Avenged by Janice Cantore

order to have coverage twenty-four hours a day, Nick had flexed everyone into three shifts. While Nick was home sleeping,Nando was in charge. Only one sergeant and six officers staffed the gang squad, so Nick’s new schedule ensured there were at least two officers on at all times.
    “Okay, here’s the update,” Nando said. Carly knew the update because her husband had told her, but she gave Nick’s colleague her undivided attention.
    “We contacted ATF about the guns recovered in the Victor last night. They are more than happy to try to raise the serial numbers. If they can, we’ll be one step closer to getting to the bottom of this gang war.”
    “At least all that firepower is off the streets,” someone chimed in from the back of the room, and there was a lot of murmured agreement.
    Nando agreed and continued. “We need to get these kids off the street if possible, give passions a chance to cool off. If you find bangers with warrants, pick ’em up. If the banger is a minor and curfew applies, go for it. And they keep trying to set up a memorial. The crime scene has been cleared, but they can’t get through the gate to set up there. They’ve picked the Marina Access Way bridge into the Catalina Shores for the flowers and candles. We want to nip that in the bud. Stop them and send them home. If stuff is left, dispose of it. All we need is a spot where people can gather and become targets.”
    Muffled conversations sprouted when Nando finished and the meeting ended. Everyone was on edge.
    Carly found a car and began the preshift inspection. Working alone meant she wouldn’t be too aggressive unless she was working in conjunction with another unit. Graveyardshift typically fielded eight to ten officers in a mixture of one- and two-officer cars for the whole city. Tonight, because of the situation, there were five two-officer cars, Carly, and the gang unit. She decided she didn’t mind being alone on this particular night. There was a lot on her mind and she wanted to think. She planned to listen to the radio and pick a pair of officers to follow around.
    Right out of the gate, she heard Flanagan and Lopez on the radio requesting a female officer to assist with a search. This was the overlap time, and the afternoon units were still busy. Flanagan and Lopez were stopped on the Marina Access Way ramp, so Carly figured they had interrupted a memorial builder. She answered and made her way to the access ramp to help.
    She pulled in behind the flashing ambers and activated her lights as she got out of the car. They’d stopped a beat-up Chevy, currently illuminated with their spotlights. Lopez was talking to an adult male with his hands on the hood of the black-and-white while Flanagan stood watching three individuals seated on the curb behind the unit. He nodded as Carly approached.
    She looked over the threesome—two girls, probably late teens, and a boy Carly doubted was a teen yet. She almost laughed when she saw the scowl on his face. He was trying so hard to look mean, it was comical. All the individuals were dressed in Ninja gang attire, which was black everything.
    “Officer Edwards, do you mind checking these young ladies for weapons?” Flanagan asked.
    “Not at all.” As she stepped onto the curb, she saw the flowers, candles, and makeshift memorials on the sidewalk.
    She motioned for the first girl to stand.
    “I don’t got nothing,” she said in a petulant, irritated tone.
    “I’d like to check that for myself. Turn around and put your hands on your head and interlace your fingers.”
    The girl complied reluctantly, and Carly reached out to grip the interlaced fingers with her right hand. “Do you have anything on you that’s sharp, that might poke me?” she asked as she began the pat down.
    “No.”
    “No guns, knives, or hand grenades?”
    That got a derisive snort, but the girl relaxed and Carly completed the pat down, finding nothing. She repeated the process with the second girl, who was