Neon Cop's Arc

Chapter 7 of 10

Neon Cop parked two streets back from the marina and killed the engine. His family was hidden in the old boathouse now. But hidden meant nothing if Bander's men saw him come and go. He watched the docks through his mirror. A car sat near the harbor office. Two men leaned against it, eyes on the water. They were counting boats and faces. If they spotted him, they would find the boathouse. They would find his mother and Julie. He called Chief Parker. "Two watchers at the marina," he said. "I can't reach my family without leading them right to the door." Parker's voice came back hard. "Then don't reach them your way. We reach them mine." He arrived twenty minutes later, but not in the patrol car. He came in a rusted skiff, puttering in from open water with a cooler and a fishing rod. His chief's uniform was gone. He wore a stained cap and old boots. Neon Cop almost laughed. The man who ran the whole department looked like a tired weekend fisherman. "Get in," Parker said, low. "We come from the sea side. They're watching the road." Neon Cop climbed down and dropped into the boat. Parker steered them wide, past the moored boats, past the men who never once looked at the water. He cut behind the far dock and eased the skiff up to the boathouse from the back. No road. No car. Just gray water and pilings. Julie's face appeared at the window. She waved both arms. Mrs. Wilson opened the rear door and pulled them inside fast. "You came by boat," Julie said. She pushed her sunglasses up. "Like pirates." "Like smart cops," Parker said, and even his mustache almost smiled. Neon Cop set food and water on the table. His mother gripped his arm. "How long can you keep doing this?" "As long as I have to," he said. "They watch the road. We use the water. They'll never see us." Parker set down the cooler. His face turned grim. "There's a cost, son. If I'm out here running you to your family, I'm not at the station. And Bander knows the evidence sits in my safe." The words landed hard. Neon Cop looked at Julie, then at the dark water outside. The sea route kept his family safe. But it pulled Parker away from the one place that mattered most. "Then I go after Bander now," Neon Cop said. "Before he moves on the safe. I end this while my family stays hidden." Parker nodded slowly. "The watchers here answer to him. Follow them back, and they'll lead you to Bander himself." Neon Cop looked at the two men through the window, still guarding the road. They had come to trap him. Now they were his map. He kissed Julie's head and climbed back into the boat.