Speed Trap
Rubin was going 67 in his Corolla when he spotted the cop car crouched behind an overpass. The cops always changed where they hid on this highway. The speed limit was 55, and Rubin had meant to do 60 to keep with the flow of traffic, but Rubin couldn’t help his lead foot. He just couldn’t help himself sometimes. Rubin looked in his rear-view mirror, to see if the cop would pull out. Cops only like pulling over people doing 20 over the limit, since that’s when the real big fines kick in. Rubin wasn’t going fast enough for that, so he should be safe. The cop’s red-and-blue spinning lights came to life, and he pulled out. Damn it! Rubin slowed to 55, moved to the middle lane, and tried to be the most polite law-abiding motorist on the road. The cop advanced, his lights spinning and now his siren turning on. He was just a few lengths behind Rubin now. Great; this cop would probably claim Rubin was going 20 over the limit; what proof did Rubin have otherwise? The cop car was getting close, looked like he was getting ready to ram for God’s sake–he went left! The cop car dove into the left lane without signaling, shot past Rubin, and whizzed up the road while the Doppler shift of the siren still echoed in Rubin’s ears. A sports car ahead was the cop’s target, and was now pulling over to the shoulder.
“Boy, that was a close one,” Rubin said. “We almost got in trouble there, huh?”
The girl tied up in the back seat didn’t seem to appreciate it.