“Hey, Luke. How is it going?” I reached out to shake his hand.
“I’m well. Doing well.”
Hitting the mic that was attached to my shirt, I called in to dispatch to let them know the stop I’d made was all clear and the violator had been given a warning.
My father’s brows drew in as he looked at me with a confused expression. I assumed he was waiting for me to introduce him to Luke.
“Luke, this is my father, Dex Murphy. Dad, this is Luke Roberts. He owns the barbershop right there.”
Dispatch came on in my earpiece. I stopped talking to listen to what she was saying.
“Ten four. One seventy-eight, advise if you are still at last location.”
“One seventy-eight. Yes, I am.”
“There is a disturbance call at one one one Kline street, officer requesting backup.”
“One seventy-eight. I’m ten or so minutes away.”
Another officer came on, stating he was closer.
Dispatch answered back. “We’ve got two other officers en route, one seventy-eight. Please stand by.”
“Ten four.”
Dad was talking to Luke but kept looking at me, obviously confused.
“One seventy-eight. Dispatch, please advise when Officer Ricks has returned.”
“Ten four, one seventy-eight.”
“Mike?”
My father’s confused voice drew my gaze in his direction.
“Yeah?”
“Who in the hell are you talking to, son? There aren’t any other cops here!”
I stared at him for a moment until I realized why he’d been so confused. “Dad, I was talking to dispatch.”
His eyes widened, and he looked around. “Are they around? I don’t see anyone but you, me, and Luke here.”
Pointing to the earpiece in my ear and the mic attached to the right shoulder of my shirt, I laughed. When my father had retired from the force a number of years ago, he had been a detective and not on patrol. He had refused to step on board with any new technology, one of the reasons he retired early. Things were changing too fast for him—his words, not mine.
My father shook his head in disbelief. “Dear Lord, help us all. The police have all kinds of fancy equipment now.”
I couldn’t help but laugh harder. Luke agreed with Dad on the fancy equipment.