The Graveyard Shift

Archive for the ‘English Notebooks’ Category

My friend, Paul Beecroft, has spent a good deal of his life in law enforcement, in England. He’s worked Foot Patrol, Area Car, Instant Response Car and also as a Police Motorcyclist. He’s currently a coroner’s investigator and has traveled all over England, Wales, Scotland and even Germany to investigate crimes.

Paul is an avid falconer, and he’s a pretty darn good writer. Today he’s taken another page from one of his own notebooks to share with us. Please enjoy.

White

Frost covers the land

Minus 6

7.15 am

Christmas Day

Freezing

8 - 4 shift

De-ice the windscreen

Travel to work

Roads empty

Ice covered

Treacherous

Arrive at Station

No one else

Skeleton staff

No pending jobs

Merry Christmas from Control Room Staff

Police vehicle

Travel home

Live on area

Hot coffee

Cooked breakfast

Open presents

Excited kids

10.15 am

“Echo Charlie One One over”

“Go ahead over”

“Sorry about this, can you attend Kings Hill, one vehicle T.A. (Traffic Accident), car overturned, not known if injury”.

“Yes on my way over”.

Roads still bad, very icy

Very little traffic as I make my way

Headlamp flash from oncoming car

A warning of something ahead.

Car sideways across road

Two occupants, standing to the side of it.

Husband and wife on their way to see relatives

Not injured but very shaken

“What happened?”

“We came over the brow back there”

“The car just went sideways and we just started rolling over and over”.

“Since we have been here other cars have lost control, it’s the ice”.

“You sure you are both okay”

“Yes, yes, just a bit shaken up”.

“I can well imagine you are”.

“Let me call this in and then get some help”.

“Echo Charlie One One over”

“Go ahead over”.

“Yes, first of all can you call the Council, I need the road gritting urgently”

“Yes understood”

“Secondly, can you call the relatives of…………………….

“BLOODY HELL…………MOVE”

Black

Tumbling

Rolling

Roof

Wheels

Over and over

Closer and closer

Transfixed

Slow motion

Running

Me

Husband and Wife

Slowing

Final roll

On its wheels

Stopped

No more than six inches from the front of my car

Exactly where we had been standing

Two occupants

Another married couple

Uninjured

Presents scattered all around inside the car

Wrench open a door

“Everyone OK?”

“I think so”

“Stay here, I will be back in a minute”

Police car

Drive to brow of hill

Park in middle of road

Blue light on

Traffic should slow now

Return to crashed vehicles

Control Room informed of situation.

Both couples chatting

No one killed

No one injured

Remarkable

Both cars scratched and dented

Both driveable

They are ready to leave

Warned re possible shock setting in and to look after each other

“Thanks Officer and Merry Christmas”

“And to you”

Now alone

Waiting for the Gritter

God it’s cold………..but thank you.

My friend, Paul Beecroft, has spent a good deal of his life in law enforcement, in England. He’s worked Foot Patrol, Area Car, Instant Response Car and also as a Police Motorcyclist. He’s currently a coroner’s investigator and has traveled all over England, Wales, Scotland and even Germany to investigate crimes.

Paul is an avid falconer, and he’s a pretty darn good writer. Today he’s taken another page from one of his own notebooks to share with us. Please enjoy.

The Old Farmhouse

The moon lights up the landscape of the English countryside

Stars shine in the clear night sky

So quiet, so peaceful

The Tawny Owl glides silently across the field into the trees

Young Rabbits play just outside their burrows

A warm Spring night

“Echo Charlie One One over”

“Go ahead over”

“Report of an intruder at the rear of the Old Farmhouse, occupants are both elderly”

“Yes received, I know them, on my way”

“I’ll get some back up for you”

“Copied, it should be OK though”

I start making

Through the country lanes

No other traffic

Trees block out the moon

Total darkness except for my lights

The eyes of Raynard the Fox shine momentarily before she moves away

Over the crossroads

Pass through the village

A single light shows in one house

Through the narrow roads

Down the track

Bumps, holes, no longer maintained

Headlights show up the farm house

Lights are on

Flash of Blue lights to let them know I am outside

“Hello Rose, they back again?”

“Yes”

“You alright”

“Yes”

“Is Bill alright”

“Yes he’s still asleep”

“They came again”

“Did you see them Rose”

“Sort of, just shadows”

“Where were they”

“Out back, the dogs were really barking”

“There quiet now”

“I know, they’ve gone”

“You see or hear anything else”

“Lots of lights in the field”

“OK, you go indoors and I will take a look around”

I wander around

Check outbuildings

Dogs in Kennels bark as I pass

“Easy girls”, I give them both a pat as I pass

Excited tails wag and they quieten down

I lean on the fence

Look out across the fields

Bathed in moonlight

Nothing moves

The Tawny Owl gives his hoot

His mate replies from the opposite side

Otherwise silent

“Echo Charlie One one”

“Yes go ahead”

“Sitrep please over”

“Yes it’s all in order here, I’ll get back to you”

“Copied”

I recall other times being here

Same call

Was it real I wonder?

Is it possible?

I wander back

“It’s all quiet Rose”

“They’ve gone haven’t they?”

“Yes they have, you go back to bed and get some rest”

“Why do they come here?”

“I don’t know Rose but I don’t think they mean you any harm”.

“I hope not”

“I’ll stay around for awhile Rose, you take care”

“Goodnight, thank you for coming”

I drive out

Return to the road

Ride around

Nothing moving

Peaceful

I look up at the sky

The Moon

The Stars

Nothing else

Nothing out of place

And I wonder

Are we alone?

Is there anyone else out there?

Rose will tell you there is.

*     *     *

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