rain coming down as though someone held a garden hose over their car, Jade drove with caution. The windshield wipers were having a hard time keeping up with the onslaught.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement. She slowed the cruiser to get a better look. At the same time, Mac rolled down his window to get a sharper view of a commotion along the flood-control channel, which paralleled the street.
A golden retriever, soaked to the skin, barked frantically while running back and forth along the gravel utility road above the churning river of water cascading down the concrete canal.
“Something’s not right. Stop the car,” Mac ordered, opening his door.
Jade keyed the mic clipped to her uniform shirt and told the dispatcher their location and that they were out for investigation, of unknown trouble.
Mac ran to the dog, who continued to bark, pace and look toward the raging water.
Jade got there seconds behind Mac. Through the torrential rain they saw the problem. A small boy had fallen or climbed down the steep cement walls of the channel. He dangled in the water, clinging onto one of the metal footholds used by workers to enter and exit the channel for clean-up duties.
“15 Adam 21,” Jade yelled into her radio above the noise of the fast-moving water, “Officer needs assistance. We have a male, approximately nine years old, in the flood control channel at Sherman Way and Tujunga. I need the fire department swift water rescue here code three!”
The dispatcher’s voice remained calm, but an intense undercurrent could be heard as she repeated Jade’s frantic call for help. “15 Adam 21, is the child floating down the channel?” the dispatcher asked. “If so, at approximately what speed, and do you still have the child in sight?”
“15 Adam 21, the boy is hanging onto a metal bar used as a step. Get an air unit. Do you have an ETA for the fire department? Tell them to hurry. He can’t hang on much longer.”
As she answered, Jade heard Mac yelling at the boy to hang on.
Jade looked up and saw Mac strip off his raincoat, Sam Browne duty belt, shirt, and body armor. He moved in front of her and started down the metal bars that were used as a ladder for ingress and egress from the channel.
“Stryker, you can’t go down there. I’ve got water rescue on the way,” she yelled.
Mac didn’t acknowledge her. He continued shouting something to the child, who cried and begged for help while being buffeted in the agitating water. Mac got within three feet of the boy when the child lost his grip on the foothold. The juvenile was sucked immediately into the raging current.
Just as fast, Mac leapt from his position on the ladder into the murky turbulence.
CHAPTER 3
“Oh my God, Mac!” Jade yelled. Another surge of adrenaline ripped through her body.
“15 Adam 21,” she shouted into the radio, “the boy and my partner are in the water. They’re southbound. I’m going to follow in my black and white. Is the air ship en route?”
Jade scooped up Mac’s clothes and equipment and ran to her car, whistling for the dog to follow. The dispatcher broadcast her last transmission and requested responding officers to switch to a tactical radio frequency so the other channel would be clear for radio calls not related to the water rescue.
Tossing Mac’s belongings on the passenger seat, she opened the rear door for the dog. He hopped in. Running to the driver's side, Jade jumped in and switched on her lights and siren. Tires slid on wet pavement as she stomped the accelerator, made a u-turn, and tried to catch up to Mac and the child.
She remembered her academy training where she’d learned not to separate from her partner. “You’ve sure mucked that up,” she said aloud.
In her rear-view mirror she could see the flashing lights of fellow officers and fire department personnel as they approached. Her heart pounded so hard it
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement. She slowed the cruiser to get a better look. At the same time, Mac rolled down his window to get a sharper view of a commotion along the flood-control channel, which paralleled the street.
A golden retriever, soaked to the skin, barked frantically while running back and forth along the gravel utility road above the churning river of water cascading down the concrete canal.
“Something’s not right. Stop the car,” Mac ordered, opening his door.
Jade keyed the mic clipped to her uniform shirt and told the dispatcher their location and that they were out for investigation, of unknown trouble.
Mac ran to the dog, who continued to bark, pace and look toward the raging water.
Jade got there seconds behind Mac. Through the torrential rain they saw the problem. A small boy had fallen or climbed down the steep cement walls of the channel. He dangled in the water, clinging onto one of the metal footholds used by workers to enter and exit the channel for clean-up duties.
“15 Adam 21,” Jade yelled into her radio above the noise of the fast-moving water, “Officer needs assistance. We have a male, approximately nine years old, in the flood control channel at Sherman Way and Tujunga. I need the fire department swift water rescue here code three!”
The dispatcher’s voice remained calm, but an intense undercurrent could be heard as she repeated Jade’s frantic call for help. “15 Adam 21, is the child floating down the channel?” the dispatcher asked. “If so, at approximately what speed, and do you still have the child in sight?”
“15 Adam 21, the boy is hanging onto a metal bar used as a step. Get an air unit. Do you have an ETA for the fire department? Tell them to hurry. He can’t hang on much longer.”
As she answered, Jade heard Mac yelling at the boy to hang on.
Jade looked up and saw Mac strip off his raincoat, Sam Browne duty belt, shirt, and body armor. He moved in front of her and started down the metal bars that were used as a ladder for ingress and egress from the channel.
“Stryker, you can’t go down there. I’ve got water rescue on the way,” she yelled.
Mac didn’t acknowledge her. He continued shouting something to the child, who cried and begged for help while being buffeted in the agitating water. Mac got within three feet of the boy when the child lost his grip on the foothold. The juvenile was sucked immediately into the raging current.
Just as fast, Mac leapt from his position on the ladder into the murky turbulence.
CHAPTER 3
“Oh my God, Mac!” Jade yelled. Another surge of adrenaline ripped through her body.
“15 Adam 21,” she shouted into the radio, “the boy and my partner are in the water. They’re southbound. I’m going to follow in my black and white. Is the air ship en route?”
Jade scooped up Mac’s clothes and equipment and ran to her car, whistling for the dog to follow. The dispatcher broadcast her last transmission and requested responding officers to switch to a tactical radio frequency so the other channel would be clear for radio calls not related to the water rescue.
Tossing Mac’s belongings on the passenger seat, she opened the rear door for the dog. He hopped in. Running to the driver's side, Jade jumped in and switched on her lights and siren. Tires slid on wet pavement as she stomped the accelerator, made a u-turn, and tried to catch up to Mac and the child.
She remembered her academy training where she’d learned not to separate from her partner. “You’ve sure mucked that up,” she said aloud.
In her rear-view mirror she could see the flashing lights of fellow officers and fire department personnel as they approached. Her heart pounded so hard it