with Ryan over a promotion.  Following Nick down to the basement, he paused slightly and looked at the equipment and sparring area he'd used so much while his life was falling apart on him.,  He remembered beating one or two officers who had been rumored to be screwing his wife pretty badly down here.  Tensing his jaw he followed into the storage room and saw the box.  He moved to the boxes and pulled then out, one at a time, and placed them on an almost empty table.  He lifted the lid of one, then another and finally the third.  It had clothes in it and he lifted out a pair of jeans.  "It's ... strange."  he murmured.  "Like going through the belongings of someone who has died ..."


Nick leaned against the wall and folded his arms "Your life has changed so much it's kinda like that. You left his man behind Adum. Y'alrtight?"


Adum felt the denim between his fingers.  Soft and comfortable.  "Yea."  he said, shortly.  "I mean... being here is a roller coaster, but its a ride I gotta take if I am ever going to get on with my life."  he went through the box and picked out a pair of jeans and a light sweater.  Winter had not yet left completely.  He holds the jeans up to himself.  A bit large now, but a belt would fix that and the sweater would hide the problem.  After finding a good belt, he laid the clothes across the boxes.  "Is she still here, Nick?"  he asked, softly.  Of course he could mean no one but Alison ... and Danny ... their .... no ... HER son.


Nick pursed his lips and scratched and the back of his head awkwardly, as if he was wishing he didn't have to answer. "She's around from time to time Adum. Heard she was living back with her folks up in snootyland but I guess she slums it here sometimes. Got her on a few DUIs over the years but her old man's fancy lawyers always made sure the charges rolled off her."


Adum nodded to himself, and smoothed out the jeans, absently.  "Good.  I'm not ready to see her yet, I don't think."  he sets his hands on the clothes.  "When I stop being so bummed out about Danny.  Maybe then."  He'd always wanted a family of his own. It was no secret.  Opening his mouth, he closed it and opened it again.  "What the hell was she doing slumming with me in the first place?"  he wondered aloud and shook his head.  His family was rock solid and financially steady, or was when he HAD a family.  Alison was rich.


Nick sighed "Let it be her stuff Adum. I know it's hard to let go, especially the boy. I haven't seen the child in years, just her in town occasionally."


Adum made two fists and then loosened them with an almost explosive sigh.  "You're right, old man."  he took the clothes and folded them, setting them aside, then fishing around.  "Socks ... underwear ......"  he murmured, searching.  "So, talk to me about yoga?  I mean ... it's psychologically scarring enough trying to imagine you having sex of any kind, but some of those yoga positions look especially kinky....."


Caught completely off guard, Nick's cheeks flushed completely and he started laughing "Jesus Brate, do you really want to know? Because I'm sure I could scar you." He laughed some more "I'm trying to be open minded. Yoga's Tally's thing. She says I need to manage my stress better and it's supposed to help. And apparently I have tight hamstrings. Who knew that wasn't a good thing eh?"


Adum starts laughing, just imagining it.  "Too late.  I think I need a shrink now."  he chuckles.  "Well, you CAN hurt yourself if you do a lot of running ... not running from the townsfolk, but exercise running, like I do."  he turns, clothes in hand.  "I'll take these and if you have the rookie put the rest in my car, I'll burn it all when I get back to Alexandra."


Nick chuckles, shoves his hands in his pockets and then says casually "Shall do. So where are you staying?"


Adum shrugs.  "I can afford a night at the Mariners.  We have a branch in Alexandra, you know.  Just as nice.  And I can afford it ... unless you have a better bed for me to sleep in?"  part of him sort of wished maybe the Chief DID have a ... more athletic option for a bed.


Nick smiles "Well I was going to offer you keys to my cabin for a free place to crash because I won't be sleeping there tonight and you'll save me a trip by the place, but with two conditions. First of all Seamus will need food, water and a few good runs outside. Secondly, if you do get laid, change the sheets and don't tell any lucky ladies who you're house sitting for."


Adum arches his brows.  "I can do that.  Especially as I doubt very highly I will get laid, so I will have to run out that pent up energy.  Thanks."  he gathers up the clothes.  "When's quittin time around here?  I could change my clothes now and meet you guys ... where?  The Black Hole?"


Nick grins "After 5:30. See you there Adum."