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Charles "Chuck" Stankowski paced about the near-barren
room. Linda Sponavitch, the woman who owned the house, was sitting in
a wooden chair in the middle of the room, barely able to control her
crying. Chuck had known the Sponavitch's for years. Linda's husband,
Alan, usually came by the station every other Friday to play a few
games of poker with Chuck and a few of the guys. He was surprised
when he had heard Linda and Alan's address called in as a robbery.
"I. . . It's all gone. . ." she said between choking back
tears. Chuck frowned and hugged her, saying "Der', der', it'll
be okay Mrs. Sponavitch". His heavy frame, salt and pepper
moustache, and soft accent had a tendency to help people calm down.
He took off the sunglasses that he wore almost constantly, revealing
wrinkled, yet wise brown eyes. The dark bags that sat under them gave
away the truth of his lack of sleep. Cases just like this had been
popping up more frequently than ever, and he spent more time at the
station than back home with his wife, Sara. Even when he was home, it
was usually just to catch as much sleep as he could. He had been
patrolling Deerfield for almost 20 years now, and although you
couldn't find a bunch of people nicer than them under the sun, there
was always a few bad guys wandering around. And Chuck had no
intention of letting some hoodlum terrorize the people he loved.
"You know I'll do my best to find da' guy who did this to ya. He
doesn't stand a chance now that ol' Chuck is on the job!" he
said with a smile.
Chuck sat at the desk in his home office, sipping at the remains of
the coffee from his mug. It had gotten dark, the only light emanating
from an unshaded 60-watt bulb in a swivel-neck lamp. Chuck stared at
the folder in sprawled out across his desk. He didn't understand. He
couldn't see it. More than anything, he was tired. There didn't seem
to be any reason to the increase in crime, and he couldn't see a
similarity in any of the reported robberies. He heard a creaking
behind him. Sara was leaning on the door in a long nightgown, her
long blonde hair mussed, her face covered in a frown. "Sorry,
Hun. I still have some work to do". Sara didn't even have to ask
the question anymore. Sara frowned a little deeper, sighed, then
marched back to bed. Chuck looked back at the folders on his desk,
not so much evaluating the case anymore, but rather his life. He had
been raised in a family of policemen, his father the chief of a
little precinct in Illinois. His grandfather had been a cop in
Chicago during the gangster era, and had even been offered a bribe
once, but family legend says he did not accept, and that defeated the
hoodlum in a dazzling display of fisticuffs. Chuck had expected to
have family stories told about him too, or at least achieve a high
position like his father. And yet, here he was still, patroling the
same little streets that he has been for 20 years. He never thought
he would be able to settle down like that. The transition from
jet-setting young man to the laid-back neighborhood "Officer
Friendly" had taken a toll on both his mental and physical
health. He wasn't just tired because of work. Too many years of
nachos and pork rinds with football buddies, and too many cigars at
the poker tables with Robbie Ludford and the rest of the gang had
proven to be a strong determent to his physical well-being. He had
gotten himself checked out by a doctor, and was warned of the high
risk he was at of having a heart attack. Chuck had tried to cut back
since then. No cigars, more salads. No more than two cans of beer. It
hadn't been fun, but he couldn't leave Sara and all his friends alone
because he was too stupid to take care of himself.
"Good news, Honey!" Chuck exclaimed as Sara was still
trying to shake the sleepiness form her body. "You've got me for
a whole week!" Sara was up on her feet as she heard the news.
"Really Charles? You aren't making fun again, are you?" she
asked excitedly. It had taken him a few days, but Chuck had been able
to set up some time away form work. "Well, all the boys down at
the station agreed that I needed a break, so here I am! Robbie told
me to go for two, but hey, we'll just have to see how long you can
stand me!" Sara beamed brighter than Chuck had seen her in a
long while. "Oh Charles. This is such good news. I'll just have
to get Robert a present! Oh, but what will we do! It's so
sudden!" she said, flipping between happy, thoughtful, and
surprised all at once. "Not to worry! It's never boring when ol'
Chuck is on the job!" |
