The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 154 Welfare Inspection

As is customary, Eric chose to go to the couples' café first to make himself a cup of coffee.

He still has four hundred points there, and he can't afford to waste them.

When they arrived near the couples' cafe, Eric habitually glanced at the street.

Perhaps because he comes here often and because this area is located in a bustling area, the security situation is quite good.

Eric did not notice anything unusual.

Most of the pedestrians were citizens who came out for a stroll after dinner.

Eric drove closer, glancing toward the couples' café.

Business was good; some customers were chatting at the outdoor seating area, and there were snacks on the tables in addition to coffee. There were also some customers inside the store.

Through the window, Eric saw the Asian couple busy behind the bar.

After confirming that there was nothing suspicious, he opened the car door, put his hand on his duty belt, and slowly walked towards the coffee shop.

Eric could almost foresee what was going to happen next.

Sure enough, as soon as he appeared on the street corner, the Asian couple behind the bar immediately stopped what they were doing and smiled at him.

One or two customers at the outdoor seating area glanced up at him, then went back to what they were doing.

Eric didn't care and pushed open the half-closed door to go inside.

The café's street-facing side features floor-to-ceiling windows, with a row of seats by the windows for customers to enjoy the street view.

Further inside were scattered tables and chairs.

The few customers inside were enjoying the tranquility, each with coffee or a beverage on their table.

The entire space was filled with a tranquil atmosphere.

"Officer Eric, are you on duty tonight?" the male boss asked, looking surprised.

Meanwhile, the female owner, Angela, was already busy behind the bar, preparing his usual coffee, before he even had a chance to order.

Clearly, the couple knew Eric's tastes very well.

"Ah."

Eric casually pulled up a high stool, sat down, propped his elbows on the bar, answered Dylan, and then called out to Angela.
"Angela, could you put less cream in? I've been craving something a bit bitter lately."

The female boss, Angela, smiled and nodded, indicating that she understood.

"Dylan, has anything happened here lately?" Eric asked, turning to the male boss.

Dylan shook his head and smiled, "No, Officer Eric, things have been very calm lately."

"That's good!"

Eric nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Angela, who seemed to have already made the coffee, while quickly scanning the entire shop.

Very good, very safe.

-

But while Eric was waiting for his coffee, Euler, who had only recently become a dispatcher in the regional dispatch center, received an emergency call.

"This is 911 emergency center. What's the emergency?" Euler asked, silently encouraging himself as he spoke.

"I can't seem to get in touch with my friend Kara. Could you send some police officers over to check on her?"

Euler glanced at the large screen above to confirm the location of the information: "Could you please explain the specifics?"

"I've called her and emailed her, but she hasn't responded. It's been two days."

This is unlike her; she never misses a single message.

The key point is... she's currently going through a divorce. Yes! I just want to make sure she's safe and sound.

Listening to the caller's description, Euler instinctively realized the true nature of the call.

"So she's still living with her husband?" Euler confirmed.

"Yes, that's right! So I was really worried when she went missing. To be honest, her husband has a pretty bad temper. He neither agreed to a divorce nor moved out."

Euler asked, "What is the address?" "675 Wilson Street."

“Okay, ma’am,” Euler replied, turning her gaze to another screen and rapidly typing on the keyboard, assigning tasks based on addresses and officer status.

"Police officers have already been dispatched to investigate."

"Thank you!"

"You are welcome!"

Euler's gaze fell on the patrol unit '10-L-11' displayed on the screen, and a thought struck him.

She remembered the code name so vividly that she still recalls every word the patrol unit said that night, and the steady voice they used.

Even other dispatchers often mention this patrol unit when they chat, and the topic always revolves around "handsome" and "charming".

This made her realize for the first time the importance of this unit within the West Canyon Police Department, and she also remembered the name Eric.

After a moment's thought, Euler glanced at the other patrol units on the screen that were either busy or on missions, and finally pressed the Enter key.

-

“Alright, Officer Eric.” Angela handed over the packaged coffee.

"Ah."

Eric, who was chatting with Dylan, responded, took the coffee, and stood up from the bar stool.

"See you later, Dylan."

Dylan nodded respectfully and smiled, "Okay, Officer Eric, take care."

Even Angela looked very respectful.

Eric waved his hand, indicating that the two didn't need to be so polite, and left with his coffee.

The moment he stepped out of the coffee shop, the voice from the dispatch center came through the walkie-talkie at his waist.

"10-L-11, Code 2 (routine incident, no need to use sirens or flashing lights), received a welfare check, 675 Wilson Street, the caller reported that their friend has been missing for 49 hours after going through a divorce."
The person who called the police had the keys but was out of state. Suspecting something was wrong with her friend and concerned for her safety, she requested police assistance.

Upon hearing this, Eric subconsciously raised an eyebrow and picked up the walkie-talkie: "Roger! Prepare to proceed with the investigation."

Before he finished speaking, Eric had already strode towards the police car.

After settling into the driver's seat, Eric first placed his coffee down, then pulled up the map navigation on the car's computer and began heading towards his destination.

But as Eric sped along the highway in his Explorer police car, a bad feeling crept into his mind as he thought about the descriptions of the incidents.

Because the United States is sparsely populated, many people take communication very seriously, and some even report their situation and confirm their safety every day.

Losing contact often means something bad has happened.

Therefore, welfare checks came into being; prolonged periods of being out of contact are never a good sign, no matter where you are.

With that in mind, Eric pressed harder on the accelerator and arrived at his destination at a considerable speed.

-

675 Wilson Street.

This is also an ordinary residential area within a bustling city.

It's very clean and quiet.

Especially at times like 10:30 pm.

Eric slowly brought the police car to a stop, his gaze fixed on the dark detached house through the passenger window.

"It doesn't feel right."

Eric opened the car door, glanced around at the neighboring houses with their lights on, his right hand resting naturally on his duty belt near the holster, and cautiously walked towards the house.

Eric glanced at the private cars parked in the yard, then pulled out a high-powered flashlight with his left hand. The beam first shone steadily on the ground floor window, lingered for a few seconds, and then slowly moved upwards, sweeping across the second-floor window.

Dead silence, no response.

(End of this chapter)