365

feb.3.22

~21 Jump Street short story~

I can't stop shaking. My nerves won't sit still. Penhall's hand rested on my shoulder, his worn leather jacket draped around my frame. We're in Fuller's office of the Chapel.

I'm not a cop. I'm not an undercover cop. But I'm undercover. I'm supposed to be Hanson's girl as he works for a drug dealer, dealing rock. I stay at the dealer's house as Hanson does his work. I'm collateral.

And the dealer knows it. As I sit in Fuller's office for the end of the day report, I can still feel the phantom feelings of his hands on my legs.

"I can't tell Hanson," I hear myself say. "I tell Hanson, Sebok will suspect something, and he'll do something brash."

"How do you know, Ronnie Sebok will do something?" Fuller asks from behind his desk.

"He's unpredictable," I nearly whisper. Damn my nerves. I clear my throat before continuing. "He's got a gun, brand new. Hanson probably told you that."

"He did," Fuller agrees. "Said it was fresh out of the box."

"Doesn't mean he won't use it." I look at Fuller. "Ronnie told me not to tell him. He said it was our secret." I feel Penhall's hands on my shoulders. "If Hanson finds out, I don't want Ronnie to get the guts to do something."

"So what do we do?" Fuller asks. "Hanson's dealing for Sebok, trying to find out who killed Ozzy Brooks–"

"–Ronnie didn't do it."

Fuller is quiet a long moment; the whole reason we're doing this case is because of a dead high-school kid at Piedmont High, Osborne Brooks, killed from a point blank gunshot wound to the chest. The first suspect was Ronnie Sebok, a fellow rock dealer who could have gotten jealous, and could have gotten close enough to kill Ozzy. Whoever killed Ozzy must have known him, to get close enough.

"What makes you say Ronnie didn't do it?" Fuller asks slowly.

"He told me. He said he didn't, but people on the street are saying he did." I exhale. "He likes the attention. He likes the power it gives him." I look back to Fuller. "He doesn't know who did it. Believe me. Ronnie doesn't know; I drilled him about it, before.... Well, just know Sebok didn't kill Ozzy."

Fuller leans back in his chair. "So what now? You're spending days with a dealer who doesn't know anything about the case. We're wasting our time with him, and you're risking your life." He looks at me. "What do we do now, Jenko?"

I exhale, it coming out in a shaky wave. Penhall's arm wraps around my shoulders. "It's okay, Lullaby," he whispers.

I smile at him, before turning back to Fuller. "I don't know. I really don't. But, if we drop Sebok, he'll know something's up. He'll be ready. He'll have everybody he knows out for Hanson." I lean against Doug, my head suddenly feeling heavy. "We need to get this from a different angle."

"I've been working with Adabo," Doug says then, his voice grave. "The cop who's been working the streets all this rock gets sold on. He... he might not be the saint he appears to be."

I look at Doug. "What do you mean?"

"I think he pushed a kid off a roof. To stop him from dealing."