I awoke in a modestly furnished home of a little old lady, I was a cop on a stake-out with my partner Jerry Orbach there was a large amount of food cooking on the stove, but I couldn’t smell any of it, which I thought was a shame it all looked so good. A large panel truck pulled up out front, it was the raid team of undercover cops, and they stormed the house across the street from the stake-out house.

As the team emerged with suspect after suspect I noticed something ever odd about the whole thing, they were all elderly Jewish men, and women, I could not understand why they were being busted? My partner and I left the details up to the arresting officers, which were in the process of transporting them to central booking, my partner and I walked across the street and down into a path through the woods which led to a parking lot of a restaurant.

I then began to query my partner of the type of gun his used to qualify with, he told me he used a 38 revolver, I laughed because I too used a 38 to qualify with, as we walked down the path of these beautiful woods, in the middle of this drab city, I thought to me self how great it was to be his partner, it was then I realized my badge had come loose from my belt and had dropped off along the way.

I turned and began to back track, but Jerry managed to get ahead of me, ‘I guess I was looking too intently for it’ I had only been detective with Jerry for a few months, that badge held a great deal of sentimental value to me. I saw Jerry find my badge, he gave it back to me with a smile, I took it from him and wiped the dirt off it, and then I noticed the badge number was 389, and for some unknown reason that number had some a peculiar significance. We then turned around a walk back towards the restaurant which I don’t think was Jerry’s intended destination, but then I ask if I could buy him a cup of coffee, so, in some way to show him my appreciation for him finding my badge, he agreed.

So, we stop in to grab a bite, the place was packed, and the waitresses were all buzzing with activity, as we sat down I noticed that there were other of our fellow detectives at our table, and then I began to think to myself ‘boy I’m in a world of hurt now,’ being the junior detective at the table, ‘they’ll probably try and stick me with the bill,’ I then causally checked my wallet for more cash, I have enough, then to get in everyone’s good graces, and before they had the chance to stick it to me, I volunteered to pick up the tab.

Then I awoke with the sound of my wife’s voice.