Lost: you were always on my mind

Never a dull moment ‘round the 7^th precinct, things are getting upgraded.

Looks as if everything is getting an upgrade, except maybe Whitehead. Had ourselves a little friendly wager to see how our shooting skills were. Hate to mock the old crank but Whitehead was on the rusty side of his game. He blames our “new” guns. Sometimes it’s just too easy to mock the old man.

Seems my gun was doing just fine.

In Whitehead's case, I suspect the wind affected it?

Or maybe the fluorescent lights were causing a glare.

Maybe the sound of gunfire was distracting?

He swears he's a crack shot. He wouldn't be a

SWAT sniper but I wouldn’t call him a bad shot.

We got issued new phones, too. I could really do without a "smart" phone, mine was working just fine but it’s mandatory. Hope old Whitehead can adapt. He’s got Neanderthal thumbs. I wonder if there is an app for that. Whitehead's take on the new department issued phone: "That’s all i need, something else that doesn't work."

Our case was a bit of a stretch this time 'round. Concerned father looking for his daughter, turned out to be a bit of a puzzle. We had no real leads or hard evidence. Whitehead had his doubts that Lt. Rice would even let us investigate but I figured it was worth a try. Luckily, she was feeling gracious and let us go with our hunch. That should have tipped me off that something else was on her mind.

Hate to admit the new issued phones came in real handy. Was able to get info on a suspect and take a photo to give us cause to keep digging. It lead our first suspect, a real class act. Honestly, he was just a run of the mill asshole. Unfortunately, being one is not against the law. Luck would have it we had enough to hold him mean time.

Soon our case was piecing itself together; the only problem was Whitehead was stuck on his inability to “adjust” to his new gun. It was not sitting well with him. He had to qualify on the range in order to retake the lieutenant’s exam. His reasoning “It's Rice, the way she keeps hounding me. She’s all in my head.” I mention that Sutton was the best shot in the department but Whitehead would rather wait for hell to freeze over before he went to him with hat in hand. Stubborn old crank.

Another thing to crop up was Lt. Rice. Something was frustrating her and she was taking it out on us. She was ready to have us move on but I had enough to keep us on the case. The only problem was she was acting stranger than usual. Her moods swung faster than a screen door. I got Sutton to looking into it.

"We have suspects but no hard evidence. We got a murder, no body. Do we even have a damn case?"

Personal is personal till it starts leaking all over the office. I had to step in. Turns out all she really needed was a little venting. Her and her daughter hadn't talked in over a year and now her daughter was getting married. For once the Lt. was out of the loop. I could see the hurt on her face, made me a bit uncomfortable. Women’s emotions are a bit testy at times. But we cleared the air. We were also able to solve our case.

Is that your way of asking me for help?

Whitehead swallowed his pride and asked to see Sutton’s "style".

Hope Sutton wears his vest to the range;

Whitehead can get pretty testy there.

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Sutton may look goofy but he's capable. Turns out Sutton did have some pointers for the old crank.

"Shooting is not in the hand. Its in the mind."

Sutton family secret: Keep an empty head.

Who knew there was so much wisdom in such an empty head?

Not everything can be as clear cut as Sutton's advice. Life can be messy and there's not always a solution. Yet, sometimes things have a way of working themselves out. I helped a girl find hope to start again. Sutton was able to clear Whiteheads mind. And Lt. Rice was able to make amends. Not all things are perfect but we can always work to find those things we’ve lost.