CHAPTER EIGHT

"What nonsense!" Mr. Samuel Johnson, the Deputy Police Officer yelled at the other officers at the station.

After they had lost track of the suspect during their chase, they received a call from the DPO, demanding they returned immediately to the station.

"You were going after a suspect? How did you know he was the suspect? Answer me, any of you!" Officer Johnson slammed a nearby table.

"DPO, I am sure of who I saw. He is the same criminal involved in the arsonist scandal," officer Jones spoke up.

"Inspector Jones," the DPO arranged his trouser with his left hand and turned to face him. "You and Inspector James were not supposed to be on the street today. As a matter of fact, you both are no longer part of the patrol team. How many times do I have to tell you two that you should focus on bigger cases and let the sergeants and lower ranks handle the patrol?!"

"But, we're not complaining. That is not even the issue right now. We need to go after that criminal!" Inspector Jones answered.

"Shut up your mouth!" The DPO retorted. "Criminal? Who told you he is a criminal? How are you sure he was the one you saw?"

"DPO, like I've said before, I am not mistaken. I am very sure I saw that criminal. Inspector James can attest to that. We both saw him with a lady in a car."

"That is what I am saying! He wasn't the one! You don't know what you saw! And Inspector James? Inspector James, where is he?" The DPO asked as he couldn't find him in the midst of the other officers gathered before him. "Inspector James!" He yelled at him as his eyes caught him sitting across a table, questioning Lisa seriously. "Will you leave that lady and come over here right now?! What level of disrespect is that?!"

"Sorry DPO," he ran over to where the others were, and pushed through their midst to the front. "I was interviewing the accomplice of that criminal. DPO, this is our chance to bring justice to this area!" He raised his fist high above his head with great enthusiasm.

"Oh my God!" The DPO threw his face into his palm. "Stop this nonsense both of you!" He pointed at Inspector Jones and Inspector James with his two hands. "Do you know what you turned this city into this night? Just take a look at the news right now. Look at the amount of properties you have all destroyed this night all in the name of chasing an innocent man for almost an hour!"

"DPO, you're getting this whole matter wrong. I don't see any reason for you to...."

"I've already carried out disciplinary actions with the dispatch team before you all arrived. All units involved in this chase have been suspended till further notice." The DPO interrupted Inspector James.

"But DPO...." Inspector Jones began.

"Don't DPO me!" DPO Johnson cut him off immediately. "Inspector James and Inspector Jones? You have hereby been dismissed from this station till further notice. Go to your tables, pack your belongings and wait for my order! You will be sent to a lower ranking police station till I'm ready to take you both back."

"DPO, that's not really..."

The DPO humphed loudly. "I would not like to repeat myself," he raised his chin up, adjusted his glasses with his right hand and his trouser with his left hand. "Sergeant Timothy, come with me to my office. Now!" He eyed all the officers and walked briskly to his office.

"Tsk!" A rookie officer hissed. "All he does is to adjust his trouser almost every minute and make unnecessary claims," he whispered to two of his fellow rookie colleagues.

"Don't mind him. He should get a fit trouser if his current ones are now bigger than his waist line," one of them replied him.

"I bet he's losing weight everyday because of his wicked nature," the other officer added.

"You know, you could lose your jobs immediately, if the DPO, by any chance comes across what you three just said," Inspector Johnson, who happened to overhear their discussion whispered to them.

"Sorry Inspector!" They bowed and went their separate ways.

"Secretary Lisa!" Mr Kim barged into the station with his PA following closely behind.

All eyes flew towards him. It was a rare sight for a person of his calibre to be seen just anywhere and in a police station at that.

The whole officers in the room had their mouths opened wide as Mr. Kim ran towards Secretary Lisa. All the officers involved in the chase immediately shared looks with each other.

If Mr. Kim ran over to the alleged accomplice of the suspect with a worried expression, then was the supposed suspect really an innocent man?

"Mr Kim!" They all watched as Lisa jumped up from her seat and hurried over to where her boss and his PA were. She was narrating something hurriedly to Mr. Kim.

Now all of a sudden, Inspector James, who was determined to pull out as much information as he could gather from Lisa, lost all his willpower and was even almost unable to walk over to them.

"Mr. Kim!" The DPO gave a hearty laugh, as he brushed past the two inspectors who were now standing side by side with each other, and scurried over to Mr. Kim's front. "I apologise for the unruly behaviour of my officers to you and your secretary this evening. If you don't mind, you can come over to my office so we can have a little chat."

"Unruly behaviour?" Inspector James whispered to Inspector Jones. "How would we have known she was his secretary?"

"Don't bother yourself DPO. At least she is safe now. Besides, I'm in a hurry. Have you been able to catch the criminal?" Mr. Kim asked.

"Unfortunately, he escaped. But hopefully we would get a hold of him very soon," the DPO reassured.

"Hold on," Inspector Jones tapped Inspector James. "Did DPO know he was a criminal and still throw those tantrums few minutes ago? What exactly is going on in this station?" He whispered.

"Ok. We would be taking our leave then. Keep up the good work," Mr. Kim nodded to the DPO and looked up to the other officers in the room. "Weldone officers!" He waved at them and walked out of the station with Lisa, Mr. Fred and the DPO.

After the DPO had escorted them to Mr. Kim's car, he bade them goodbye and rushed back to the station. He paused at the entrance and gave all the officers involved in the chase a big stare before advancing to his office.

"They've gone." The DPO announced as he locked the door behind him. Only Sergeant Timothy was in his office.

"Thank God. I'm glad we were able to keep everything under control," he replied.

"Can you imagine? Do you know the number of times the chairman called me this evening? I would have lost my head today had things not turn out well."

"I was equally surprised. When Inspector Jones called for backup, I thought it was another suspect only to see that Thompson guy. I have told that woman the chairman specifically adores to stop using that thug but she wouldn't listen," Sergeant Timothy exhaled deeply.

"Tell me Sergeant, how were you able to go about it?" The DPO asked with keen interest.

"Well, since the chase was intense and a little rough, the window at the driver's seat of that thug was completely shattered. I was able to steal a quick glance at him on the Main street and I had to quickly figure a way out. So I managed to manoeuvre my way to Street 8 alone, and quickly called him over," he shook his head slowly.

"I'm glad I was the only one in my car. Just as if I knew, I didn't let any corporal drive the car when we were called for backup. So we just staged a little show for them, meanwhile he was in my car all through."

"You are sure no one saw you right?"

"I'm very certain that no one saw me," he nodded. "We met at Street 8, then he drove the car to Street 9 and entered my vehicle at Street 9."

"I don't just know what to do with those two inspectors. They have literally vowed to remove peace from my life in this station," the DPO harrumphed.

"You should have seen Inspector Jones this evening, when I radioed, 'unit 10, suspect in sight!' If you see the way he shouted in excitement," he revealed as they burst out in laughter.

The DPO's phone suddenly rang, interrupting the flow of their discussion. He looked at the caller ID and waved at Sergeant Timothy. "Go, go, the Chairman is calling, we'll talk later. Don't worry I'll triple your salary again."

"Ah!" He quickly stood up and bowed. "Thank you so much DPO. I truly appreciate this," he laughed, excitement written all over his face as he walked out of the DPO's office.

"Hello, Mr. Chairman!" He heard the DPO's voice faintly as he locked the door behind him and walked towards his section in the room where the other officers were.