"Edward?" A portly black police officer raised an eyebrow in befuddlement as he looked at the man standing in front of his table. "Didn't you go to take a holiday?"

A friendly smile appeared on Edward's face as he replied, "What can I say? I guess I'm a workaholic."

"Don't make me laugh!" The police officer didn't know whether to be angry or amused by Edward's reply. He pushed a form toward Edward and said, "Anyway, you came back at just the right time. Our police station is always short-staffed, and I'm gonna be honest, if you had taken a break of more than a week, I would've transferred you to a rural police station right away. Now get back to work!"

Edward accepted the form, which was a report that he had to complete after returning from holiday, and he was just about to leave the office when a thought suddenly occurred to him. He turned back to face the black police officer and asked, "Chief Miles, why are we so short-staffed right now?"

Before Miles had a chance to reply, Edward continued, "Many of the people I went to the police academy with have been transferred to the east to police stations in Washington DC and Philadelphia, and I've been unable to get through to them through phone calls. Is there a major case being investigated there?"

"Even if there is, it's not something you can get involved in!" Chief Miles harrumphed. "Edward, let me tell you this: if you had...