The chief took off his glasses and cleaned them with a handkerchief. “I’m alone here today. Do you really expect me to leave the station unattended?”

Cindy gestured to the empty building. “Where are all the other police?”

The chief seemed puzzled by the question. “Well, I don’t very well know where they are. I can’t keep track of everything. But years ago, when I started here, we had many fine officers. But their numbers have dwindled over time. Actually, I haven’t seen another officer in the last few months.” He paused to think. “It may have been in the last year.”

“But what do you do if there’s an emergency?” Cindy asked.

“What am I supposed to do? I have problems of my own. I have to run this whole station all by myself. If I leave, what will become of it?”

“But you can’t help anyone if you’re sitting in here,” Cindy said, annoyed. “You just grow fat eating chocolates all day.”

The chief was insulted. “Watch your tongue, young lady. I offered you a chocolate fair and square and you turned it down. Why shouldn’t I eat it? If I don’t, it will go to waste. I don’t just throw away chocolates and pretend it’s not wrong.”

“We’re not talking about chocolates,” Adam said, trying once more, although he was beginning to see that it was hopeless. “We’re talking about our friend. His life may be in danger. Can’t you do anything to help him?”

The chief leaned over and peered at them. “Does he have life insurance?”

“What?” Adam said. “I don’t know. What does that have to do with anything?”

The chief smiled in a condescending manner. “Young man, if he has insurance, and he is killed, his family will stand to gain financially. And in these troubled times, extra income is nothing to be taken lightly. In other words, you view this as an emergency, but this might be a blessing in disguise. Certainly I would be doing your friend’s family a disservice if I prevented them from receiving a large amount of money. So you see my hands are tied by my responsibilities to this station and my moral duty to this young man’s family.”

“How can you talk about moral duty?” Cindy asked. “When you’re too much of a coward to lift a finger to save him?”

The chief lost his smile. “You call me a coward? You have a lot of nerve. Have I ever come to you for help to find one of my friends? Of course not. I attend to my own problems. You should do likewise, and quit bothering good people who just want to be left alone.”

“But you’re a police officer,” Cindy said bitterly. “It’s your job to help people.”