The story so far: Nina does not yet know that a gangster she arrested, Fitz O’Patrick, has successfully blackmailed Mayor Richard. O’Patrick’s people told the mayor they have photos of him in a hotel with an underage girl. The mayor told the DA to drop all charges against O’Patrick.
Nina is happy. She is dancing around her basement room singing Shagg Nasty’s tune, Going Get Your Freak On. She has stopped one of Chicago’s biggest gangsters, putting him and his crew behind bars where they belong.
Nina runs upstairs to the kitchen where her grandparents, Steve and Ann, are having a leisurely breakfast. “Guess who just called,” she tells her grandparents.
“Why don’t you tell us instead of playing guessing games?” her grandfather says.
“It was Pir Brown!” Nina exclaims.
“Where is that girl, Nina, and why won’t she come for dinner?” her grandmother asks.
“Sorry, Grandma,” Nina explains. “She’s still in Detroit but called to congratulate me on my big case.”
Her grandfather smiles broadly at Nina and tells her how happy they are for their crime-fighting granddaughter. “How about sitting down and eating your breakfast before it gets cold?” he says.
“And don’t forget your fruit, Nina dear,” her grandmother adds.
Nina sits down and devours her breakfast in the company of her grandparents. After breakfast, Nina goes upstairs, showers and gets dressed for her day off. Coming back downstairs she announces, “I’ll be home late.”
“Just be home in time for dinner, Nina dear,” says her grandfather.
“Yes, sir,” Nina says as she walks outside and closes the door behind her. She gets into her 429 Hemi Ford Mustang, revs the engine and thinks again what a great day this is going to be.
Captain Newton, Nina’s commanding officer, knows that it’s Nina’s day off. However, he’s worried that the news about Fitz O’Patrick will reach her from one of the detectives. Meanwhile, Nina is driving the Mustang to the mall, watching the traffic and remembering
what it was like being a traffic cop. Her thoughts are interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone.
“Nina here,” she answers, only to be greeted by “Hey, Nina. Good morning.”
That’s all it takes for Nina to know something is wrong. Newton wouldn’t be calling her on her day off unless there was trouble. Newton fills the silence by asking Nina where she is.
“Heading to the mall. What’s up, Captain?”
There is another pause and Newton asks if Nina can stop by the Department. “Sure thing, Captain,” she says. “Be there in about twenty minutes.”
About 20 minutes later, Nina drives up to the Department, parks her car and walks in without a care in the world, smiling as she approaches the Captain’s office.
Captain Newton is sitting behind his desk when Nina knocks.
“Come on in, Nina, and close the door behind you. Take a seat, Detective.”
Nina sits down and asks, “What’s up, Captain?”
“Bad news,” he says. “Fitz O’Patrick won’t be going to jail for anything.”
Nina jumps from the chair, heading to the Captain’s desk, yelling, “You can’t be serious, Captain!”
Newton looks at Nina and tells her to sit back down.
“If you get out of that chair again, I’ll see that you’re suspended for 60 days.”
Nina calms herself down a little and says quietly, “Yes, sir.”
The Captain explains, “This wasn’t my decision. Dammit, Nina, you know this wasn’t my call. It came from higher up and we had no choice. The DA takes his orders from the Mayor and the Mayor is in bed with the gang. Our hands are tied.
“Look, Nina, we’ve only got a few good detectives in this department,” the Captain continued, “and you’re one of them. We’ve got daily murders and I need you. Heck, the city needs you, Nina. But if we’re going to take Fitz O’Patrick and his gang down once and for all, we’re going to need a new Mayor, and then we can make a difference. So the question is, Nina, are you interested in running? Can I convince you to run for Mayor?”
Nina sat with her mouth open thinking about her future and the implications of what the Captain just told her.
To be continued…
