51: The Beginning Chapter 3 Part 3

“Sheriff, there is a gentleman by the name of Wren here to see you. Would you like me to bring him back?” Cat asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

Cat returned to the counter before returning with Wren to Lindsay’s office. Wren followed Cat to the door, and she watched him walk into Lindsay’s office with her eyebrow raised before turning and walking back to the front counter. He looked at Lindsay’s desk and shook his head.

“Wow. After looking at that desk, I hope you’re not mad at me because I told you to take this job,” Wren said.

Lindsay mustered a half-smile. “Of course, I’m not mad at you.” She stood, walked over to him, and gave him a quick kiss. “This is a nice surprise. What are you doing here?”

Wren closed the door behind him, then said, “I brought you something that I think you will want to read.” He handed her a file that was worn with age.

Lindsay took it and began reading as she walked back to her desk and sat down. It was a report that was written a few years after the military base had been established. She looked up at Wren, who was now sitting in the chair across from her. She continued reading the file and found that it contained information about an attack that had occurred on the base.

The attack had occurred in a heavily wooded training area. A soldier participating in a training exercise became separated from his group and encountered a large, unidentified animal. The creature was approximately eight feet tall and five hundred pounds. It walked on two legs, was covered in dark brown fur, and had a horrible stench. It had charged the soldier while letting out a loud scream before it attacked him. The soldier had been injured so severely that he was discharged from the military because he could no longer perform his duties.

Lindsay looked up at Wren. She did not know what to say. She wanted to know where he had gotten the file. Why had he let her see it? Also, to say thank you. She knew he had always believed her when she said there were things in the county that did not make sense, and she could not explain. He had seen some of them himself.

“Thank you,” she said. That was the first thing she could get out. “Where did you get this?”

“After the call last night, I spent this morning digging through files that could be made public. I thought you should see that. I had the feeling that it would make complete sense to you,” Wren answered her. “Of course, you know that if anyone were ever to ask about this file, either it doesn’t exist or it was a misidentified bear,” He added with a smile.

“Of course I do. And any strange lights in the sky are either swamp gas or the planet Venus,” she said, smiling back at him.

Wren stood up to leave. Lindsay stood and walked over to him, handing him the file. Wren leaned over and kissed her on her forehead.

“You know I love you, right?” he asked her.

“I know. I love you too,” Lindsay answered.

Wren left the office, and Lindsay went back to her paperwork.

After a few minutes, she heard the door chime on the main door and saw Big Bob walk in. He was in uniform even though he was not scheduled to be at work for a few more hours. She saw him walking toward her office.

“Little Bob called me and said you have some questions about our previous, illustrious leaders bailing like a bunch of rats on a sinking ship,” Big Bob said as he chewed on a toothpick.

“Well, that isn’t exactly how I would have put it, but yes,” she answered. “Have a seat and tell me what you know about this mess, including why nothing was submitted to the state for the past few months.”

“Well, as far as the stuff that should have gone to the state, the sheriff always said he did that. I didn’t know anything about the chief deputy going on vacation or the sheriff quitting until I came to work the next day. I can tell you that it all happened in the middle of the night. Don’t ask me why anyone would ask for a vacation in the middle of the night. And if the sheriff knew he was going to quit, why would he give the chief deputy vacation time for three weeks right when the department would need him the most?” Big Bob replied.

Lindsay looked at Big Bob, shaking her head as she spoke. “From what I have been able to tell, this department doesn’t mean much to either of them. If the chief deputy ever comes back, which I doubt he will, he will not have a job. He refused to take over as sheriff when the county commissioners spoke with him, and now I know why. He even put on a show and told them he would rather quit than be sheriff. That is akin to the vice president of the United States resigning after something happens to the president, rather than taking over. If you don’t want the possible responsibility, don’t take the job,” she ranted. “Sorry. It has been a long day so far, and it feels like it keeps getting longer.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. I wouldn’t take your job. I told them to talk to you, and I’m glad they did,” Big Bob answered. He stood up and walked out, not asking if she needed anything else.

Lindsay said nothing else to him. He made it clear he did not know much, so he would not say much. She liked Big Bob. He would always say what was on his mind. He loved to talk, but he would not tell you anything that he did not know as fact. Lindsay kept working on the stacks of paper on her desk. She was taking notes and separating reports that contained incorrect information. She understood that mistakes happen, but there was no way that many mistakes could have occurred by accident. She finally reached a point where she could stop for the day and finish in the morning. It was after 5 p.m., yet Cat was still doing paperwork at the front counter.

“Cat, what are you still doing here? Didn’t you get off at four?” Lindsay asked.

“My relief has not come in yet,” Cat answered, wrinkling her nose. “I am pulling up the time cards for all the dispatchers and finding that we have a couple who never seem to be here on time or for their full shift.”

“OK, good. I was just going to suggest that,” Lindsay said. “Has Andy come on duty yet?”

“He has. He came on shift at 15:45. You know he is polite, smart, and not bad to look at. I might ask him out if he could look me in the face or talk to me. Now that I think about it, the talking thing might not be bad,” Cat said with a wicked smile.

“For now, try not to mess with him too much. We are going to be working on the whole not-able-to-talk-to-women thing,” Lindsay told her. “I am heading home. I locked my office so no one can move any of the mess on my desk. Please guard it with your life.”

“I will give my life for your paperwork, I promise,” Cat laughed. “Try to have a good night.”