My Dearest Trudy

A police officer and his devoted wife, handle unbelievable ups, and downs of crime fighting.

                          
  
                                   My Dearest Trudy

       Our life began the instant we met. Growing up along the shore, Trudy and I went to the same school, played at the same park. Our friends, and parents loved the idea of us being together as kids. It was natural for us to stay connected throughout our entire lives. Eventually our romance took hold of unknowingly to us, but everyone else knew it would be so. All grown up, and still being together after many years of knowing each other  We stood beside each other over a small campfire, on the sand one night at the beach. We kissed, then it just happened to work out from that day forward. Trudy already knew I was a police officer, and I believed it made her feel safe if we were to stay together.

      A life filled with all night surveillance. Guns, and days of dangerous under cover work. I believed it drove my dear wife sick with worry. Not Trudy, she wasn't like other cops wives at all. As my best friend and the closest person in my life, my world. Trudy is my whole existence for living. Trudy always called me; my strange tall detective. My earlier days as a police officer. Trudy used to poke fun all the time, and affectionately just called me Dick. Our marriage names are, Mr. and  Mrs. Richard Becker was my response. I can recall our first argument almost to the time of day. Like many new couples, we had our moments. Most of ours were over me being only a policeman. There was nothing which I done that would have us push away from each other. We needed more money, and Trudy wanted me to take an exam, and climb the ranks. My drinking, smoking or staying out late nights over the years. Those weren't a big concern, she wanted a higher ranking detective for a husband.

     Trudy would pick my spirits back up after a tough case, no matter how terrible I was feeling. Trudy was always my first wing gal  through the thick of every dreaded case. I was beginning to  be tired of the whole mess. Before I became detective, she was responsible for giving  me new life when I was down about living the life in dress blue. My big break came in from upstairs on a case I was on. Every detail of my  first serious case was horrific. In between taking the exam, and this coming our way was huge for us. Solving this would insure a detective badge, with  a big increase in pay. Trudy stuck with me through the bitter details. There were two college woman brutally murdered in a location near their school. They lived at boarding house on the south side of town. Not usually known for unlawful actively, no drug dealers, and certainly none of any serial killers until now. Their murdered bodies were similar  to other victims in  two dorms from the north side campus. All of which fit the profile of a serial killer on the prowl at large, and  active. Two other pairs of roommates have also been sexually assaulted, then murdered as well. There leaves all six which have been stabbed repeatedly to death. My cop instinct led to the investigation of a prime suspect fairly quickly. The profile we were looking for was a man. The evidence pointed in his being late fifty, perhaps an educator. By the description of the victims, we were looking for a modern hippy type, probably a drifter wandering around searching for prey. Or he had ties to the college, but the major clues were, he picked out the same type of woman.

     We knew where to investigate, the local college itself. Our finding him, and believing we had it down to one suspect. Slight details and cop gut led us to believe this is an extreme anger crime. Trudy had provided me with her thinking all along. Trudy has been very helpful on other cases in the past, and this one she came through in an extraordinary way. The evidence showing the victims wounds proved to be a hate crime. Step by step, down to the minute detail, she wasn't nervous at all giving up her opinion. Trudy handled this high profile case well, she showed exceptional character the way she figured out this maniac, and drew a detailed  pattern on these killings. Trudy has a remarkable sense for remembering clues from spread sheets of  a case. Our conclusion was; all six of the young woman. They each had the same thing in common, had Trudy not figure that out, we were headed in the wrong direction.
   
     They were all art students, and had taken a fine art class with the same instructor, Dana Parker. His name came up around campus and as soon as we checked around. Peoples reactions were that they didn't seem it strange cops were asking questions about Parker. Most of the people we spoke to thought-he was a little weird. A few of Parkers colleges mentioned that they recall he was interested in nude paintings. The college doesn't allow nudes on campus, but Dana was  seeking freelance models on the side. Trudy looked young enough to fit his type for a nude, she seemed to be feeling the idea as a way to trap this madman. Since Trudy fit the description of the victims, we decided to go ahead and call one of the nude model adds posted on a billboard around campus. Not being the lead detective yet, but I went ahead anyway. Using Trudy as the under cover, Dana Parker took the bait, and for the first time Trudy felt the adrenaline rush before the take down. A real cherry breaker, a chance to catch a criminal together.
  
     She set up a nude shooting of her with Parker at our apartment. Seeing it's the south side, we knew the deception would work well. During which, a warrent to search Parkers Studio was issued almost immediately. I had to hurry,and time this operation down to the moment. Within two hours, we collected enough evidence to put Dana Parker away on death row. Trudy was safe all along, she managed to engage in conversation before Parker ever entered the apartment. My days as a rookie cop were over, and lifted up to sargent Becker shortly after the solid evidence convicted Parker. After seeing Trudy later, we went out to celebrate with dinner and a movie. She reminded me of knowing her before we were married. I knew she respected law enforcement, and helping catch a killer was her way of contributing to the safety of the publc. Nailing a killer had to be the best day in our life I knew there was another reason for us to be together, its the reason why I asked her to marry me in the first place. Trudy took police work seriously, and my work as a cop. Trudy was scared,but was dedicated to help anyway.

     We both knew there wasn't going to be anything to worry about between us. Together we agreed to enter into a life of crime fighting with open eyes. Trudy and I used to enjoy a few cocktails once in a while. Trudy gave it all up, primarily because she beleved it would be a better idea while watching over my cases with me. Trudy wanted to always have a clear mind. My wife is the most unselfish person I know. Most people would say, I am the worse half for living the life style I chose. Not my Trudy though, we work well with our union. Most of my cop friends should be lucky to have a relationship this secure with their spouse.

     Trudy and I are happy, and I would give up my high risk police work police if that is what she wanted. Once becoming Sargent, we we're both involved deeply with every case put on my desk. Keeping Trudy informed with the life wasn't what most cops do concerning their wives. They keep everything tight lipped, and a few are fearful of scaring their loved ones. Once I became detective in charge of major theft crimes. Trudy and I went out on the town to celebrate my promotion. I wouldn't trade my wife with any of my cop buddies, but they don't have it like us. We know a lot of couples in the department. They keep their work separate from their private and social life. Trudy and I were different, we lived the crime fighting life with pride, and dreamed of the day we would have our own private detective business some day.
    
      As detective and head of my own department; major theft squad. My priority was bank robberies, jewelry store break-ins, insider embezzlement, fraud, and felony extortion cases. The promotion kept me busy most nights. The move up made me a tough cop, and enjoyed locking criminals up more now than as a cop on the beat. Major crimes squad makes our own rules. We make them as we go if we have to. These street thugs think their all out smarting everyone they come in contact with. My first major case was a serial bank robber,and casino safe cracker. Two million in total has been stolen from six establishments. This one was unique, because he worked alone, and we know is a loner by the profile. This guy was so proficient we nicknamed him, 'the friendly thief, because its he never used a gun,and always apologizes to the teller for robbing them after they hand over the money. Our profile led us to believe our friendly thief must have been in the banking industry. Mainly; because he knew the timing when to strike, hit fast and escape as if he vanished leaving no evidence behind except on camera. The crook is wearing a disguise of course, which also led us to believe; having specialized knowledge of camera angles. Either that, or this guy is incredibly lucky

     Trudy had her own idea on how to catch the slippery, friendly bank robber. Trudy made a chart of every bank in the general area. The time of day, and date of the bank robberies, and it showed a pattern of a circle with nothing being robbed in the center. Trudy had a theory, which made a lot of sense. A dog won't defecate in his own walking space. So our guy seemed to be braching out from where he lives. Two and two says this guy had to be located in the center of the robberies. We started searching for bank employees living in the area where the center of the pattern shown. We came up with one particular hit, in the area of the bank thefts. We came up with a window washer who had been employed as a contractor for a banks cleaning  While doing so, he must have learned everything about the timing of the bank opening on certain days. Watched for odd days the tellers had extra large amounts of cash, and on and on. This gut got his connections from previously being an employed as a bank teller.  After going by the chart, and finally catching the  guy. We had him investigated, and knew exactly where to be, by locating banks farther out of the circle. At the time of his arrest,the gut made the dumbest mstake. He left a hand written note with his window washing business name on the back; inside out squeeky clean. We plotted the graph and the guy was arrested desipte of it. Trudy always wanted to know how it felt to hand cuff a criminal. I had no words to describe it other than,'freedom', and its the best feeling in the world.

     There came a time of still in our life. Still every moment of the day we became preoccupied with wondering when we can start over again. Trudy and I were almost willingh to pack our bags, and leave for another state. I went to work one evening and a case which dumbfounded law enforcement. Happened to land on my desk, and thought this was ended long ago. As a seasoned official I was offered a position as marshal. Perhaps and only if, or when my street instinct as crime fighter does the job. The file was handed to me by my chief personally,and knew my abilities. He called me in for discussing the details, and basically gave the case; open deception status. Meaning, do anything possible to crack the case to end it.

      It seems this case has hit every desk in the department. Without even a bust, no resolve. no leads, without any under cover informanys. This didn't seem right at all, and something is telling me there were dirty hands touching this case file. Clearly the crimanals were still on the loose, and eluded even the most experienced agents. My sights were on the offer to become marshal as soon as possible. After reading the file pages with Trudy, it didn't take her long to devise a plan of action. Trudy and I thought we could nip this case in the bud. Trudy and I actually fell in love with the case right from the start. These cops working this were thrown by the way the gang operated is all.

     Trudy and I knowing we could probably come up with answers, and this one would set us free. How we came to eventually solve this, was some stretch of an imagination to say the least. The idea we came up with was the first for the state. Open deception changed everything about saying how we handle the man hunt. There were two separate crimes going on in one. A counterfiet ring washing money, and rotating store fronts sellng expensive items for hard cash. The counterfeit ring was bringing in huge sums of money. Buying brand new cars, and pick up trucks, turning around and either selling them for cold cash cheap, or shipping the vehicles out of state, of even the country for all intensive purposes. Also,the same crime ring is setting up shop by renting fake store fronts, specializing in stores with huge freezers. They load up on expensive steaks, beer, soda cigarettes, and naturally cocaine. Getting out there the first week, I found out there were transient mobile flippng going on with the store fronts. They sell a load of illegal merchandise, and change  the store while a new face is doing the selling. So Trudy and I came to the conclusion to record the loot, and the faces moving everything around. Then take the information for identification, and make the arrests as a sepaerate operation. We will do two operations in one ourselves.

          Nothing this huge goes undetected, which was our easy part. These guys were good, they would set shop, keep moving. Set up shop, keep moving. I figured the crew of cops, and detectives couldn't convict because its hard to hit a moving target. The criminals were fly by night with no real steak in the game other than being a middle man. To nab the big guy, use a biger net. My dearest Trudy had a plan of the century. We set up mini cameras on the front gates of the larger junk yards in the state first. Trudy also suggested our using several more around a popular cigar bar. In the end, her two hunches proved to be valulable to solving one of the largest crime rings besides guns in our state.

     Our initial investigation was all on camera. The new cars were seen being dropped off at the junk yard for stripping. The counterfeit money, and the cocaine were coming from inside glove compartments of scraped cars shipped in for crushing. It was the bottom two of those transport truck's, which were  carrying the drugs and counterfeit money in. Both ends were using inside car dealer employees for the final okay, on the purchaces of new trucks. After washing by accepting payments, the insider would drift into the sunset. They would hit the next dealer with some being paid off, but more or less their  inside one way or another.

     The cigar bar and the store front connection was trickier. These thugs specialized in cigarettes, beer and expensive quantities of steaks. The lot of which were all federal, but this was my case, and my collar alone. The cigar bar was the center of distribution, and supplied the phony store fronts with illegal goods. It was a one shot order, and when they sold out quick, they moved on to the next stores. The cocaine came in one quantity, and one shot only. The cigar bar still blows our minds how Trudy figured this out. Truckloads of beer, soda, cigarettes, and truckload after truckload of meat. Trudy works part time in a down town coffee shop across from the cigar bar. This is exactly what Trudy believed. All those trucks coming  and going, day after day. By the looks of the size of the cigar bar, and all these were mostly pick-ups. Something must have been coming in the back way. I put two an two together, and figured their dirty. Trudy called a long shot, but that is what she told me, and its how this all worked out. The identifying these guys was a breeze with the camera rolling, and those convictions ended the case of the year.
  
     From then on our road toward living as private citizens was under way. and possibly be in our own control sooner than expected. My early retirement pension enabled us to start our very own under cover detective agency. We named it; Dick Trudy Private Detective and Bail Bonds. Our whole life together couldn't be better. As for expecting the American dream all along paid off. As for my wife, she always wanted to know how it felt cuffing criminals. My dearest Trudy found out first hand after all these years. It feels just like I described it to her before. Trudy knows all too well, exactly  what I meant. It feels like 'freedom', and although we have closed on an old chapter in our lives. Trudy still seems to keep coming up with creative ways to solve crimes. All the credit belongs to my dearest Trudy.

           End of Story  'Be immune to rumor'  Jimmy Nuzz

   
     

                 

Author's Note

A cop and his supportive wife Trudy, together they live the life of their dreams.

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[james nuzzello]

This is based on some what a semi-true story, but it's a cover up from a writers perspective without divulging too much.