Note: This is a Morgan Olsen Short, not Hypernaturals. Living here till I get the web site re-orged a bit around having two book series now.
Taken from a true story. Sorry Jan…
“I have never seen you before” the young man opened with.
Morgan looked over at him. Young. Mustache. Well trimmed. Contacts. Hair short on the side, long on top, like he was in the military. A lot of cops wear their hair like that. A lot of cops are ex-military, but this one seemed to not be old enough to have been in the service AND through the academy.
Morgan resisted looking him up and down, and said, in such a way as to let him know she was not interested “This is a cop bar. I am a cop. If you have not seen me here, then you must not have been here when I was. Or you were drunk already. I assign even probability at this point to both possibilities.”
Usually, a snarky comment that mildly insults them gets them to go away. Or get angry. This one was not so easily dissuaded.
“Have you seen ME then?” He asked as if that followed. Morgan did not like the possible ego that could indicate.
“No, but I was not looking either. My partner and I usually drink here and I am waiting for them now.” Morgan tried again. Morgan is not the type of person that will hide behind another person just because someone was being annoying. She intentionally left her partner genderless. Nor did she say ‘I’m taken’ or any of the other classics. None of that should matter.
“You are a cop?” He tried. “I am too! I just joined from El Paso.” He stuck out a hand. “Patrolman Peter Duffy.”
No point in being rude to a Uni, so Morgan shook. “Lead Detective Morgan Olsen, Homicide.” She returned.
That got an unexpected look. The young man dropped his hand and said in what seemed to be genuine awe: “No. THE Morgan Olsen?”
Morgan was not thrilled to be someone that people recognized like that. “I am a Morgan Olsen. I cannot speak to the idea of being THE one, as I am sure there are others. Somewhere.”
“You graduated top in your class. Your picture is on the academy wall. Top grades, top time on the course, top shooting marks. Highest case closure rate of any detective in the city. Anything to get your perp, even if they are a cop. Stories in the paper about you and your cases all the time. All of that?”
Morgan decided to go more direct. “Did you want something, Patrolman Duffy?” She hoped using his title and last name would make it clear she wanted him gone.
“No. Well. Yes. I was going to try and ask you out when I saw you here at the bar and all alone. Buy you a drink. All of that. I could not believe every cop int he place was not hitting on you. Now that I know who you are…” Peter Duffy trailed off.
“You realized that I am waiting for my partner, that all the officers in this bar that know me also know better than to hit on me, and you decided to not do any of those things because you did not wish to deal with the rejection?” Morgan asked.
Young Peter blinked at that, for the first time. “So, you would have said ‘no’…?” Peter asked, unsure.
“That is correct, Patrolman Peter Duffy from El Paso. I would have said ‘no’. Nothing personal: I am just waiting for my partner, trying to enjoy my beer. As this is a cop bar, the beer selection is mostly garbage, but at least they have Shiner Bock, so I can normally sit here in peace, and think about my case or whatever.”
“I don’t understand.” Peter Duffy said.
Morgan sipped. Breathed. “Then chances are your time on the police force is limited.”
Morgan hoped that would leave no conversational openings.
“You know I am related to John Duffy. City Council?” Peter Duffy asked.
“No, however, I fail to see how that is germane to you bothering me in a cop bar when I have tried to be very clear with you that I do not wish to be bothered.”
“Oversee’s the committee on Law Enforcement?” Peter ventured.
Morgan turned away and sipped, pulled out her phone from her inner jacket pocket to see if she had perhaps missed a call from Sam Parker, her partner. If he was not coming, Morgan was going to kill him tomorrow.
No: That wasn’t fair. Morgan decided Sam or no, she shouldn’t have to put up with this shit.
Still, there were no messages. No missed calls. Morgan looked at her beer bottle and considered. She looked up at the bartender “Julian? Could I get some water? Looks like Sam is running late.”
Julian nodded. “Sure thing, Morgan.”
Peter Duffy said: “I would have bought you a beer, you know.”
Morgan looked over at him. “You still here?” She asked.
“Look, I get you are trying to shake me and all, but I want to talk to you.” Peter said. “I don’t know anyone in this city.”
“You are a patrolman. You went through the academy. You are in a bar full of off duty cops.” Morgan pointed out.
“But none of them are you.” Peter said.
“Lucky them.” Morgan replied.
“If you don’t want guys to look at you and hit on you and shit, why are you in a bar? Why do you have that long hair? Why do you look so nice?”
That tore it. In a raised voice that all nearby could hear, Morgan laid into him. “Look, Peter Duffy, of the city council Duffy’s. Why I do anything is literally none of your business. I am in a bar because I am a cop, this is a cop bar. I like beer. They serve beer here. My hair is long because that pleases ME, and I could give a shit if a man likes it or not. It is MY hair, not YOUR invitation. I look the way I look because my parents had a child who looks like me, and I had nothing to do with it. The idea that ANY of that is your business or your male prerogative is complete and utter bullshit, and if you do not leave me the hell alone, and I mean right NOW, you are going to have a lovely harassment complaint filed against you. I am guessing we know why you left El Paso now. Get lost.”
“I…” Peter Duffy was looking around at all the grinning cops and saw they were grinning at him, not her.
Morgan inserted “Lost, Duffy. Now.” Before he could finish any sentence.
“God, you are such a blue balling BITCH.” Peter said. He leaned in and whispered: “I have a ten-inch dick you ain’t never gonna enjoy, bitch.”
Morgan laughed. She responded loudly “Well, Peter Duffy if your ten-inch dick doesn’t glow in the dark, who cares?”
Peter glowered around as that comment received out loud guffaws from several nearby tables. One comment was made, clearly audible: “That kid is dumb.” Peter blushed fiercely and beat a retreat. He bumped roughly into Sam coming in the other direction. Peter was glaring back at Morgan, not paying attention to his path.
“Watch it, kid. Eyes front.” Sam said, and made his way to Morgan and sat where Peter had been. Morgan watched Peter absorb that as he left the bar. Not a happy camper.
“Who was that?” Sam asked with a hooked thumb.
“That is Peter Duffy, a relative of city Councilperson John Duffy. He reportedly has a ten-inch dick though he did not show it to the room for verification.” Morgan reported.
Julian dropped Sam’s regular long neck in front of Sam, and a fresh Shiner in front of Morgan. Julian then said to Sam to fill in: “Kid’s dick don’t glow in the dark reportedly, so he struck out with Morgan.”
“Yes: That is the entire reason.” Morgan agreed, waving her bottle gratefully at Julian. “Thanks. I need this.”
“I’m buying. Sorry about the little asswipe.” Julian said.
Morgan smiled, said “Thank you, Julian” and added the price of the beer to her mental tip amount. Rounded up for good measure.
Sam clicked his bottle with Morgan’s “You learned a lot about him in a short period of time. I wasn’t THAT late.” He sighed. “I may have trouble getting dates, but I see there is a downside to being someone that gets way more offers than they want.”
“Apparently because I have long hair I am looking.” Morgan groused.
“Humm.” Sam said to that. “I hate to take the assholes side here, but I have noticed that women in MANY cultures cut their hair off when they are, and I quote, taken. Married. Whatever.”
“True, but I know of women with Pixie cuts that are looking for a date, too. It is not a reliable indicator, and when I make it clear I am NOT looking from the start?” Morgan asked. “Should I change the way I look because he can’t keep it in his pants?”
“Nope. Not saying that at all.’ Sam said. “Not saying that in the slightest. So, you want to talk about the case?”
“Naw. I solved that while I was waiting for you. In fact, Peter helped me figure out the motive.”
“You are saying she killed him because he was like Peter there?” Sam asked.
“Exactly. Justifiable homicide.” Morgan said.
Sam studied his partner a moment. “You serious?”
“We’ll see tomorrow. Meantime, let us just hang out.” Morgan said. “Partner.” She added.
