Pretty Good, Too

Leah Coates jogged with her players past the Franklin Community College police school every day. She knew the road to becoming a detective started there. Five years as an officer, then a test. Then they took you.

Maybe.

"Coach, you forget where the diamond is again?"

This came from her captain, Tiana. Leah had missed the curve across the quad again.

"I need the extra conditioning," she called ahead. "Don't think I won't whip you anyhow."

Leah huffed a few strides, which put smiles on the players' faces and made Rose in back pick up her pace. Rose really did need to get in shape — the California recruit was taking over catcher so if she wanted to play, it'd have to be outfield.

During drills, Leah found herself thinking of police school again. The training, the years of beat patrol, the pressure — all for a chance at the job she wanted. She watched Tiana, whose double-play pivot had gotten so smooth you barely saw the ball move from her glove to hand and over to first.

Softball had been good for Leah. From the age of nine on, the idea of being alone terrified her, and being around teammates helped. They were built-in friends for walking to school with, or playing outside. Leah liked fostering that camaraderie as a coach.

But stopping nine-year-olds from becoming terrified at all might be pretty great, too.

Leah pitched batting practice as usual, choosing pitches to help batters as needed. The California recruit absolutely crushed a ball to dead center field, the ball rolling halfway to the police school.

As the team marveled at the blast — don't sleep on that West Coast — the school drew Leah's eye. Three weeks ago she'd almost walked in. There had been a news story about a string of unsolved robberies in Kormville, possibly spilling into Franklin Falls. Most had been simple property theft, but the last had turned into a home invasion. The owner was hospitalized.

Sheriff Ruston had been quoted, "The Kormville police continue to pursue multiple leads."

Just like they had the twelve days I'd been held hostage by the Pickett brothers.

Tiana was waving her glove in front of my face. "C'mon, Coach — I hit 'em that far."

Leah came back to the moment. "I know you do. I was just thinking."

Tiana followed her coach's gaze to the school, then gave a cockeyed squint. "Addi said you want to be a detective."

Leah froze. She hadn't thought the team knew. "I've considered it. Law enforcement — well, my life was affected ..."

"Yeah," Tiana said.

The building looked like any other Franklin Community College building. Was there a shooting range in back? A ladder course? Pretend criminals who'd run or resist arrest?

"I don't know," Leah said. "I love coaching you guys."

Tiana popped her mitt on the way back to shortstop. "It's cool. Catching bad guys, digging up clues? You should."

A fifth-year senior, Tina was just a few years younger than Leah. She'd be facing the same choices soon.

Practice finished strong. Afterward Leah's players hit the showers — and she strode through center field to begin her life's work.