Cold Evil

A mixture of exhaust fumes and grilled onions filled the downtown parking garage. Behind an illegally parked taco truck, a line of hungry office workers danced to keep warm. Fajita tacos were four dollars each. Claire had six dollars. Maybe he'd negotiate. She ordered two on corn tortillas and a freshly squeezed lemonade.

As she waited, the wind whistled through, carrying with it a blast of North Dakota cold. The kind of cold that created problems that Claire had to solve.

The man turned and called her order number. "Twelve dollars, miss." His eyes drifted to the badge on her shirt. He tipped his head back and flashed a ragged-toothed grin.

"How about six dollars?" She returned the smile. "I'm a bit short."

He handed over the two tacos but kept the lemonade. She really wanted that lemonade.

The GMC's heater worked overtime against the falling temperatures. She dipped across 3rd Street into an empty lot. Three bites each and they were gone. No lemonade to wash them down, so she used the remnants of this morning's gas station fill up. She'd have to remember to take out more cash.

Half an hour later, Deputy Jensen called for support. Two men in an older model pickup truck blew a stop sign and didn't pull over. When Claire arrived, Jensen had one suspect on the ground. The other suspect, Dietrich Southey, took off, running up 5th Street wearing trainers, no coat. Claire chased him uphill. Hating fajita tacos.

"Sheriff's Office. Stop." They never stop running. The rear door to Rosie's opened and a blonde waitress named Danyelle filled the doorway, arms folded across her chest.

He stopped running at the top of the hill. Gasping for air, he balled his fists. Claire drove her shoulder into his mid-section, forcing the wind from his chest. Southey came up swinging. He grabbed at Claire, trying to pull her down. She slammed his head into the snow. His left arm came up, she twisted it back and rolled him over. Claire clamped the cuffs around both wrists.

"Hey Claire. When you get done playing cops and robbers, come in for a cup."

Danyelle turned back inside, the wind closing the door behind her. Claire wiped the snow from her uniform, dragged Southey to his feet, and marched him down the street, looking back twice.