Storm Front Read Online Free Page A

and give the big red beast the right of way. Not many. They’d just keep on driving and ignore the fire engine that was twenty times their size as if it wasn’t there. He’d recently found that driver’s-ed in the high school didn’t even teach the necessity of giving emergency vehicles the right of way. That, and so many people played their music so loud it was a wonder that drivers heard anything short of the end of the world. Even then, they’d probably miss it.
    The fire engine was blocked from crossing the intersection by a Ford Focus in front of it that had stopped for the red light. The siren wailed again and again, urging the driver to move, move, move, damn it, move. Traffic was clear, so why didn’t the driver go through and give the fire engine a chance to pass? Because the driver probably didn’t know any better, that’s why.
    Finally, the driver got the message, ran the light and pulled the car into the Krispy Kreme parking lot where it stopped a few spaces away from Mike. Two young girls were in the Focus and they seemed to be crying. He sighed and got out of his car, wondering as he walked over to them if the sight of his uniform would scare them or reassure them. Today, he would try to be the Good Cop. He gestured for the driver to roll down her window.
    “Ladies,” he said with what he hoped was a warm and ingratiating smile. Two young, tear-streaked faces looked up at him in horror. All they saw was the uniform and the badge, not the smile. “That was a scary situation back there, wasn’t it?”
    They nodded mutely and Mike looked at the driver. She probably just turned sixteen and might someday be pretty, but not this morning. Her face was puffy and red, and her makeup was beginning to streak from the tears. She was scared and doubtless thought she was going to get a ticket. “I’m Sergeant Mike Stuart. So tell me, miss, what’s your name?”
    “Tessa,” said the driver and the passenger volunteered that her name was Lori.
    “And how long have you had your driver’s license, Tessa?”
    “Tu-two weeks,” Tessa replied. Mike knew he should be asking for it as well as registration and proof of insurance, but he didn’t think it was appropriate. The little girl didn’t fit the profile of a terrorist, drug dealer, or car thief. Besides, he felt wet stuff hitting the back of his neck. A sudden gust of wind sent a chill down his back. It was starting to rain and it was time to get to work.
    “I’ll bet they never taught you what to do when a fire engine’s breathing down your neck.”
    The girl managed a wan smile and the passenger actually giggled. “No way.”
    “Scared the heck out of you, didn’t it?” They nodded. “Well, you did real well. You cleared the intersection safely, just like you were supposed to.”
    “But I ran a red light, didn’t I?” Tessa said, blinking back more tears.
    “There’s a time and a place for everything, Tessa. It was an emergency and your job was to let that monster get through.”
    The girl looked reassured and brightened. “Oh. Does that mean you’re not going to give me a ticket?”
    Mike laughed and couldn’t resist the retort. “Not unless you really want one.”
    “No thanks,” Tessa giggled, now in control of herself. Both girls had stopped crying and begun laughing, more out of relief than humor. They had done nothing wrong, and he wanted them to know that. They wiped their faces and became horribly aware that their carefully applied makeup had been destroyed.
    “Now why don’t you go on and tell your friends about the fire truck that tried to eat your car.” He slapped the side of their door. “And please drive carefully. It’s going to get slippery real soon.”
    The two girls assured him they would and maybe they meant it. He hoped so. They seemed like decent kids, unlike some of the punks he sometimes had to deal with as a cop. Mike felt the rain on his face changing to small globs of wet snow. Another gust slapped him in