The Speed Demon

By: Rick McQuiston
September 10, 2008

Frank took a sip from his rapidly cooling coffee. Sometimes he thought if he only had one wish in the world it would be for a better cup of coffee that never cooled down.

Wishful thinking for a bored police officer baking in his hot patrol car.

The waiting was the hardest part of his job. Passing endless hours under the blazing sun in a dust bowl like Sturgell, Nebraska, waiting for speeders was definitely not one of the best parts of his career.

He often felt like a caged rat, trapped behind the steering wheel of the black and white 1992 Corsica that came with his paycheck. The radio offered little more than distraction, and frequently tossed in static for good measure. And the sun did its best to make the landscape dry and the air uncomfortable and difficult to breathe.

“Doubt we’ll get anyone today,” he mumbled to the interior of his car. “Nothing happening. Nothing at all.”

It worried Frank sometimes when he talked to himself. He didn’t want to end up like his father, struggling to maintain his sanity and his bank account, but he found that hearing his own voice usually eased the loneliness and boredom.



One hour slowly drifted into the next, each indistinguishable from the one before it. Sleep tempted him with its promise of comfort, but Frank resisted. He knew he needed to stay awake, just in case some kids came speeding by.

The noise was small at first, almost inaudible, but it was enough to pull Frank from his peaceful daydream.

“What’s this?” he whispered to himself. “Is there finally someone coming?”

He removed his dust -coated sunglasses and squinted at the horizon. There, nearly too small to see, was a tiny black dot racing towards him, slowly but steadily gaining in size as it drew nearer. The distinct whine of its engine was literally an open invitation to a bored and weary police officer trying to meet his monthly quota of tickets.

Frank watched anxiously as the black dot grew in size. Whoever it was they were definitely speeding. Frank felt a small fire of excitement begin to smolder in his gut. It was held in check by his oath to uphold the law, but he still felt it burn nonetheless. After all, this was just what he was waiting for.

He reached over and picked up his hand-held radar gun. Switching it on quickly, he punched in the necessary settings and waited to clock the speed demon barreling down the road towards him. The target speed range of the gun was excellent, one of the best on the market, and Frank let a smile creep across his dusty, sun-baked face when he thought about it.



“I wonder what type of car it is,” he mumbled to no one. “Gotta be something nice to be going as fast as it was. Maybe a Corvette or one of those old Ford hot rods, all souped up with big-block motors and thick, illegal tires.

Illegal. The very sound of the word excited Frank. Job security was what it was all about, and illegal activities were his bread and butter. As long as there were people doing things they shouldn’t be doing he’d have a paycheck.

Frank glanced at the display on the radar gun. It blinked on and off a few times, switching between 148 and 153, before finally settling more or less on 151.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Frank let the number run through his mind. He’d never come across someone going that fast. This was gonna be a really good ticket, maybe with reckless driving thrown in for good measure.

Setting the radar gun down Frank unbuckled his firearm and twisted the ignition key. The patrol car came to life with the steady hum of the engine, which elicited a smile from Frank. He was finally going to have some action today.

“Now all we have to do is wait until he comes by,” he mused to himself. “Then we got him.”

The speeding car continued barreling down the road, apparently oblivious to the police car waiting for it to pass by. It was picking up speed, nearing 155 miles per hour, and putting anything or anyone in its way in extreme danger.

Frank depressed the brake pedal and shifted the car into drive. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands and waited for the speed demon to liven up his day.