Good Cop, Dead Cop

Louis nodded briskly "That’s O.K. I...uh...I understand."

The squad car pulled out into the main stream of traffic and the journey continued in silence for a few moments longer. Louis was once again fixed on the road ahead even though the traffic was almost at a standstill. He lifted his foot off the accelerator and the car’s auto driver option used only for slow moving situations kicked in.

Ken too was staring straight ahead, his arms rested in his lap just as they always had done before. Louis flicked another glance sideways before returning his gaze to the road and the back end of an automated refuse truck which had pulled in front of them. Traffic was now at a standstill.

"Same old traffic eh, Lou?" said Ken.

Louis fair bristled at the comment, the whole situation was fast becoming too weird for him. He wanted to say something but didn’t quite have the words. All his life he had dealt with things as they had come along. Every situation had always had its place and time to be reasoned with. Except the situation defied any efforts to be dealt with, in its own way it was unique and in Lou’s eyes it suspended disbelief.

Ken realised he wasn’t going to get an answer to his previous flippant query and turned properly to face Louis.

"Look" he began slowly, as if he too might be struggling to find words, "I understand this is pretty weird for you Lou. I figure you might have some questions and I really don’t mind if you have. It’s just I’d rather have anything than this silent treatment."

Louis turned slowly to face Ken, sure now that it was Ken’s statement and not the outside warmth that was colouring his cheeks.

"Excuse me if I don’t spill out a million questions at once but I guess I’m finding this whole situation a little out of my depth."

"I understand" replied Ken suddenly, "I really do, and for the record before the subject is raised I don’t blame you either."

Those words whisked Louis back through time to just over a month ago. Outside a small hotel called "The Golden Gate" located just outside the New China Quadrant of the city. Louis remembered how he and a considerably pinker Ken had approached the door to the hotel on a simple jaywalking call.

"The Golden Gate" had a reputation for hookers but generally those who had seen their best years fall behind them. The fact that these men and women were older meant they were less desirable for the exploitation of pimps, which meant less trouble all round as far as Louis was concerned.

This time however he had been wrong. Ken had walked through the entrance to the hotel and straight into two bullets which had brought him down like a rock. Louis had been quick to react pulling his gun and returning fire. He caught Ken’s assailant twice in the head and watched her crumple to the ground before Ken had even had the time to start bleeding.