A Cop's Cop

'A safe in a brownstone with ice,' the leader answered.

'When.'

'Tonight or early tomorrow morning,' the leader replied, giving Harris the address.

'Real simple. The people who live there will be in the Hamptons. Bing-a-bang-a-boom, and a little drive to Scranton, and $2700.00 for us,' the dumb one interjected.

'Okay, we'll meet here at 10:00 p.m. tonight, and wear dark clothes,' Harris ordered. 'You and I go in and get the safe, you steal a car and wait for us where I tell you.' Both men nodded their heads like a puppy doll in the rear window of a '65 Chevy.

Harris made another trip through the boroughs and called the Captain. He delineated the plan and gave him both addresses. Both men agreed that the odds were in their favor that it was Goi and Russell. Captain Cook made arrangements for the Brownstone to be empty, the safe easily accessible, and a car with the keys in it on the same street. The Pennsylvania and New York State Police would stay clear until Goi and Russell showed their faces.

Captain Cook came through in spades and the heist in the exclusive Brownstone went off without a hitch. Harris took the drivers seat when they emerged from the building and began the 2-1/2 hour trip to Scranton. The conversation between the two idiots centered around how easy a job it was and how surprised the owner of the Brownstone would be when he arrived home. Harris had been keeping an eye out for a tail, but there were no cops in sight behind them. The threesome made a pit stop to relieve themselves and grab some coffee just over the Pennsylvania border. When they were back on the road again, Harris realized Goi and Russell had been tailing them from the front. He recognized the dark sedan they were behind before pulling into the rest stop. Harris felt a cold shiver from the back of his neck down to his feet. He was never one to fear any man, or any situation, but the realization that he was up against the pros shook his confidence. Ten miles outside the Scranton city limits the dark sedan disappeared. Harris prayed a silent Novena that his old boss from the Trinity would not let him down. He knew if there was no back-up the odds were heavily stacked against him and the two odd balls living through the drop. Harris cautiously approached the designated meeting place, which appeared to be the abandoned shell of an old coal mine. The dark sedan was nowhere in sight and the three men got out of the car.

'Maybe we're early, you made good time, Sam.' Before the leader could finish his thought, the rapid succession of gunfire filled the air. Harris recognized the ambush and dove to the ground, rolling toward the car. He felt a hot, burning sensation in his buttocks as he looked under the car and saw the wide-eyed dumb thief with a quarter inch hole in his forehead. The shots continued and Harris heard the screams of the leader, followed by silence. Harris held his breath and laid perfectly still, hoping that Goi and Russell would take him for dead.

The smell of sulfur and dirt heightened the senses of the Philly cop. Harris suddenly had more respect for opossums. Only ten minutes had passed, but seemed like 10 days. Finally, he heard voices and faint laughter coming from the front of the car. As they drew closer, he thought to himself, 'don't go out like a dog.' Harris decided he would try to wrestle one to the ground while reaching for his gun when they inspected the bodies. He heard one of the killers kick one of his partners in crime to verify his mortality. Just as one walked around the front of the stolen vehicle, half a dozen headlights flashed to shouts of 'Freeze! Police!' The perp in front of the car, Goi, began shouting and was quickly gunned down. The other, Russell, made his way behind the vehicle. As he came upon Harris, the wounded cop unloaded his revolver into his chest. As Russell collapsed from the impact of Harris's bullets, shots continued to hail the stolen vehicle. Harris felt a hot knife in his right shoulder, followed by another in the side of his neck. He dropped his gun and lost consciousness.