Out of a Texas Night

by Phyliss Miranda

  Jessup walked over to the water supply and grabbed a couple of bottles, stopping along the way to talk.

  The deputy put a bottle in front of Brody. He accepted and thanked him. Brody took a plate of brownies and lemon bars of some sort being passed around. He felt like he needed the caffeine in the chocolate, so he took one along with a napkin.

  “What’s she doing wearing a polo with the sheriff’s department emblem?” Danny squinted, obviously trying to make sure which county’s logo Thelma wore. “That’s Bonita County for sure.” He accepted the plate, ignored the refreshments and passed it to the next person.

  What didn’t get past Brody, as a detective accustomed to keeping a lookout on his surrounds, was that the whole Commissioners Court sat on one side of the table across from them, quietly observing everyone.

  Danny Scott leaned toward Brody and whispered, “Thelma is definitely wearing our county logo on her shirt.” He took a drink of water and glanced over at the commissioners. “She can’t do that. As the interim sheriff, I’d be the one to hire and make changes in our uniform, not the commissioners. There are tests she’d have to take, like anybody else. She’s worked in the office most of the time, so I doubt she’s kept up her qualification on the gun range.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Something isn’t right. And where is the mayor?” Danny said in a sarcastic tone.

  “Except for his height and size, I wouldn’t know him if he came and sat down beside me. Just don’t forget I’ve spent most of my time in Amarillo, so I’ve had little if any contact with him. I know he’s a really big man and he and his wife are descendants of two of the founding families.”

  Although it was obvious Danny was getting more annoyed, even aggravated, as they waited, Brody felt like two cocked Glocks were precariously handcuffed to each shoulder and aimed at his temples. His back felt tight, but he sat up straight as he should in the presence of his superiors.

  “The mayor is Ira Humphrey.” Danny loosened his collar and pulled his tie down about an inch.

  “I know that, but like I said I don’t know a thing about him. The only reason I know who the men over at the other table facing us are is because I can read their guest badges.” Brody downed a couple of swallows of water.

  The door opened, and two men entered and took a vacant seat with the county commissioners.

  To Brody’s surprise the third person to come in was Avery, looking really good but puzzling the hell out of him as to why she was dressed in a tan dress shirt with fitted black pants and of course a holster with no service weapon, two sets of handcuffs, and two flashlights. She sat to the right of the big man who Brody was fairly sure was the mayor.

  Avery pushed her paper and pencil aside and immediately began eying the room, one person at a time. When she came to Brody her gaze froze on his.

  He stared back, puzzled as hell as to why she wore a dress uniform when she supposedly was a clerk of some sort in Houston.

  The extremely big man, probably two inches over Brody, began the meeting. In a deep voice, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m Mayor Ira Humphrey. Most of you know me, but I realize Kasota Springs is one of the biggest small towns in the Panhandle, so not everybody knows one another....”

  He went on to explain why they were gathered—to name the new interim sheriff. Brody tuned out the rest of the foreplay to the meeting because other than the name of the new sheriff, he pretty much knew about everything. He’d visited Deuce and Rainey almost every day and probably knew more about Deuce’s prognosis than anybody else in the room.

  Brody glanced at Danny, who was either scared or in shock by the look on his face and his folded arms over his chest.

  “We have Raylynn up front to answer the phone and if there are any emergencies, she’ll text or call one of us, depending on the type of call, so there’s no reason to be concerned when everyone is together,” the mayor continued. “I’d like to recognize Chief Deputy Danny Scott, who has done a rather grand job at keeping the department running during Sheriff Cowan’s tragedy and leave of absence.” He turned his head to the left then to the right as he concluded, “The county commissioners, county judge, and as mayor, I promise on their behalf we will provide any and all resources necessary to find the person or persons who caused such severe injuries to Sheriff Cowan. Whatever you need, we’ll make sure you have it, whether it’s equipment, employees, or finances...it’ll be there for our sheriff’s department.”

  In the far distance, Brody heard the phone ring, distracting him from what he almost could consider a political whistle-stop than anything else.

  “As we looked at each and every candidate and considered every employee, it became apparent that Avery...”

  Avery stood up and took her place next to the mayor.

  Danny Scott looked at his phone then slipped a note over to Brody,: “Son-of-a-bitch! I’m out of here.” Scott got to his feet, and not bothering to push his chair to the table, he stalked out and slammed the outer door.

  Nearly everyone stared at the empty seat, as Brody slid the note into his pocket.

  Mayor Humphrey continued, “Yes, in full disclosure, many of you may remember my only daughter as Danielle Humphrey, but the department she previously worked for thought Avery was easier to keep her separated from the male Dannys, so Danielle and Dannie went by the wayside. Thus Dannie, as only her family and a few of her close friends know her, became known as Avery. I guess to be completely correct she was Lt. Detective Avery Humphrey, who we’ve named as interim sheriff until either Sheriff Cowan returns or the next election, whichever comes first. I’m pleased to introduce....”

  Brody’s whole body tensed with shock and his heart beat out of control. Now I know why she wanted to talk to me at Pumpkin’s.

  When he looked up, Avery stood at full attention with her hands behind her back. She had just begun to speak, and he hadn’t heard a word until now. “I’ve spent several days going over the personnel management manual particularly written for the sheriff’s department, and although I’ve only spoken with the commissioners, county judge, and the um, well, mayor—” She stopped and cleared her throat. “I must apologize, but I’ve never thought of my father as the mayor. He’s just Dad to me...”

  Some giggled.

  Some laughed out loud.

  Some showed no emotion.

  “I promise that I’ll do the best job possible. My experience has taught me the importance of cooperate and communicate; therefore, I will be holding individual meetings with each deputy to find out what we can do together to make our jobs easier and what your needs are. We will also be discussing each of the active cases and work in teams to get them solved as quickly as possible. We will continue working any cold cases there might be. I am committed to the town I grew up in and the people I love and care about.” She looked straight at Brody.

  From inside his jacket, Brody’s phone vibrated, and he read the text message from Danny Scott. “Code 2 at Pumpkin’s.” Brody immediate decoded to Urgent, no lights or siren; in other words, be discreet.

  Brody couldn’t keep from staring at Avery. Her gaze met his. He looked back at his text message. Although he wanted to stay, he had no choice but to go. Danny needed him pretty damn bad or he would have never disturbed Brody in such an important meeting. He lifted his phone and pointed to it, letting her know he had an urgent call. He had no choice but to wait for the right opportunity to leave, so his departure didn’t seem rebellious.

  Avery acknowledge his gesture, but said, “We’re so short on time today to answer your questions, but beginning in the morning, I’ll have a private meeting with each employee of the department to discuss our future. Please make note of any questions you have and we’ll discuss them.” She glanced over at her father and said, “Mr. Mayor will conclude this meeting.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen.” the mayor’s strong voice echoed off the wall. “The commissioners, Judg
e Humphries, and I will be holding a press conference for the media and members of our community immediately following this meeting. We welcome each of you to stand on the steps of the courthouse as a symbol of unity and a welcome to our new interim sheriff.” He smiled down at Avery.

  After returning the gesture addressed directly to her father, she stiffened as she glanced Brody’s way, obviously not missing him getting out of his seat. As quietly as possible he pushed his chair into place and walked out.

  As he closed the door behind him, another text message arrived from Danny Scott: “Meet me at Pumpkin’s ASAP.”

  Once out of hearing range, Brody slammed his fist on the wall. “If it wasn’t enough the bastard hadn’t made a fool of himself, he’s succeeding in making me look like a total jerkass,” he said slowly under his breath.

  Thrusting his chest out and taking several deep breaths, he turned his focus back to the new sheriff.

  Damn, Avery was stronger than I ever imagined. Stood straight and sure conveyed herself as a tough leader.

  Damn it to hell, she was his new boss, and the sheriff’s department had an enforceable nepotism policy—or that’s what he remembered from their personnel manual, which was as old as the battle cry “Remember the Alamo!” But, then he didn’t want a show of favoritism; he wanted to kiss her all the way from one evening to the following morning.

  Brody walked to the front office to find out what in the hell was so important that Danny Scott called him out of the meeting—making him look bad, really terrible in the eyes of the new interim sheriff, as well as the city commissioners. Hell, the whole community.

  Chapter 13

  Brody exited the back of the building in an effort to avoid the mob of news media, but it didn’t help. The group that gathered in what was supposed to be a secured area tossed questions at him like bullets in a shootout. He wished he had a sign that read “No Comment.”

  He got around the structure, but Danny’s unit was not parked in the lot. His was easy to recognize because it was the new Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle, which was ordered for the sheriff. At the time it was Deuce; now Brody couldn’t help but wonder how Avery would feel repossessing the PPV from Scott. No doubt that wasn’t even on her agenda.

  As he walked to Pumpkin’s Café, he deliberately pursed his lips and allowed a smile to come to his face, thinking about long-legged Avery climbing into the vehicle. He imagined her cute butt as the fabric of her tactical pants pressed against her skin.

  What in the hell is wrong with me! I’m worrying about the new sheriff’s backside when I need to be concerned about protecting her. I’ve got to find out why she kept the truth from me. One day she was an office worker and the next qualified to be interim sheriff.

  Isn’t omission the same as a lie?

  Brody forced his mind to return to serious business and stow away Avery’s and his issues for later. He’d only known her for a few weeks, but to be honest, he’d kissed her as many times as weeks he’d really gotten to know her. Or as many weeks as he thought he knew her, but obviously his calculations were wrong.

  Whatever the crisis was that drew Danny out of the meeting and then calling for Brody must have been urgent, especially since Danny Scott didn’t wait on Brody. Typically, he would have asked the relief dispatcher if any emergency calls had come in, but he figured Scott knew what he was doing. After all, being the chief deputy and second in command gave him latitude others didn’t have. Everyone noticed he had left, and he’d be the talk of the town. Scott liked that stature but had no idea that it wasn’t always positive.

  Brody was professional enough not to make an ass out of himself by walking out regardless of whether he liked the announcement or not.

  Frankly, other than Avery hiding pertinent personal facts, such as her full name and family affiliation, Brody had no objection to the appointment.

  Not willing to work back through the gaggle of geese that were called news media, Brody sighed. Every reporter had at least one other person with them plus a cameraman, so they didn’t miss any angle of activity. Brody made his way to the west side of the square where both Pumpkin’s Café and his sister’s place sat like bookends to keep the block standing up straight.

  For a small town Brody found it amazing that the news about Deuce and naming a new sheriff was so big in the Four Corners states that touched the Texas Panhandle.

  Thinking back, discounting the fire at the train depot that housed Rainey’s antique shop two years ago, nothing of interest had happened in Kasota Springs in years. That case was closed and the varmint, who had wanted the property to add to his so he’d have all the land adjoining his to make a big sale to the new GreenMart, was serving time in an eight-by-ten cell down at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. If he was lucky his cellmate hadn’t made Hunter into his bitch.

  As Brody neared Pumpkin’s Café, the owner scared the living hell out of him when she flung the screen door open, blocking his way, and tossed a chef’s apron at him.

  “Give me your Stetson and put this on. Keep your eyes glued to the floor and follow my lead. I’ll be walking fast.” Once they entered the café, Pumpkin turned and yelled back at him, “It’s about time you got here. You’re already late for your shift, so get your sorry butt back there before I fire you just to have something to do.” Pumpkin turned to him and said loud enough that everyone had no trouble hearing, “How many times have I told you that you can’t wear a hat in a house, especially in the kitchen? You’re worse than my fifth—or maybe it was my sixth?—husband. Geeze, get to work.” She swung through the saloon doors leading to the back of the café and let them go, almost hitting Brody in the chest.

  Once he was out of view of the main eating area, he couldn’t help but glance around and no doubt if he’d come in with full tactical gear on, nobody would have noticed. They were all staring down at their food probably trying to ignore Pumpkin’s outburst. If he’d been a patron, he’d be doing the same thing. There was not a face in the crowd he recognized.

  Brody followed Pumpkin to the far back of the café.

  “It’s about time you got here. Scott called and said you two were meeting here.” She rubbed her hands on her apron. “If we weren’t so busy, I’d love to catch up on what’s going on.”

  “Thank you,” Brody said, setting the apron on the sideboard. “I thought I was going to get eaten alive out there. Anybody wearing a uniform of any kind is subject to interrogation by the news media. Better make sure the UPS man doesn’t try to stop.”

  They shared a low laugh, but Brody’s was very stilted with a false undertone and he knew it.

  “I’ll get you some coffee. Be right back.”

  In a few minutes, which didn’t even allow Brody the opportunity to reevaluate what had just happened, she returned with a mug and a carafe. Pumpkin pulled the folding door to, making the area fairly private.

  “If you’re wondering about my charade. Your sister called and said to catch you if I could. Their place is full of all kind of folks trying to make the six o’clock newscast with a breaking story. Every TV personality and journalists from Oklahoma City to Lubbock have people here.” She put her hands on her ample hips. “They are bombarding her with questions. She wants to close, but Stanley sees it as an opportunity to make a lot of money. I didn’t think appointing an interim sheriff was such a big deal.”

  “Neither did I, but every news outlet has been following Deuce’s injuries—or attempted murder depending on how they view it—almost daily. Do I need to go down to the café to protect my sister?”

  “No. She’s got Stanley and as I said, he still has his loud, obnoxious mouth—and people wonder where Tommy got his. I guess this is the biggest thing that has happened since the fire in Rainey’s antique shop.”

  Brody took a big gulp of hot coffee. “Have you seen Danny Scott?”

  “No. Just his call.” She refilled his coffee cup
. “Gotta get back to work.” She took two steps then turned and threw him a kiss. “I’m so glad to see you. I heard you’re moving back to the ol’ home place. I sure got lots of memories from the ol’ WBarT when my mama cooked for those good-lookin’ cowboys. That’s the reason I’ve had so many husbands, I think.” She let out a heartwarming laugh and took off for the kitchen.

  “You’re always welcome to come back to work at the ranch anytime, Pumpkin.”

  Waiting on Danny gave Brody time to reflect. The biggest question that kept resurfacing.... Why had Avery felt the need to lie to him? Obviously, no clerk, even in a big county, qualified to be sheriff.

  But, if this were a regular case, he’d have to put all the evidence in order like a Sudoku puzzle, one number at a time until they all fit without jumping to conclusions. Jumping will always send a detective into deep water or a concrete staircase.

  Maybe the old adage was true and the key to why he was mistrusting at the moment. The longer you’re undercover, the longer it takes you to remember who you are. Brody might well fit that scenario. He wasn’t sure why he was where he was, but he’d always trusted the Good Lord to show him the way.

  Suddenly, the door on this side of the swinging doors opened and Danny Scott almost ran into the table with Pumpkin behind him. He threw his apron on the back of a chair and turned around and addressed the owner. “What in the hell?”

  “I’m doing what I was asked. I’ve got work to do, so Brody will fill you in.” She walked toward the door and over her shoulder said, “I’ll bring you a cup of coffee in a minute.” She left the tiny room.

  Danny said, “Thanks.” A weird noise came from his throat, as he sagged against the wall.

  “Hey, here’s some coffee.” Brody pulled up from his chair and got a fresh mug. “This is strong and just what you need right now.”

  “Damn it to hell and back, what I need now is a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and the job I deserve. I worked my ass off for it and went to a lot of trouble to make it happen.” He almost stumbled to the chair and plopped down. “I mean how hard I worked because I wanted it.” He rolled the cup between his chubby hands. “Thanks for the coffee and letting me vent.”