Jenna DiNolfo slammed the trunk door of her ’93 Skylark as she trained her eyes to the dim sky above. Taking in the scenery around the Elkhart Police Station, she shifted uneasily with an anxious uncertainty. Elkhart was definitely going to be a huge change from the stressful, overcrowded streets of Pittsburgh. Set deep in the wilderness of Central Pennsylvania, a tiny shack of a police station waited for Sergeant DiNolfo as she prepared to take on her new post. She was eager to leave the chaos that existed in Pittsburgh and longed for a slower work pace. When she found the job posting in the newspaper, she knew what kind of situation she would be walking into – an all-boys club who would likely not give her the respect that she wanted or deserved. With great consideration, DiNolfo took the job under the pretense that if she could handle business in the big city, she should have no trouble at all in quiet little Elkhart.
Preparing herself for her grand entrance, DiNolfo grabbed her file box off the car trunk and made her way to lobby of the Elkhart Police Station. As Jenna walked into the police station she noted that the word lobby should be used very loosely, as the station was no more than one large room with a handful of empty prisoner cells in the back and a file room in the basement. No waiting room, no offices for the high-ranking brass, not even an investigation room.
Welcome to Elkhart, Sergeant DiNolfo.
The officer behind the desk was a bored-looking middle aged man whose attention was devoted to the funny pages that lay sprawled across his desk. Clearly, business was not booming in Elkhart. DiNolfo cleared her throat in an attempt to get the officer’s attention. The officer looked up over his wide-rimmed glasses to greet the visitor and was surprised by her professional appearance. Jenna greeted the officer warmly, “Good Morning. Sergeant DiNolfo reporting for duty.”
"Oh, welcome,” the officer replied unenthusiastically. “Lemme see if Chuck is here."
"Hey Chuck!” the officer called into the back room behind the counter. “A Sergeant DiNolfo is here for you?" The officer turned back to Jenna and advised, "He'll be right out."
Jenna raised her eyebrow, his demeanor was not what she expected. Lieutenant Charles Reagan emerged from the back room.
"Nice to finally meet you in person, Sarge. You’re Larry's kid, aren't you?"
"Yes, sir. I am," replied Jenna, surprised that someone from the force remembered her father. Larry DiNolfo had worked for the Elkhart force some twenty-five years ago before retiring and moving out to Pittsburgh.
"Okay then, I'll show you around, although, I'm afraid you might find our set-up a bit primitive in comparison to what you are used to working with," said Chuck with a tinge of embarrassment.
Modestly, Jenna replied, "No, I will be just fine here."
Lieutenant Reagan led Sergeant DiNolfo to an old oak desk, with a golden name plate that beared her name.
"Here is your desk. I’m afraid we don't have much as far as supplies," said the Lieutenant apologetically. With a smirk, Jenna reached into her messenger bag and removed her gray laptop, and said, "Really, I should be good."
"Okay, then. Criminal records are stored in the basement. You will have to get the key from Earl. He was down there this morning. We keep it locked for security measures," explained Chuck.
"Earl?"
"One of our two deputies. Earl Buckley is one, and Amos Cope is the other. George Ainsley is our corporal, and we have a police force of twelve officers."
"Twelve, you say?"
"Twelve."
Taken aback by the acute amount of officers assigned to Elkhart, it took Jenna a minute to get accustomed to the idea.
"Okay. I think first up on my agenda is to round up the key to the file room and I can start from there."
“That should keep you busy for a while. These guys haven't cracked a file in years."
"I thought you said Deputy Buckley was down there this morning…"
"Honestly, I think he smokes down there. He told his wife he quit, so he doesn't want to get caught smoking outside."
"Seriously? Smoking in a room with critical police data and case files?"
"If you can rein them in, I'd be grateful. Honestly, I shouldn't say this, but our last sergeant left abruptly after getting into a heated dispute with Earl."
"I don't scare easily. And I never back down from a fight," DiNolfo assured him with a broad smile.
"You have your father's moxie. I like that. Great to have you on board!" said Chuck, as he shook Jenna's hand firmly.
Jenna placed her laptop in the desk drawer and locked it before walking towards the side door of the tiny police station. Before exiting, she grabbed a set of car keys off of a hook by the door, with a tag on the key ring that read E2.
Jenna began to survey the district from High Street to Fox Hollow and everywhere in between along Cavegat Pass. While passing down Caribou Road she spotted car E5, Earl's car. She got out and approached the vehicle in which she found the deputy reading a newspaper. She knocked on the side of his car with her nightstick.
Tap, tap. "I'd like to introduce myself."
Taken aback by her sudden presence, Earl reached out for her hand, but stayed in the car, showing a lack of respect for his new sergeant.
"I'm not here to make pleasantries. I'm actually here to collect the keys to the file room."
Surprise visible on his face, Earl looked at Jenna with a smirk.
"I don't have them. Maybe Chuck does."
"No, you have them. From what I hear you are the only one who goes down there." She had him pinned.
Earl sighed. "Oh, right. I forgot to put them up on the peg. Here."
Earl reached his right hand to his belt loop and took the file room keys off his key chain. He held them out for Jenna to grasp. Jenna took the keys and paused, maintaining eye contact with Earl.