Pariah Lafferty, Texas Ranger Ch 3: Sleepless in Texas

Jesse's Apartment, El Paso

0430

Jesse had a four year degree in criminal justice from Texas A and M that she aquired through the army as a Military Policewoman and had done a year in corrections at Eastham, then another ten years with the Highway Patrol. Getting accepted had been no easy task either, it'd been a stroke of luck for her and likely had as much to do with the assorted schooling she picked up on the side as her sterling credentials. There are only one hundred and fifty Rangers in the massive state of Texas, competition is fierce. Her family's gift to her after she received her badge had been a long barrelled Walker Colt .45 revolver and a .30 Winchester lever action rifle, the old traditional weapons of the Texas Rangers. To this day she doesn't go anywhere without them, the rifle usually staying in the trunk of her car while her state issued .40 semiauto pistol and her personal revolver go everywhere and are never far.

She unwinds from her harrowing wake up with her state issued .40 at the table in front of her along with a pistol cleaning kit. Sipping from her first cup of coffee, she drops the magazine and makes sure the chamber is cleared before setting it down to light her second cigarette of the morning. Once that's done, she sets about the task of disassembling the lethal implement.

Her dad had taught her the importance of this task, familiarizing yourself with the tools of the trade. She knew her weapons better than the station armorer, and was as good a shot as any of the older rangers though several years younger than the next at her station. El Paso was largely manned by older troops. The average age of Rangers is 44, and she is 46.

Once disassembled, she sets about cleaning it piece by piece. Each of the pieces is laid out on a folded towel, the biggest frustration of gunsmithing exists in the form of the numerous tiny springs that lurk within modern era pistols and necessitate investments in dental picks and the creation of job specific screwdrivers. In her case, she had a dental pick for the fine work of arresting and liberating the tiny hassles that she had laid out in an order that had her mind working in a sensible manner again as she took after them with a toothbrush, fine fibered cloth, and a can of break-free lubricant in between drags of her cigarette and sips of coffee.

By the time she was finished with her first cup of coffee the pistol was back in working order and as clean as ever. It was now five o'clock, she turned on the TV to watch the news until seven.

***

0645

Jamie knocks on the door audibly, suspecting Jesse to be awake but unsure given the time. She wasn't expected for another forty five minutes. She was dressed formally in a black pants suit, ready to work. Jesse answers the door a bit more rustic, wearing simple blue jeans and a button up polo shirt.

Jesse nods approvingly to her,"Good morning. Coffee?"

Jamie chuckles lightly as she steps in,"Got hazelnut? Didn't know we could dress casual!"

The response from Jesse is a bit coarse in tone,"When in doubt don't, you're new. Where'd you work before?"

Experience is a big plus with the Rangers, but Jesse isn't blind to the politics that played in her admission in the historically all male Law Enforcement fraternity. She pulls out a clear glass jar with packets of sugar and creamer. She doesn't use it herself, but she keeps it on hand for company. Jaime responds,"Thanks...and I was a deputy in Galveston for about fifteen years before I transferred."

Jesse hrms a little at that as she sips away on her cup. The Sherriff's Department is usually a good place to bounce into the Department of Public Safety and the Highway Patrol from which the Rangers traditionally and officially recruit. She turns down the news coverage about a jackknifed semi before looking back to Jamie. She realizes she hasn't put away her pistol cleaning kit and slips it into a travel bag as she asks,"So, do you have any preferences for breakfast? Since you're here now, we've got more than enough time."

Jamie shrugs,"I fancy IHOP." To which she gets a prompt nod as Jesse picks up her bag and steps to the door.

Her bags had been packed the night before, which Jamie observes along with a cowboy pistol belt and rifle scabbard containing her Winchester when Jesse opens up the camper of her fleet SUV. The big five shooter pistol was in a special case underneath these. Jamie whistles,"You into reenactment shooting?"

Jesse shakes her head as she gestures to Jamie's car,"No, anything you want to pack? No sense riding separate."

Jamie's personal car is a yellow Ford Focus hatchback. A matter of moments and her small go-bag is in the back of the SUV and they are ready to go. Jamie observes,"I think a couple exits up there's an exit with an IHOP and a Luv's Truck Stop. How long you been up?"

Jesse replies,"About four, I don't sleep much."

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