An Officer and a Concerned Citizen

Jeremy pulled on his clothes, grabbed the wand and opened the van door a crack. A city cop was there, frowning. Several steps behind the fit, female officer, her hair hidden by her regulation cap, stood a middle-aged woman dressed in a light blue tracksuit and grasping the leash of a rather sedate Westie in her hand.

“Is that your dog, sir?” the officer demanded, her brown eyes glowing with irritation and pointing at the beagle tied to the trailer hitch by his leash with his tail wagging excitedly. Jeremy swore softly. He had been so excited at getting the girls into the VW he had just looped Zack’s leash in place, not thinking of the beagle’s needs as much as his own.

“Sorry, boy,” he apologized, slipping out of the van and closing the door behind without giving the cop or woman a look inside. Walking up to the happy dog, his tongue running down his snout, Jeremy knelt down and patted his head. “You’ll be home soon, don’t you worry.”

The beagle barked joyfully.

“We have laws, young man,” the officer said sternly from behind him. “For good reason. Mongrels like that –”

“What?” Jeremy and the middle-aged woman cried out together, both their eyebrows shooting up in surprise at their synchronized exclamation.

“I said mongrel,” the city cop growled, her eyes flashing.

“Zack is no mongrel,” he snarled back. “He’s a purebred beagle and a good dog.”

“I don’t care,” the woman snapped. “He’s a mutt, a nasty piece of work, and curs like him are not allowed to be unattended, especially her in the park!”

“Now wait just a minute!” the woman in the tracksuit cried, striding up to the officer and the young man. “I called you over here because I saw the poor thing out here all alone! Not to insult the dear boy! You got him out of the van to take responsibility so that’s that! You should be nice, write him his ticket and move on!”

“I ought to haul both your asses in, bitch,” the city cop spat. “Making me deal with this! You people make me sick, letting your nasty beasts piss and shit wherever they want! I’ve had enough –” Jeremy rolled his eyes, tuning the diatribe out. It was hard to believe that there were people who absolutely loathed dogs, man’s best friend since who knew. Too bad I – He cut off the thought, his eyes popping. The wand! Of course! Grinning, he pulled out the wand, pointing it at the uniformed woman’s back, her attention on the older woman and laying it on thick, and – Woosh! –

“I’m so, so sorry!” the officer began to plead, her bottom lip trembling prettily and tears welling in her brown eyes. “I don’t know what came over me! I love dogs. I do! I just –just haven’t had one in on so long, I’d forgotten how wonderful they could be. Please, won’t you forgive me?”

“Don’t forget me, too,” Jeremy spoke up, surreptitiously sliding the wand up his sleeve. The cop jumped in surprise, having completely forgotten about him, and turned about to face him.

“Oh! Please, sir, can you find it in your heart to forgive me?” she begged.

“Maybe,” he shrugged.

“Maybe?” her brown eyes popped. “Wha-what can I do to make up for my appalling behavior?”

With an extremely please smile, Jeremy leaned forward and whispered into her ear.

“Are – are you serious?” she asked, her face paling in shock at his suggestion. The young man remained mysteriously silent, a fey gleam in his eyes. The officer looked at him, her pouty lip shaking uncontrollably.

“Is there – can’t there be another way?” the city cop asked softly, the middle-aged woman staring at the pair open-jawed in confusion. He shook his head slightly.

“I – I,” she stammered for a moment, then her face fell. “Okay. Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Do what?” the woman with the Westie at her feet cried out. “What the hell is going?”