Chapter Text
"Flip! Flip!" Jimmy pinched Flip's arm to bring him out of his reverie.
"Oww! What'd you do that for?"
"I was talking to you and you were daydreaming again! You coming out drinking with us after work?"
Flip looked at his partner like he had grown an extra eye on his forehead. "I've got too much paperwork to do, maybe another night."
"You haven't been out with us since that KKK business months ago!! You've been distracted since then!! When was the last time you got laid?"
"Since fucking when is my sex life your business?"
"I'd say roughly since you stopped having a sex life, partner!" Flip groaned as he could hear his other partner, Ron Stallworth, giggling in the background.
"Look, guys…," Flip was about to go on a tirade about his so called friends being nosy motherfuckers when the Chief started bellowing his name from his office. He was almost grateful for the interruption until he thought about it. The Chief had probably noticed how his output had pretty much stalled since the whole debacle with David Duke. He probably needed some extended time off to get his shit together but he hadn't been that guy in the past. Whatever this is would work itself out.
When he finally reaches Chief Bridges' office, he directs him to the seat across from his desk after he closes his office door.
"Flip, I wanna talk to you about something big. I want you to take the rest of the day off and meet me tomorrow at 11am sharp at the Mueller State Park. Don't talk about this with anybody, nobody!! "
"Chief, I'm behind on my files…"
"Don't worry about that!! This is important!! Now, go get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow." He made his way to his desk, grabbed his keys, and said goodbye to his friends telling them he had some personal business to take care of. Both Jimmy and Ron thought maybe he was leaving to find a girl to fuck his mind off of whatever was bothering him.
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He thought going for a run might help him clear his mind. It didn't!! His focus had been totally shot after his KKK exploits. His mind kept wandering to a woman. A particular woman, not the loose women he tended to meet. He didn't think he'd ever met this woman. She was smart and cultured, she even seemed a little older than him. Dark wavy hair, olive skin, beauty marks…Why was she plaguing his dreams and thoughts? At this point, she was the only thing in his spank bank. He hated even thinking about that even though it was true. It felt beneath her for him to think of her like that….
When he got back to his apartment, he grabbed some food and started to wonder about this "big" thing the Chief wanted to talk to him about. Probably some crazy assignment no one else would want. Maybe he just needed a long ass vacation. His focus was so off that he shouldn't even consider whatever the Chief wanted him for. But maybe this assignment would get him out of this weird funk he was in.
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Flip was early to the park because he was anxious about this thing. It was almost like he'd already made up his mind before he knew the details. He just needed to calm down and listen to what was being presented. He waited in his truck as he saw Chief Bridges pull up in his black sedan with a male passenger in tow. He waited until they both got out of Bridges' vehicle before he left his truck to meet them. Bridges spoke first.
"Flip, I wanna introduce you to US Marshal Jed Graham. He wants to talk to you about an assignment."
"Flip, It's a pleasure to meet you.," Graham extended a hand to Flip to shake and Flip shook it tentatively. "Normally, we'd do this in an office, but I'm pressed for time and we needed to keep this on a need to know basis."
"I promise to keep this to myself regardless of how things go. I think the Chief can vouch for me on that."
"That's why we're talking. The Chief told me that you've worked on the S.L. Snoke case in the past."
Flip took a moment to run over that case once the name was mentioned. The Snoke debacle had him close to quitting the force even before getting involved with the local chapter of the KKK with Ron. The time investment was nearly worthless. Snoke was teflon.
"Yes, I worked the case, but we never got close to getting him on anything."
"We've got a witness who's willing to testify against him. She came to us, but it turned into an unmitigated disaster. Snoke got to a few of my guys and it led to the witness getting hurt in an explosion. She let us take her to the hospital for treatment and then she bailed on us…"
"I'll do it!! Whatever you need me to do, I'm ready!"
Bridges jumps in. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!! Hold the phone!! Graham, let me talk to our boy for a minute here." Bridges practically dragged Flip away by his collar far enough away so that Graham couldn't overhear.
"Look, don't think I haven't noticed you dragging ass around the office!! Don't take this unless you're absolutely sure. This could be a great opportunity for you or you could end up dead along with the witness if you're not careful!"
"John, you wouldn't have brought me out here if you didn't think I could pull this off! Snoke is fucking bad news and if this witness can put him in jail, then I gotta try to help!"
"Flip, you will be totally on your own!! No backup! No Ron, no Jimmy, no me!! Whatever issues you got, you gotta bring them out now!!"
"Ok, I'll finish listening to what he's got to say, but my mind is already made up." Bridges rolled his eyes and exhaled.
They made their way back to Graham to finish up the briefing. "I've got an official letter deputizing you as a US Marshal for the purposes of this case and I'm giving you a badge just in case but it's not the type of thing you wanna be flashing to just anyone. I can't support you out there like I would want because that would expose the witness. She reached back out to us after about a month of being in the wind. Like it or not, she's running the show right now. We need you to show up at 3pm sharp tomorrow at the phone booth at the First Methodist Church on Nevada Avenue. If we miss this opportunity, she'll probably never trust us again and Snoke keeps getting away with murder. Without her testimony, we won't have enough for an indictment."
"She saw Snoke commit murder?"
"That's what she is reporting and unfortunately, I don't have all the details because I didn't have time to debrief the witness before the explosion. If Snoke went through all the trouble to try to kill her and pay off two of my guys to help do it, then she has to have the goods."
"So you need intel in addition to having me protect her?"
"Yea. I'm sure the Chief has already warned you about the dangers of this assignment. I'm desperate for your help based on his recommendation. If you can pull this off, I'm willing to pull every string I can to get you on the Marshal service permanently if you want. Maybe I could even get you an in for the FBI. But the risk…I gotta be honest, if I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn't do it!! But I'm desperate to try and fix this as well as do right by this witness. Use your personal weapons. I've got a stipend for you that should be plenty. Get her to the US Marshal field office in DC within 4 weeks and we can take it from there. Any info you get can be called directly to that office, use only one way communication and don't leave any traceable info in the messages. I'm happy to answer any other questions you have."
Flip thought to himself for a bit. He was already committed. The explosion…once that was mentioned, he knew it was her, his mystery woman had burns to her face and back. He had to follow this where it led.