Inside it, Dave said, "That's our target house on the corner, Joel."

Joel used binoculars, then remarked, "Somebody's inside, but he doesn't have any lights on."

Dave pulled out his own binoculars, looked, and agreed, "Only a silhouette."

Joel declared, "Our warrant lets us search the whole house and take into custody anyone inside."

Dave warned, "Stan's going to be furious."

"Let me worry about him," Joel retorted. "Didn't you say this house is bugged?"

"I have a receiver. Let me tune it in," Dave said. "I'm not getting anything."

Joel suggested, "Maybe he's just being quiet."

"No, I should have a video signal too, from a low-light CCD camera. It seems either the batteries are dead or the transmitter broke. My receiver's fine, because I tested it. No power on in that house, so the equipment runs on batteries. Sorry."

Joel looked more intensely through the binoculars, then said, "I just can't get a good look at the guy."

Dave suggested, "Look back this direction at the Lewis house. It's the fourth house down. There’s no direct line of sight between the two houses."

Joel turned to do so, then said, "Somebody's coming! Duck!"

Both men crouched down below the level of the vehicle's windows.

Loud enough to be heard inside the vehicle, a male voice shouted, "Look, Beth! This is awesome!"

"Pipe, I hate SUV's. They're too boxy and ugly," a woman's voice complained.

The boy's enthusiasm was unabated as he said, "Look at these huge tires with aggressive treads! This vehicle has four-wheel drive. You can tell by the front axle. I'll bet this is Cards’. He says constantly buying new cars throws off the cops. When I grow up, I want to be a dealer like him! That's the way to make real money!"

The woman replied, "My boyfriend may be a nerd, but someday he'll make me lots of cash. We can look at Card's new truck later. Did you bring a pipe?"

"I lost the one we used last time, but I have another. I'm not called Pipe for nothing. See?"

The woman said, "That one's cute!"

Footsteps retreated. Very slowly, Dave and Joel peered back up. Two teenagers were at the door of the house. Both had long hair, the boy's brown and the girl's black. The boy was in very baggy cargo pants, but the girl was in skin-tight blue jeans.

Dave whispered, "That's the boy I chased."

A man of about thirty came to the door, now visible from the streetlight. He let the two teens into the house. Joel got on the truck's radio. A few minutes later, Maureen pulled an unmarked squad car in close. She and Ralph got out of the sedan, while Joel and Dave got out of the SUV. Maureen, Dave, and Ralph were all in uniform, but Joel was still in his business suit. He took from a pocket his badge, which he then hung around his neck on a cord.

Maureen said, "Thanks for talking to the chief, Joel."

"It was your cat," Joel said.

Maureen shot back, "Carbon is a he, not an it."

Joel grabbed a large flashlight, a four D-cell Maglight.

Joel said, "It's dark in there. No electricity. Everybody got flashlights?"

Dave pulled off his belt a flashlight similar to Joel's, but slightly shorter as he had the three-cell model. Ralph and Maureen both got out penlights, but these were surprisingly bright.

Joel gave some final instructions, then he and Dave moved to the front door, while Maureen and Ralph went to the back.

Joel shouted about it being the police with a warrant, but then it was the larger Dave who kicked at the front door, but it held. Dave was an average-sized man, but that still made him larger than the diminutive Joel. Joel silently wished Fred were there. Being tall and bulky, doors gave instantly when Fred kicked them. Dave made a more vigorous kick, and the door flew open.

As Joel and Dave entered, light from streetlights streamed in through the broken windows, allowing them to pick out forms to aim their flashlights at. Pipe sat on the floor with a smoking pipe still in his hands. Joel pointed his gun at Pipe. Pipe dropped his pipe and slowly raised his hands. Beth stood at a kitchen counter, a mirror and razor blade in front of her, frozen in the glare of the flashlight like a deer caught in headlights. Dave aimed his gun at her. In the glare of Dave's flashlight, white powder showed on the tip of her nose.

Maureen's voice rang through the house, "Police! Stop or I'll shoot! Drop the gun!"

Instead of the sound of a shot, there was a thud that sounded like a piece of falling metal. After a while and following more instructions by Maureen, a man slowly came out of the hallway and into the living room. He had his hands on his head. He was followed by Maureen and Ralph, both with their guns and flashlights out. All three suspects were instructed to put their hands against the wall. They complied.

Joel then asked Pipe, "What's your name?"

"Pipe," the boy said in a trembling voice.

"Your real name," Joel demanded.

"Ray Newman," Pipe said, a few tears coming down his face.

Joel continued, "Ray, do you have any needles or sharp objects in your pockets?"

Pipe claimed that he did not. Despite this claim, Joel put on a set of surgical gloves, then a second pair over that to make two layers. His search found a comb, handkerchief, a wallet without any money in it, and a clear plastic bag filled with crumbly brown plant material. Joel then informed Ray that he was under arrest, read him his rights, and put him in cuffs. Then, using the flashlight, Joel checked the contents of the wallet more carefully. He found nothing suspicious, but he did find a library card.

Joel said to the others, "The name on the card is actually Ray Newman."

Joel then moved on to the older man and asked, "What's your name?"

"John Doe," the man said insolently.

Maureen commented, "Try again."

"Cards. I’m a great card dealer," the man said with a laugh.

Beth and Ray joined in the laugh. None of the police officers joined in. Joel guessed that the joke was that the name Cards hinting at dealing other things than cards.

Joel didn't bother asking more about his name, but did ask about sharp objects in any pockets, just as he'd asked Ray Newman. Cards belligerently refused to answer that. Joel kicked the man's feet further apart, then began his search, moving very slowly and gingerly. The first thing he found was a large handgun in a shoulder holster. He carefully took that out.

Maureen said, "That's strange. He's carrying a gun, but he had another gun. I ordered him to drop it back in the hallway. He did as I ordered."

Ralph eagerly told the others, "If you got these three covered, I can get the other gun."

"Do it," Joel said, "but be careful not to ruin any prints. And mark its position before picking it up."

Joel wouldn't have bothered to add the detailed instructions to Dave or Maureen, but Ralph was more used to making traffic stops than situations like this. Joel then resumed his search. He found many plastic bags of various sizes in his pockets. The man had on a nylon windbreaker and that had even more bags in its pockets. Some of the bags looked like the one Pipe had had, but others contained a white powder. Joel even found some more small bags with white powder tucked into the top of the man's socks.

The guy claimed, "It's just cooking supplies, some flour and sugar."

Joel said, "What about the brown stuff?"

"Pipe tobacco," he insisted. "You can't arrest me for that stuff."

Joel replied, "Sure we can, until the lab tells us it isn't what we think it is."

Dave put in, "I always keep some extra sugar in my socks too. I hate coffee without sugar, and they always seem to run out."

Maureen said, "I'm not letting you bring me coffee anymore, Dave. I thought it smelled strange."

"Can the humor," Joel said, then went back to searching. "You've got a money belt on. Stand still as I remove it."

"Hey, quit that, you fag!"

"Shut up," Joel said, anger leaking into his words.

Joel came away with the black belt that had been tucked under the man's pants. The man looked very unhappy, as though he thought that the belt would not be detected. Joel opened it and it was thick with cash. Joel rifled through that, then pulled out a plastic card. He took out the card and looked at it more closely with his flashlight.

Maureen asked, "What've you got?"

"It's a driver's license for Michael Trapp. The photograph matches this man," Joel replied.

Dave deadpanned, "Shouldn't that license say John Doe or maybe Cards?"

Ralph came back with a gun in a plastic bag and said, "Maureen had kicked it aside after he dropped it. It was hard to find without any lights in this place. I'm going to get one of those big flashlights like you've got, Joel."

Joel just grunted at that, then he patted down Mike Trapp one more time, but found nothing else.

Joel said, "Well, Mike Trapp, I'll bet you won't be surprised to hear this. You’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent."

"Skip it. I've heard it before."

Joel said, "I'll bet you have, but that doesn't matter to me. Shut up and be bored, because I'm not skipping it. You have the right to remain silent. Anything..."

Joel continued on through the rest. All four cops seemed to relax a little after Joel had the handcuffs on him.

Joel then asked, "Mike, where do you wear the gun from the hallway? You've only got one holster."

Mike growled, "I ain't telling you nothing. Neither will these kids, if they know what's good for them!"

Dave said, "That sounded like a threat to these two fine teenagers."

Joel said, "Maureen, since you're here, will you do the search on this lady?"

"Sure thing," Maureen said, stowing her gun.

As Joel had done, she put on a double set of gloves.

Ralph asked, "Couldn't you search her, Joel?"

"Yes, but since Maureen is here, it'll be better for her to do it. I'm not worried about Trapp's claim that I was pawing him during my search, but..." Joel said, then let the rest of the explanation die out.

Ralph said, "I get you."

Maureen asked, "What's your name, ma'am?"

"Sandy...uh...Johnson," the girl replied.

Joel snapped, deliberately putting emotion in his voice, "We know that's not your name, Beth! You shouldn't lie to us."

The girl seemed startled by that, then sheepishly said, "My name is Beth Droughton."

Maureen asked, "Do you have any sharp objects in your pockets?"

"No, certainly not," Beth said sullenly.

Maureen began her search, then shouted in a way that seemed a combination of a curse and a prayer, "God!"

Maureen pulled back her right hand. A hypodermic needle hung from her index finger.

Beth joyously laughed, then screamed, "Fooled you! That's just what cops deserve for taking our drugs away!"

Maureen's face was normally very pale, but it turned ghostly as she starred at the needle. Joel focused the light from his big Maglight on the finger.

Maureen looked carefully, then said, "I think it's between the two layers of glove."

Beth's laughing diminished at that.

Joel said, "Ralph, Dave, keep your eyes on the suspects while I help Maureen."

Mike Trapp had started slinking away. Dave rapped him hard in the arm with his big flashlight and ordered, "Get back against the wall."

Mike complained, "Hey, that hurt! You're not supposed to beat cooperating prisoners!"

Ralph said, "You're lucky I didn't shoot you before Dave used the flashlight."

Dave put in, "I'd back Ralph up that shooting was justified. Get back against the wall."

As this was going on, Maureen had pulled out the needle. She also removed both gloves. She tried inflating the one glove like a balloon, but air leaked out the hole. She then tried on what had been the inner glove. It inflated. Maureen let tears fall from her eyes, without showing any embarrassment for doing so.

Pipe said in awe, "Lady, why're you crying?"

Beth complained, "You cops are worse than the boys at school. I don't have cooties."

Mike Trapp suggested, "She's probably scared she got injected with drugs, so might have some fun for once in her life. A cop couldn't handle fun!"

Beth laughed as though this was the funniest joke in the world, while Ray managed a weak chuckle.

Maureen wiped her cheeks, then said, "I was worried about HIV, hepatitis, or other blood-borne diseases."

Beth claimed, "I'm not sick."

Joel put in, "You might never know if you were. Beth, along with the drug violations, I am arresting you for assault with a deadly weapon."

Beth said, "Well, if it turns out I have any of those diseases, I hope that this woman cop catches them! Hey, maybe the hole was so small that the glove could still inflate."

Joel read Beth her rights, then cuffed her. He also put Ray Newman in cuffs. Ray hardly seemed to be paying attention to that, but kept staring at Maureen, as though fascinated by her wet cheeks. Joel didn't know if this interest was because Ray was happy to see the tears because he hated cops so much or if he was frightened by what they could mean to himself and his own future health.

Dave said, "Well, we got everybody arrested in cuffs without anybody dying this time."

Beth asked, "What do you mean?"

Dave responded, "Pipe knows. He was where Eric died today."

Beth howled, "Pipe?"

Ray Newman, also known as Pipe, claimed, "I heard shots, but I didn't know anybody got hit other than the lady cop. She was hit in the leg, which was fun to watch. Lots of blood! That was so cool! I didn't really see what happened inside the house. I heard four shots, and only one hit the lady. I suppose Eric could have been shot."

Maureen coldly said, "He was."

Beth began screaming and thrashing around. Joel and Maureen grabbed her. Beth was hard to manage even in the cuffs. Mike Trapp started tiptoeing away again. He stopped as he noticed that Ralph had a gun pointed at his head.

Eventually, the police got the prisoners in the cars.

With that done, Dave said to the other officers, "Sorry to have spilled the beans. I figured Pipe had told her already."

Rubbing her finger as if still worried the needle might have gotten to it, Maureen said, "Beth hated me so much that she wanted me dead. I thought that was because she knew her boyfriend had died today at the hands of the police. Since she didn't know that, I wonder why she hates cops so much."

Joel said, "That's the same hatred I've puzzling over for Eric. If he hated cops as much as his girlfriend does, I'm less surprised how he acted."