Jimmy looked at the information on the paper, then raised his head to look at James.
James, "Jimmy, you've seen it, we need to go and bring back Dick Diaz."
Jimmy nodded.
James continued, "Originally, the transport was supposed to be handled by the County Bailiffs, but now there's a problem, and because of what you know, we temporarily can't bring him back by plane, so we can only drive there and back."
This is a bit troublesome since he's a murderer. Sending only bailiffs might lead to mishaps, so this time you're in charge."
Jimmy's eyes widened. What the hell? Can't fly? Drive from Little Rock, Arkansas to Los Angeles, California?
Jimmy, "You're joking, right? Have me drive there and bring someone back? From here to Los Angeles, it's almost 3000 kilometers, driving there and back?"
James, "I'm not joking. We used to be able to fly there and back, but now we temporarily can't do it that way."
Jimmy, "Almost 3000 kilometers, driving will be exhausting. How many people can I take?"
James, "Two County Bailiffs, we don't have many hands."
Jimmy, "No way, three people, two cars, there's no way we can take turns driving."
James, "You're not expected to rush there and back. You can take your time. We really can't spare more people, as every court needs enough people to maintain order."
Jimmy, "What about transferring two prison officers from the detention center?"
James, "They're also short-staffed over there. Forget it, that's all we have."
Jimmy felt helpless. This was unbearable. 3000 kilometers round trip, just the time on the road would take more than a week. No, this was going to kill someone.
Jimmy, "Chief James, please call TSA again and beg them. We really can't drive there to pick him up. More than a week back and forth, even if we can drive back, it's too easy for accidents to happen. If it were closer, like Texas or even New Mexico, I could drive there and back, but California is just too far."
James looked at Jimmy and nodded. "Go out for now, I'll contact them again."
After multiple communications with James, TSA finally agreed to the police station's request. However, they required that no firearms be carried on the plane, the prisoner had to be watched by two people, and the flights had to be on TSA-designated schedules.
Since they needed two people to watch and no firearms on hand, to ensure safety, Jimmy couldn't escape the duty, being the most capable fighter in the county police, even though his record was mostly from gunfights, others' close-combat skills were not very good either.
Jimmy rested for one night, and the next day, he went out with a bailiff, heading to the airport to fly to Los Angeles.
As it was official business, Jimmy and County Bailiff Paul were carrying full equipment, holding a certificate issued by the police station as they boarded the plane, but their guns had to be locked in accordance with regulations and placed in checked luggage, not carried on.
The plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport, and they picked up their luggage and took a cab directly to the West Hollywood Police Station. The West Hollywood Police Station is part of the western division, and Dick Diaz was caught by them.
Jimmy and his colleagues rushed to the West Hollywood division, arriving near evening, which was not a good time to visit the police station. Jimmy and County Bailiff Paul found a cheap hotel nearby to stay in, rest a bit, and then wait until the next morning to go to the West Hollywood station.
After Jimmy and Paul checked into their rooms separately, they went their own ways. Being in Hollywood, they had to go around a bit. Two grown men together, what was that?
The next morning at 8 AM, Jimmy and Paul gathered downstairs in the hotel, both already dressed in police uniforms and gear, wearing their badges. They left the hotel and walked towards the West Hollywood Police Station.
It can't be denied, Los Angeles is wealthy—its West Hollywood Station under the Western Division looks even more impressive than the county police building where Jimmy works. There are a lot of people going in and out, a stark contrast to the quietness of their county police building.
Plaskey County Police Headquarters only has about twenty or thirty people in total, and most of them are administrative staff.
Here, it was clear that LAPD officers were abundant. Jimmy and Paul, dressed in yellow uniforms, stood out starkly among the group of city police in black uniforms.
The two walked towards the police station's front desk under the gaze of others.
Jimmy, "Hi, I'm Jimmy Yang, Sheriff from Plaskey County, Arkansas, here to see Sergeant Robert Fuller."
Jimmy and Paul came together, with Jimmy still taking the lead. Although Paul was not from the same department, he had no interest in disputing roles with Jimmy. It was normal for a well-known county officer like Jimmy to take charge, even if this time it was about transporting a prisoner.
Receptionist, "Just a moment." The receptionist picked up the phone to make a call, and soon a sergeant came out of the station, bearing three chevrons topped with a curved bar, revealing that he was a middle-aged Caucasian, bald, about the same height as Jimmy, around 180 centimeters, and looked sturdy, his muscular arms stretching the fabric of his uniform.
The receptionist gestured towards Jimmy, and the sergeant approached him, and the two shook hands.
Sergeant, "Hi, I'm Sergeant Robert Fuller, welcome to the West Hollywood Division."
Jimmy, "Hello, I'm Assistant Sheriff Jimmy Yang from Plaskey County, Arkansas. This is County Bailiff Paul."
The sergeant shook hands with Paul and then said to Jimmy, "Follow me, we'll talk inside."
Jimmy and Paul followed Sergeant Robert into the police station and into a private office. Once they entered, Robert closed the door and smoothly drew the blinds shut.
Robert, "I can call you Jimmy, right? Jimmy, Paul, take a seat, let me find the file."
Robert sat at his desk and pulled a file from a drawer, handing it to Jimmy.
Robert, "This is Dick Diaz's file; you can look at it first. Four days ago, there were multiple thefts in Beverly Hills. Several luxury stores had their windows smashed, and merchandise was stolen.
Due to the silent alarms triggered, nearby officers arrived in time and apprehended three suspects at the scene; a few others got away. We are currently investigating this string of thefts, and one of the three captured is Dick Diaz.
When we entered the suspects' information, Dick Diaz's fingerprints triggered a system alert, and he was temporarily held at the Los Angeles County Jail. We notified your station."
Jimmy reviewed the LAPD-provided file of Dick Diaz, starting with his personal information and photo, followed by records of the theft case. According to the interrogation, Dick was not the mastermind. The three were part of a small gang, and Dick was merely a subordinate. The LAPD was not particularly interested in him.
Jimmy closed the file and handed it back to Sergeant Fuller, "Thank you. Since Dick committed crimes in our area and disappeared, I didn't expect him to flee as far as Los Angeles. Thank you for capturing this dangerous suspect."
Robert chuckled, "No need to thank us, Jimmy. When can you transfer the prisoner?"
Jimmy, "You know, the airlines are really tight right now. Because we need to escort the prisoner, TSA designated a flight for us—tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM, Delta Airlines, departing from Los Angeles International Airport."
Robert, "That gives us enough time. Tomorrow morning, I'll arrange someone to accompany you to the Los Angeles County Jail to pick up the person."
Jimmy, "All right, then we will come back tomorrow morning. Thank you, Sergeant Fuller."
Jimmy and Paul shook hands with Robert and then left the West Hollywood Police Station.