It Begins

It’s eleven O’clock on a Saturday night and Officer Paul Larson has just pulled over a rusted green blazer that has a tail light out. As he steps out of the squad car he gets called by dispatch in nearby Red Wing. “Status?” “15” Meaning check in in 15 minutes. Like clockwork he pulls the flashlight from his belt full of gadgets and walks towards the car. He taps on the glass as a simple gesture to have the window rolled down, but nothing happens. As he shines his light through the window, he can make out a man reaching in the center console. At this point Larson puts his hand on his gun and thinks about Mendota Heights Officer Scott Patrick and the funeral flashes into his mind; a beaten Pontiac Grand Am was the last thing Officer Patrick saw before his life was taken from him. By the time the window rolls down, John Doe hands Officer Larson his driver license and registration. As the adrenaline slowly fades out of his system, Larson breathes a sigh of relief as he walks back to his car with the registration.