Got your good side

This is a bit from my novel, Running Wounded:

An aggressive young reporter on his first field assignment jabbed his wily old cameraman.  “This is my big chance so keep it steady and make sure you get my good side.”

The veteran cameraman gave the kid a condescending glance and raised his camera.  “Any time.”

Extremely hyper, Dick pointed to himself as he walked to the police officer.  “Dick Anderson here, with an on the spot interview of this horrendous shot-out.”  He stuck a mike in the cop’s face.  “What happened here?  How many innocent people were hurt?  Did you get the bad guys?  Were any of them shot?  How much money did they get?”

The cop stared at the young kid for a second, glanced at the camera.

The cameraman was trying not to smile too broadly.

The cop cocked his head, thought about the questions for a minute before counting the answers off on his fingers.  “Robbery -- none -- yes -- all six -- and none.”

The young reporter was blank.  “Excuse me?”

The cop laughed.  “They all shot each other.”

“What?”

“Hey, if you don’t want a bunch of answers, don’t ask a bunch of questions.  Get it?”  The cop walked away, laughing.

The young reporter looked at his cameraman.  “What?”

The wily veteran got it, but tried not to laugh.  He held his camera steady on the kid.  The kid awkwardly smiled at the camera.  “Dick Anderson, here --” At a loss for words, he finally slashed his hand across his throat.

The cameraman lowered his camera and tried not to smirk.  “I got your good side, Dick.”

The story isn’t about the cops, or the newsman.  This is a story about a gang of inept bank robbers who screw up a robbery, then afterward, manage to make the worst of every situation they find themselves in.