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

Chapter 294 Diego's Abnormality

Eric shook his head, walked to his car parked on the street corner, opened the door and sat down. He placed the small suitcase he was carrying on his lap, opened the clasp of the suitcase to reveal the custom-made pistol inside.

This was created by Bauer based on 3D scan data of his hand.

Essentially, it's a DIY project based on his favorite Staccato 2011 P pistol, called "Watchman's Custom 2011".

At first glance, it retains the basic outline of the classic 2011 series: double-stack single-feed magazine, steel slide, and aluminum alloy grip.

However, the details are different; the original black coating has been replaced with a more durable, less reflective matte gray Cerakote ceramic coating.

Extensive weight-reduction hollowing treatment was carried out on the front and back of the sleeve, which reduced the weight and reciprocating mass, resulting in smoother recoil.

The original polymer grip has been completely abandoned and replaced with a one-piece grip that is CNC machined directly from aerospace aluminum based on his 3D hand shape data.

Eric took the pistol out of the recess. The familiar 2011 grip was still there, but the fit was very good, with every finger socket and the web of the hand fitting perfectly.

Upon further inspection of the barrel, the slide's smoothness, thanks to Bauer's more precise bore treatment, felt even better than the original.

Eric then conducted a dry-fire check; the trigger travel was extremely short, and Eric's lips curled into a slight smile.

Bauer certainly knew his idea, because this was a trigger designed for precise and rapid firing.

Eric disassembled the pistol, inspected each part, confirmed there were no problems, and then reassembled it.

Although he seems to be no longer limited by firearms with his current strength, a good handgun makes him feel comfortable, and the feeling of man and gun as one is stronger.

"Bauer, this guy's DIY modification skills are maxed out, right? I wish I could be at that level someday." Eric muttered, putting the pistol back in, placing the box on the passenger seat, starting the car, and driving away from the roadside.

-

Go home.

Eric parked his car outside as usual. The foundation of the fence and the low wall were now complete, leaving only the outer side of the fence.

To Eric's surprise, Diego, who had never missed a single one of these events, was absent this time.

The person in charge of overseeing this matter was a young worker named Camillo.

What's even stranger is that Diego's expression was odd yesterday, and now this kid's expression is strange too, looking absent-minded, as if he has something on his mind.

"Camilo, where's Diego? Why are you the one keeping watch here? Shouldn't he be here keeping watch at this time?"

Eric's voice startled Camillo, who was distracted, and he turned around to look at Eric as he approached.

"Diego has some personal matters to attend to and will be here later. I'll keep an eye on things for now."

But what he didn't know was that Eric saw through his actions. His body suddenly tensed, he licked his chapped lips, and his gaze drifted elsewhere.

This instantly reminded Eric of Diego's forced smile from yesterday; it seemed something had happened.

"Private matters?" Eric repeated, his tone calm, looking at Camillo with a serene expression.

This gaze and expression, however, brought pressure, and Camillo's forehead instantly broke out in fine beads of sweat.

"Then why are you like this? Camillo, seriously, you really don't lie," Eric continued.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Camillo opened his mouth, looking somewhat at a loss. Finally, he slumped his shoulders, lowered his voice, and spoke with obvious worry.

"Actually, I don't know the specifics either. About half an hour ago, Diego received a phone call, and his face suddenly turned very ugly."

I heard him urgently tell the person on the other end of the phone which hospital, that he was coming right away, and then he drove off in a hurry, only telling me it was urgent and to keep an eye on things here.” Camillo looked up, his eyes filled with unease. “Mr. Stevens, Diego has never acted like this before. I’m a little worried. Has he run into some serious trouble?”

Eric's eyes narrowed slightly after hearing this.

A hospital? This was a place he hadn't considered. Normally, he would have assumed that Diego's family member had suddenly fallen ill or encountered an accident.

Looking at the overall picture now, it doesn't seem likely.

Diego had always been normal, cheerful, and hardworking. He only changed yesterday. His expression was not sad or depressed, but rather as if he was deliberately suppressing something.

It's like a volcano about to erupt.

Of course, nothing is absolute.

"Which hospital? Did he say?" Eric asked, his gaze drifting to his own fence.

Camillo strained to recall: "It sounds like St. Jude Medical Center? Yes, that should be the name! I heard him repeat the address twice!"

St. Jude Medical Center? Eric located the large general hospital in the eastern part of the city, at 1236 Washington Avenue East.

It falls within the jurisdiction of the Central Police Department under the Central Command Area.

Eric continued, "Did he say anything else? About whom? What happened?"

“No, he was in a great hurry.” Camillo shook his head, his worry deepening.

“Mr. Stevens, Diego is such a nice guy, could he be a member of his family?”

"Don't scare yourself, Camillo," Eric interrupted his musings.
"Keep an eye on this area and proceed with construction as planned. I'll go take a look."

"You're going?" Camillo looked at Eric with some surprise, but also with a sense of entitlement, which made him feel inexplicably at ease.

For some reason, he always felt a strange sense of security from this person his age.

He expressed this strange feeling to Diego more than once in private.

At that moment, Diego simply pointed to the fence and calmly said, "The person who messes with this thing is either a coward or someone with great skills. Which one do you think Mr. Stevens is?"

“Okay.” Eric nodded and turned to walk towards his car.

“Diego is my foreman, so we can’t let any other troubles affect him and the progress of the fence. Remember to keep your phone accessible and contact me if anything happens.”

“Yes, Mr. Stevens,” Camillo replied.

Ericra opened the car door and got into the driver's seat. Without delay, he started the engine, and the vehicle smoothly drove away from the roadside, heading towards St. Jude Medical Center.

Once outside the community area, Eric merged his car into traffic, his expression completely calm.

Although he and Diego weren't particularly close, Diego's unreserved guidance, answers, and instruction, as well as his serious work ethic, still convinced him to go and take a look.

Anyway, there's nothing else to do right now.

Eric quickly processed the known information in his mind: Diego had left hastily due to an urgent phone call, his destination was the hospital, and he was in an abnormal emotional state.

The specific cause is unknown; it could be a sudden illness in a family member or an accident involving a relative or friend.

“Go and see for yourself.” Eric gently pressed down on the accelerator. He didn’t want to make unnecessary guesses and preferred to get firsthand information directly.

(End of this chapter)