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May 18, 2007

5.18.07

You've made the decision to quit. Now what?

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David: Second Guess

I sat at my desk, waiting. No, not anymore. I’d made the decision at lunch; I couldn’t go back now. My partner should be back from questioning the Chesterfields about the murder any time now.

I wasn’t cut out for this. Jake was the detective; I should have remained the money man and kept my nose out of the gumshoe biz. But I wanted the excitement. Yeah, six months of stakeouts punctuated with bullets in the shoulder. I was done.

The phone rang. “This is police detective Heinraker. I have some bad news about your partner.”

Okay, Jake. One more.

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Dave: Giving Notice

"They'll never let you go," Rudy said on the phone. 

I continued down the front steps of the Department's headquarters.  "They don't have any choice."

"Nobody at our level just quits.  Too risky.  You might fall into the Other Side's hands. Hell, you might fall into some of the wrong hands on Our Side."

"They leave me alone, I'll leave them alone."

"Hold on."  Rudy returned in a second.  "The Director put out the word.  Extreme prejudice."

"Hell. I really liked that old building. Bye, Rudy."

"Wha--?"

I hung up, and dialed another number.  Even across the street, the explosion threw me off my feet.

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Jim : I'll Tell You Why

The first step to quitting is admitting you have a problem.

How many times had he heard that? How often had he told himself that he could stop whenever he wanted?

Like all compulsive behaviors, his had started small. He had snuck into a house to watch the children sleeping. No touching…nothing creepy like that. Just watching. He’d even left a few toys to mitigate his conscience.

He was eventually caught and chased into the wilderness. But that didn’t stop him.

He knew word would spread and one day the world would curse the name of the pervert Santa Claus.

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