Sergeant Samuel Stillwell adjusted the temperature in the squad car again. The howling wind created a psychological feeling of cold. Of course, the fact the ambient temperature was -29 Celsius aided that freezing feeling.
Sam hadn't been on a car patrol for a great many years. He was 47 years old, had served the city police since he was 23 and was only a year from retiring with full pension. He had earned the privilege of not sitting in a car on New Year's Eve, but duty called.
Constable Devon Schmuland, newly graduated from the police academy, was the reason Sam sat in this car on this cold night. Devon, 22, had left the academy only two weeks before and this was his very first actual patrol. The experienced officer who was to partner Devon for two weeks broke his leg during a pursuit the night before. Sam agreed to accompany young Devon until another partner could be arranged.
Now into their fourth hour of duty, Sam and Devon had spent their time, as was customary on such cold nights, seeking out the homeless and ensuring they were safe for the night. They cruised the dark alleyways of the inner city where abandoned buildings offered temporary sanctuary from the weather looking for those at risk of hypothermia. So far they had transported six individuals to shelters and three to hospital.
Devon was telling Sam how he had proposed the night before when he suddenly stopped talking and interrupted his tale with, "What's that?"
Sam turned and followed Devon's pointing finger. On the second floor of an abandoned auto repair shop a flickering light shone through a partially boarded window, "Looks like flames. Let's check it out."
"Shouldn't we call the Fire Department to respond?"
"Good question. Normally I would say 'yes' but Fire is always busy this time of year and I would rather be sure it is not just some homeless guy who started a small fire to keep warm before we call them. Agreed?" Devon nodded and followed his partner out of the car. The wind was bitter and the two officers rushed to a small door on the side of the building. Luckily the door opened. Sam turned to lock the patrol car with the fob in his pocket.
"Christ, it's cold," muttered Sam as he swept his flashlight around the empty space.
"Not much warmer in here. Those broken windows don't help," commented Devon shining his light on the culprit windows.
"Can't blame whoever it is for starting a fire to keep warm. There. There's the stairs." Sam led the way to the far corner of the building and up the metal staircase. Their echoing footsteps announced their arrival long before they reached the top.
As Sam turned into the upper space his attention was drawn to the source of the flickering light. A large metal barrel turned into an improvised fire pit stood in a corner where two walls helped contain the heat. Around the fire six men huddled on assorted chairs and dirty mattresses.
The group glared at the officers not appreciating the intrusion. Sam was able to see they were all black and all between 18 and about 24. He decided to approach the situation in same way they had approached the nine other citizens they had aided that night.
"Greetings, guys, sorry to interrupt. We were just checking to ensure the fire was contained safely."
One of the men snapped, "How'd you know about our fire?"
Devon pointed to the half boarded window, "The light was visible through there."
The one who spoke tugged on the sleeve of another, "Block that out." He was instantly obeyed.
Sam saw nothing to keep the two officers there, "Okay, as long as everything is safe here, we'll be leaving. Please make sure the fire is out before you go, alright?"
"Sure thing, officer. Safety first."
"Great, have a save night and keep warm, boys."
The response to that was immediate and swift. "What you call us? Eh, honkey, what you call us?!" the spokesman for the group reared up and pulled a gun from his pocket. Two other guns appeared. The small group rapidly deployed to surround Sam and Devon.
"Hey, hey, hey. Everyone calm down. I didn't mean anything by that. I call everyone younger than me 'boy'. Nothing racial about it."
Devon found his voice, "That's true. He calls me 'boy' all the time."
The leader moved closer, "I don't believe you. You was trying to put us down 'cause we're black and we don't like that. No, sirree, we don't like that one bit. Cops is all the same."
Reaching for his gun, Sam tried backing up to the stairwell but was stopped by a gun in his back. Needlessly the armed teen demanded, "Don't move!" Sam and Devon both obeyed the next command to raise their hands. When they had done so they were relieved of their guns.
"Alright, guys, sorry my meaning was misunderstood but there is no reason to make things worse. Holding us at gunpoint is taking this from a misunderstanding to a criminal offense. Let's just back off and talk calmly," Sam said.
But the young men were not in the mood to be reasonable. The leader replied, "Fuck no, you guys came here to cause trouble and trouble you found."
"You tell 'em, Ten-J. You tell them true."
Ten-J flashed a bright white smile at his gang and then turned that smile to Sam and Devon ignoring their protests, "So, what should we do with a couple of racist cops, huh?"
The gang members shouted a variety of suggestions that, to the dismay of the officers, included 'Shoot 'em' and 'Hang them'.
'Oh fuck,' Sam said to himself, 'Now what?' Out loud he managed, "Now, wait, let's not go off half-cocked..." 'Where did 'half-cocked' come from? That's something Dad would say.'