Special Operations (Badge of Honor 2)

“Yes, sir,” Matt said.

“There’s one more thing, Inspector,” Sergeant Frizell said, and handed him a teletype message.

GENERAL: 0698 06/30/73 FROM COMMISSIONER

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************CITY OF PHILADELPHIA************

*************POLICE DEPARTMENT*************

THE FOLLOWING WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT ALL ROLL CALLS: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION MOTOR VEHICLES (EXCEPT HIGHWAY PATROL) ARE ASSIGNED RADIO CALL SIGNS W-1 THROUGH W-200, AND WILL USE THE PHONETIC PRONOUNCIATION “WILLIAM.”

Jesus! I just got here, and they’re already changing things.

“William”? That’s awkward. Why not “Whiskey”?

Obviously, “Whiskey” wouldn’t work.

And “Wine” and “Women” wouldn’t work, either. But “William”?

In two or three days, if not already, that will be “Willy” and I will get an inter

departmental memorandum crisply ordering me to have my men follow official Department Radio procedures.

“Did you get the word out?” Wohl asked Frizell.

“Yes, sir.”

Wohl, without thinking about it, handed the teletype to Matt Payne. Then he saw Charley McFadden and Jesus Martinez coming into the outer office.

“Wait a minute, Payne,” he said, as he walked into the outer office.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Martinez said.

“I hope you’re here to report that you have seen Miss Peebles, and that she now loves the Police Department and all we’re doing for her,” Wohl asked.

“I don’t know if she loves us or not,” McFadden said, smiling. “But she made us a cup of coffee.”

“What’s going on over there?” Wohl said, gesturing for the two of them to go into his office, and then adding, “You, too, Matt. I want you in on this.”

Wohl sat in the upholstered chair and indicated that Martinez, McFadden, and Payne should sit on the couch.

“Okay, what happened? What’s going on with Miss Peebles?”

“She’s all right,” McFadden said. “A little strange. Rich. Scared, too.”

“Explain all that to me,” Wohl said. “Did Captain Sabara explain that she has friends in high places?”

“Yes, sir,” Martinez said. “Well…do you want to hear what I think, Inspector?”

“That would be nice,” Wohl said, dryly.

“She’s a nice lady, with a fag for a brother,” Martinez said. “I don’t even know if she knows the brother is a fag, she’s that dumb. I mean, nice but dumb, you follow me?”

“I’m sure that you’re going to tell me what her brother’s sexual proclivities have to do with the burglary. Burglaries.”

“She knows all right,” McFadden said.