Rangers Apprentice AU-Police Force

Episode 5 pt2 A Turning of the Page

With Halt's advice still ringing in his ears, Will stepped into his first job as a full-fledged officer of Chicago: security detail at the Fair. Bumping shoulders with the crowd, he marveled at how easy it was to get swept away and diverted from your original goal. So many folks out to have a good time-Will had never seen anything like it before. Entire families, their children running toward the next booth with excited chatter, passed him in swarms, while young men and women strolled at a more sedate pace. There were shouts from the colorful carneys near the rides, the smell of buttered popcorn, and a sense of freedom and fun that was slightly intoxicating.

The only problem was, Will felt like an intruder, sticking out in his bright blue uniform. If he stood too long watching, he noticed folks giving him curious or nervous glances, and the irritated glares of the sellers. He sighed, and moved on after one such incident, maintaining a his distance and keeping an eye out for pick-pockets or scammers. They were here in plenty, as well as the innocent masses.

 Halt had taken the opposite side of the street, and from time to time Will glanced his way. Shoulders straight, eyes keen and alert, noticing without seeming too-Halt was every bit the image of protector and guardian.  Turning his attention to the street again, Will noticed that they were coming up on some tents, carefully spaced apart. A sign out front announced a display of the world's record breaking vegetables. The tent next to it, held livestock. Curious, Will ducked his head and entered. The first thing he noticed, was a pungent smell that seemed to rise from the stall and smacked him in the face. Will grimaced. With the cryptic warning of the breakroom in mind, he watched his footing, edging to the rows of cows that stood twitching their tails in boredom. He had never seen so many up close, and marveled at their size; a red and cream giant caught his eye in particular, and Will smiled to the farmer who stood nearby.

 "Pretty animal there. Yours?"

The seemed uninterested. "Nope. I don't deal with Angus." He stood on the shorter side, but stocky, with an expressionless face that seemed to be used to constantly weighing and judging in an instant. He flicked his gaze over the officer without batting an eye and turned back to the stalls where some judges discussed over their clipboards. 

 "Oh. I see." Will surveyed the "Angus" with interest again before glancing about the rest of the tent. In the furthest corner, a sallow faced man stood talking to two other men earnestly. Whatever he was saying seemed to be of vital interest to the obviously city bred men. As Will watched, money was suddenly exchanged, so quicklky that he could almost have believed to have imagined it. But the men shook hands with the other and as they left he noticed both carried a small ticket of some sort.

 The disinterested farmer was still standing next to him, and Will nodded his head toward the corner. "What is he doing?"

Swiveling his head, the farmer's eyes seemed to flicker with irritation as they saw the sallow faced stranger. "There ain't no telling with him. Jerry's not even got a cow listed in this tent."

 "Really? Why would he be selling them something here, then?" Will asked curiously. He felt the gaze of the farmer and looked into eyes that burned intelligently and with a shade of warning.

 "I don't advise asking him up front. Best way to find out with that man, is to watch." The man moved on abrupt in his walk as he was in his conversation. With more curiosity, Will watched the man now dubbed "Jerry", slip under the tent flap and move off down the street. It wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on him at any rate, Will thought. Leaving quickly himself, he meandered at a pace that matched the man ahead, making sure to keep from getting too close and always ready to step out of site at a moment. So occupied was he, that he nearly jumped out of his skin when someone coughed from behind.

 Turning quickly, a hand on his baton, Will looked into the questioning gaze of Halt. The officer raised an eyebrow. "Who are you shadowing ?"

 "Is it that obvious?" Will asked weakly.  His partner nodded. 

"Just a little."

Flushing, Will looked back up the street toward where the sallow faced man stood, watching a carney market his rifle game. "That man. He was selling some sort of ticket to a couple of men in the livestock tent; didn't seem to want just anyone to know, " Will continued, "And when I asked about it I got the feeling that he's usually up to no good."

 Finished, Will fiddled with the top of his baton, watching Halt's face for any sign of disapproval, or that he thought Will was crazy, but the officer seemed interested. "Well, it's good to follow up on anything that seems off. A good officer knows when to balance his gut instinct and fact."

  Feeling somewhat in awe, Will nodded. "I'll keep an eye on him," he said but Halt clapped him on the shoulder. "We."

 His partner strode on, leaving Will to follow as quickly as he good. Still flushed with the warmth from Halt's belief in his gut instinct, the younger officer now hardly noticed the crowd. He had only enough focus for the man ahead of him, and the farmer they were trailing. Soon, however, Will had plenty of questions about Jerry buzzing him that he thought of nothing else. Turning a corner, the man seemed to be making his way out of the fair; they were coming back into the city edge again, and Will stared at a row of old, dark warehouses that loomed ahead. In among these the sallow faced man wound his way. Extra caution was necessary, and Will and Halt no longer spoke but followed silently behind the man. Bringing up the rear, Will watched their trail to make sure no one was following them.

 They soon were among the buildings and he saw that the warehouses were quite a few in number; crooked, tight alleyways squeazed their way in among it all. In the shadows, an air of gloom and disrepair weighed heavily on them. "Interesting. I have a feeling that Jerry isn't out here on a picnic tour of these buildings, " Halt muttered briefly.

 Rounding a corner, he grunted in frustration. The street ahead was empty. "He must be in one of these buildings."

 A can scuffled behind them, and Halt dropped into a crouch, dragging Will down with him by the shoulder. For a moment, he waited listening, and then as two men came into view, relaxed his fingers from the tight hold on Will. Following where Halt looked, Will's forehead wrinkled as he recognized the men as Rodney and Horace.

  They met the reporters halfway. Rodney, wearing khaki slacks and shirt, with a matching fedora, waved a casual hand. With a motion of his hand, Halt cut short anything he had been about to say. "What are you guys doing?" Halt growled.

 Unabashed, Rodney jerked a thumb at Horace, who didn't seem to know whether to look at Halt or Will. "We were out here getting a picture of the fair from this angle, when you guys went by in your detective mode. I wouldn't have followed, except I'm interested in the story between you guys and Jerry Wainright."

 "You know him?" Halt asked. Rodney nodded.

"I did an article on him a few years ago. Lived on a farm not far from here, was known for his bulls. Good breed, Brahmans."

 "I see." 

Feeling disappointed, Will remained quiet. Jerry didn't sound like the sort to have been mixed up in any bad business, according to Rodney's description. Yet the conversation and money exchange had been so covertly done...why else would he have hidden it?

 Before anyone else spoke, there was an explosion of sound from behind them. It caused several reactions; Rodney jumped back a pace, Horace's eyes widened and Halt swiveled toward the sound. "I think he might have brought one," Halt said dryly.