Crime and Punishment

Zora stalked through the warehouse, gun drawn. The detectives had told everyone that there was a gang meeting occurring, and that they were trying to dismantle an entire section of the criminal underground with this raid.

She was getting close enough to overhear the hushed conversations of the meeting, and it did not sound like things were going well.

This did not bode well for Zora and her fellow officers. If tensions were already high, things were bound to escalate quickly.

Zora peaked around the corner of a shelving unit. Only five individuals in the main group they had to apprehend. Their team of ten should be able to deal with this quickly.

Zora was surprised to see that there was a woman amongst the gang leaders. She must be tough if she was the leader of one of the local gangs.

That would be Zora’s target. She had spent a long time trying to prove herself to her fellow officers, but they always seemed to treat her like she was some precious flower, or some other sort of nonsense.

The lead officer for this raid stormed out of the shelving units, “STOP, POLICE!”

The leaders didn’t hesitate and started sprinting for the nearest exits.

That was Zora’s queue. She bolted out, heading straight for the female leader. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t notice the crack running through the floor right in front of her.

She stumbled, and she felt her bun loosen. This was not the time for it to come undone, but she also couldn’t let this woman get away.

As Zora sprinted after her target, she could feel her hair become looser and looser, until the band fell out all together, but Zora did not have time to consider it. She was on her target.

Tackling the young woman, Zora quickly grabbed her handcuffs. This was going to be an arrest that she would remember. The only problem was it was taking all of her strength to try to keep this scrawny woman down.

With no warning, the woman was able to wrench her arm free of Zora’s grasp and grabbed a handful of hair from the side of her head.

Zora screamed out in pain as her hair was pulled hard. This was not going the way she hoped.

The woman continued to pull, which was yanking Zora off balance to the point that the woman was able to slip out from under her and get to her feet.

That was all it took for the woman to be gone. Zora tried to chase after her, but that is when the gang backup started firing into the warehouse. Time to get out of there and regroup.

~*~

Zora made her way back to the station. She knew this was not a good showing. Her sergeant was known for being hard to work for, and he was sure to chew her out for this failure.

So, she did what she could to straighten out her uniform and pulled her hair back up into the tightest bun she could manager.

Time to face the music.

~*~

As expected, shortly after she walked back into the station, her sergeant called her into his office. He was not happy.

“You screwed up big time Zora!” He began.

“Some of the other officers already told me what happened. That woman was representing one of the nastiest gangs in the city, and she used your hair to get away!”

“I’m sorry, sir! It won’t happen again,” she hung her head.

“You’re damn right it won’t. At least not on my watch.”

Zora’s head snapped up, “Am I being let go for this?”

A smile started to creep over the sergeant’s face.

“No,” he said, shaking his head, “The results of the detective exam came in.”

He let that hang in the air. Zora had been a nervous wreck waiting for the results to be posted.

“Congratulations. You had the highest score this time around, and the precinct across the city has already requested you be assigned to them.”

Zora stood there in stunned silence. She couldn’t have hoped for a better opportunity.

“However, the lieutenant over there is even harder than me. A slip like today would be grounds to kick you out.”

Zora stiffened at that. She knew that she would have to work even harder now that she had made detective, but to be potentially kicked out because a suspect got lucky and got the upper hand, that was ridiculous.

“So, for your sake, I have already instructed the officers to keep today’s misadventure out of their reports,” the sergeant said with a wry smile, “But you need to consider long and hard what changes need to be made to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, as a congratulations, I have already authorized a week off before you start at the other precinct. Take the time to consider what you are going to do to impress that lieutenant. I expect to hear great things about you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

~*~

Zora was still in shock as she arrived at her apartment.

She had made detective! She still couldn’t believe it.

But what changes did she need to make to ensure she was at the top of her game.

She kept herself physically fit. She obviously knew all the police procedures by heart.

Things happen that are beyond an officers’ control though. So, what sort of changes did she need to make?

Her thoughts kept going back to the raid that afternoon, and how the woman got the better of her by pulling on her hair.

But that was a fluke. She always kept her hair in a tight bun. This was just a bizarre case where it came undone at the exact wrong moment.

Was it though? Was her hair the problem?

Zora loved her hair. Naturally tight curls that she almost never saw on anyone else, it flowed around her shoulders when she had the chance to wear it down. It was her most beautiful feature.

Could she get rid of it?

No! It was who she was!

But was it who she wanted to be?

She loved being a cop. So, if something was getting in the way of her being the best cop she could be, could she get rid of it?

She didn’t know anymore.

~*~

Over the next week, Zora wracked her brain trying to figure out what other changes she could make to be a great detective.

Sure, she could study harder, or work out more, but those would only produce minor boosts to her performance.

In the end, her thoughts kept coming back to her hair.

Early on day six, she realized she didn’t have a choice. She had to get a haircut to prove that she was committed to being the best detective she could be.

Grabbing her keys quickly, she headed out the door. She had to do this before she lost her nerve.

~*~

As she pulled into the parking lot, her nerve had failed her.

‘For your career!’ she kept telling herself.

‘Cut it now. Prove yourself, and maybe you can grow it back out later’

It took her several minutes to calm herself down enough to get out of the car.

‘I can do this!’ she kept telling herself as she walked towards the door.

Her hand touched the handle and she froze.

Taking several deep, slow breaths, she realized that a tear had slipped down her cheek, knowing that in a few moments, the familiar weight of her hair on her shoulders would be gone.

’You are a cop. You are willing to make sacrifices to see people come to justice. This is just another sacrifice.’

She pulled the door open and the AC hit her, helping to calm her nerves.

The receptionist, who had been watching her hesitate, asked, “Hello miss. I saw you outside. Are you sure you want to be in here?”

Zora tried to put on a pleasant smile, “I need to be here.”

The receptionist looked confused.

“This hair is getting in the way of me doing my job effectively and it needs to go. Is there someone available that can cut it?”

The receptionist gave her concerned look before checking the computer.

“Yes, there is a stylist available that can help you right now. Will you follow me?”

Zora’s legs felt heavy as she followed the receptionist to an empty chair near the back of the salon.

“The stylist will be with you in a sec. No one will blame you if decide to leave before then though. We have all been in the place of feeling we have to get a haircut that we don’t want.”

That almost made Zora get up right there, but through a great force of will, she remained seated.

“So, you need a haircut?”

Zora looked up to see the stylist standing behind her.

“Yes. Something short.”

The stylist started running her fingers through the bulk of Zora’s curls.

“Are you sure? This is some magnificent hair you have.”

Zora closed her eyes and took a steadying breath, “Yes, I am sure. I am a cop and I had a suspect get away by grabbing my hair and pulling me off her. I can’t do my job if I have something that makes it easy for people to get away.”

The stylist paused for a moment, “I see… and how short do you feel you have to go to keep this from happening?”

Zora blinked back a tear that started to form. This was the moment of truth.

“Short,” she finally said, “Even while pinned under me, she grabbed a chunk of hair from the side of my head.”

“That can’t happen again!” Zora said with a little more bite than she was expecting.

The stylist nodded solemnly, “Okay then, short it is. I will try to keep a little length on top to show off these curls but also get it short enough to not give someone something to easily grab.”

“Thank you,” Zora added meekly.

The stylist wasted no time in pulling all of the hair back into a ponytail. Including wrapping several bands around it to hold it tightly together.

“You are being incredibly brave, and so I want to give you your ponytail to remind you of the courage that it took today,” the stylist told Zora as she worked.

Zora just sat there, silently, wishing for this experience to be over.

The stylist grabbed her sheers and placed the sheers on the ponytail, “Last chance to back out.”

Zora locked eyes with herself in the mirror, a look of dread passing over her face for a moment.

“Do it,” she whispered.

The stylist wasted no time in closing the blades around the thick curly ponytail.

Zora’s head kept rocking back and forth as the blades sawed through her hair. The entire time, she kept looking at herself, wondering if this was the right decision.

Finally, the ponytail separated from her head and it was laid on the counter in front of her.

“The hardest part is over,” the stylist said gently, “I have a good style in mind for you. It will bring out your natural beauty but keep people from taking advantage of something to grab.”

Zora just nodded. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the hair that now sat lifeless on the counter.

The stylist busied herself separating out the hair at the nape.

“I have taken several people short, and they all say this is the best part.”

Zora glanced up as she heard a pop and a buzzing sound fill the air. She was unsure what the stylist was talking about.

The stylist pushed her head down, and that buzzing seemed to intensify as it touched Zora’s neck.

As the buzzing sensation started climbing up her neck, Zora gave a small, involuntary shudder. Whatever was happening it felt good and was starting to relax her.

“Just buzzing the nape area. Makes these short cuts look neat and professional. Plus, it makes the look last longer.”

Zora’s eyes widened in shock. Did she say buzzing, as in clippers?

They did feel good though. Maybe it wasn’t so bad.

As the buzzing continued, Zora started to relax more. Maybe this was the best decision. Her head told her yes, her heart wasn’t so sure.

After a couple minutes the buzzing stopped.

“Now to take the top down,” came the stylists call as she lifted Zora’s head to separate out the hair for the rest of the cut.

Zora’s eyes fell on her severed ponytail and continued to stare at it, as she got lost in a trance as the stylist worked.

“All done,” called the stylist as she rested her hand on Zora’s shoulder.

Somewhere along the way, Zora had grabbed her ponytail and was holding it as if she had lost a dear friend.

She slowly lifted her gaze up to the mirror.

A small gasp escaped her as she saw the short, but very curly pixie cut that the stylist had expertly crafted.

It was this point she noticed the breeze along her neck and she reached back. The stubble that greeted her was a surprise that she did not expect. She choked back a sob as she examined herself in the mirror.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes… It may not have been what I wanted, but it is exactly what I asked for.”

“Give it time. You will get used to it.”

Then with a sly smile, “Remember how good the clippers felt going up your neck…”

Zora started rubbing the back of her neck again, “Yeah…”

A smile started to grace Zora’s lips as she left the salon. Today was the start of a new beginning.

~*~

The next few months went by in a blur for Zora. The new haircut brought out a lot of confidence in her at her new position as a detective.

She even got an approving nod about her appearance on her first day from her new lieutenant. That was a pleasant surprise.

Unfortunately, being the junior detective, it also meant she got most of the grunt work. Writing up basic reports, mainly for cases that just needed a police report to file an insurance claim, or other basic nonsense.

It was this grunt work that had Zora knocking on apartment doors late one afternoon.

She was trying to find out any information on a hit-and-run that had occurred. Unfortunately, there were not any cameras that caught who the driver or vehicle might be.

Zora was reviewing what little notes she had gathered when the door opened. Inside stood a blonde that she had met that morning while grabbing coffee.

“Wait…you?”

“Yes, me… and you?”

They quickly exchanged what non-existent information the woman and her boyfriend had on the situation and Zora turned to leave.

Looks like it was just another dead end.

Resigned that this would probably be another unsolvable case, Zora returned to the station.

~*~

Zora walked into the station ready for a quiet evening of paperwork. What she found was the station in a minor state of chaos.

Fellow detectives either making loud phone calls or hunched over computers doing research. In the center, the lieutenant stood next to a whiteboard where multiple images had been hung up with notes interconnecting them.

Zora approached, ready to inform the lieutenant that there were no leads in the hit-and-run.

The lieutenant turned, “Zora, did you discover anything?”

Without stopping to hear her report, he turned back to the board, “Never mind, we had a break while you were gone.”

“Wait, really? I thought there were no cameras that caught the accident.”

“There aren’t,” a fellow detective said over his shoulder while furiously typing on a computer, “but there is one just down the street that caught a car with some major damage racing out of there.”

“We’ve been tracking it through the city,” the lieutenant continued, “It seems that this may not have been an accident. The car is heading straight for the territory of a cross-town gang.”

Zora couldn’t help but stare at the board. When she was sent out to look into the crash, there was nothing to go on. Now they were tracking a suspect half-way across town.

“We are getting surveillance footage from the other precinct now,” called a detective from across the room.

A moment later he grabbed a printout and all but ran to the board.

Handing it to the lieutenant, “This is the driver. The other precinct believes she is the leader of a gang that is trying to take over territory on this end of town.”

The lieutenant taped the image to the board, and Zora’s heart jumped in her chest. She knew that person.

As the notes surrounding the woman finished, she turned to the lieutenant.

“I know her,” Zora almost growled.

“She’s the one that got away from me right before I transferred here.”

The lieutenant turned and smiled, “Is she now? I heard rumors from that raid that weren’t in the report.”

Zora’s lip curled, but she met the lieutenant’s glare.

“Yes, sir. Those rumors are true. She got the better of me by grabbing my hair. It is why I showed up with this haircut on my first day.”

“Well, I am glad you took steps to keep that mistake from happening a second time,” turning back to the board, “I am assuming you want to take her down?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good!” the lieutenant turned Zora towards his office.

As Zora shut the door, the lieutenant continued, “When we realized which gang was probably involved, I made a few calls. It seems the city’s gang unit wants to try to manipulate this gang rather than take them out.”

Zora was perplexed. It was only a few months ago that they were trying to dismantle this gang.

“They see an opportunity. This Willow girl seems to be their leader. She is in a tough spot trying to solidify her position when all the other leaders want to take her out. It is probably why she is trying to expand. Show the other leaders she isn’t to be messed with.”

“So, what’s the opportunity?”

“It is a case of wanting an ‘enemy’ that we know. This city is too big for us to get rid of the gangs, but if we can control them, we can keep the situation under control. The gang unit wants to get this woman on our side. Let her control her gang, while we control her.”

“Understood,” Zora said straightening, “What do you need from me?”

“We have Willow’s address. Once you arrest her, make her see the benefits of working with us rather than against us,” the lieutenant gave Zora a hard look seemed to convey a lot more.

“Yes, sir,” Zora replied, already planning how she might persuade Willow into accepting the offer.

~*~

Zora took point as she and two other officers approached the apartment.

She didn’t even knock as she kicked in the door. A young woman was standing in the middle of the living room, slightly surprised by the interruption

“POLICE! Down on the ground!”

Willow started to turn, but Zora had anticipated it and quickly tackled the young woman. The other two officers quickly spreading out to clear the rest of the apartment.

Zora pinned Willow and yanked her head back by her hair, “How does it feel to have someone pull on your hair?”

Willow cried out, “You bitch! You’re dead!”

“Well, now I don’t have enough hair for you to get your hands into. So I think I will be calling the shots this time.”

The other officers came back, “It looks she is the only one here.”

“Thanks. I will take care of her,” Zora said, as she pulled a little harder on Willow’s hair.

“Yes, ma’am,” they said as they left.

As Zora hauled Willow to her feet, she whispered, “I think you and I need to have a little chat before I take you to the station.”

Willow continued to struggle and spit curses as Zora pushed her out the door and into the awaiting police vehicle.

~*~

Willow wouldn’t stop spitting curses as Zora pulled up in front of the salon she had been going to every month since she chopped off her hair. She figured this would be the perfect place to teach this brat a lesson that would convince her to work with the police.

The receptionist stared in shock as Zora pushed Willow to the back of the salon. Luckily the place didn’t have any customers.

Zora slammed Willow into the stylist chair, quickly shifting the handcuffs to secure Willow’s arm to the chair.

Willow spit in Zora’s face, “I don’t care what you do to me, I will kill you!”

“You’re going to feel the same humiliation that you put me through,” Zora said calmly as she yanked Willow’s other arm and handcuffed it to the other arm of the chair.

“What the fuck do you mean by that, bitch?”

Zora got in Willow’s face. Dropping her voice to a cold whisper, “Do you remember a few months ago at a warehouse, you yanked on an officer’s hair to get away.”

Recognition was starting to dawn in Willow’s eyes.

“Because of that, I had to cut off my hair,” Zora started to snarl, “I loved that hair. And now you are going to experience the same humiliation.”

The stylist stepped out from the back of the salon, “Hey Zora, what have we here?”

Zora stood and turned towards the stylist, “This brat is the reason I had to cut my hair in the first place. She needs to be taught a lesson.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I think we need to take most of this length off. Maybe jaw length?”

“Not going as short as yours?” The stylist asked.

Zora stood there smugly for a moment, “No… I want her to feel the same humiliation, but I don’t want to strip her of her beauty.”

She reached out and brushed Willow’s cheek, “Even if this scar mars it.”

Willow tried to bite Zora’s finger, but Zora was ready for it and quickly slapped Willow.

“After this haircut is done, you and I are going to have a chat about how we can help each other.”

“I’ll never help you!”

“Oh, I think you will when you hear what I can offer you in return… A solidified position within the gangs of this city.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Get the haircut and find out.”

Willow continued to sneer.

“Fine.”

With that the stylist got to work.

As the haircut continued, Willow’s agitation seemed to grow, and Zora was having none of it.

“You know, I don’t think this is enough for her. I think she needs an undercut. Something to about here?” she touched the middle of the back of Willow’s head.

Willow started to thrash.

“Don’t you dare shave my head bitch!” she cried out.

The stylist chuckled, “I love it. Hold her head still.”

Zora pushed Willow’s head until it was tight against her chest.

The stylist quickly separated the hair and started running the clippers up the back of Willow’s head, creating a nice clean patch of scalp.

This had seemed to finally break Willow and Zora knew it.

Zora released Willow from the chair and led her outside.

“Let’s take a walk,” Zora said, steering Willow towards a nearby park.

As they entered the shade of the trees, Zora turned.

“I can take you in right now if you would prefer. We have evidence that links you to the hit-and-run. We also know that you are the leader of your gang, which means we can pin a lot of your gang’s activity on you as well. You won’t get out of prison.”

Zora let that sink in for a little bit.

“Or you can work with us. Feed us information on what the other gangs are up to, and we will help keep you in power.”

“Why would the cops allow illegal activity?” Willow tried to sneer, but she had no fight left.

“Because there will always be illegal activity. If we have a say in what happens and when, we can minimize the impact it has on the rest of the city.”

Zora’s tone turned soft, “Look, I know the haircut sucked, but I needed you to know who was in charge before you would listen to me.”

Willow’s head drooped as she felt the back of her neck.

Willow chuckled, “Funny enough, this look is rather badass. It might actually help me.”

Zora smiled, “That was the intention. Do we have a deal? Know that if you go back on this, when we catch you, we will throw everything we have at you.”

“Let me get this straight. I feed you information about what is going on with the gangs, and in return you use that information to keep me in power.”

“Basically. It doesn’t mean we will take out rival gangs, but we will make moves to ensure you come out relatively intact. You also agree to let us know what plans you have. This is about minimizing impact from the gangs on the city, not letting your gang run wild.”

Willow sighed, “I can live with that.”

“Good. Here is my number. I expect a report within a week.”

Zora turned and walked away, leaving Willow to ponder the events of the day.

~*~

Willow walked back to her apartment, still reeling from the unexpected turn of events.

Why was she working with the cops. She hated the cops.

Didn’t mean she wasn’t going to take advantage of their stupidity.

“Where have you been?” a guy called out as she opened the door to the apartment.

With that, all eyes turned to her.

“And what happened to your hair?” another called out.

“Cops nabbed me, but I gave them the slip. Figured I would change my look to celebrate.”

She smirked at the members of her gang, “And now that I know how pathetic the cops are, we are going to rule this city.”

That pulled a round of laughter from everyone.