by Andrew Grey
“But—”
“No. See, this isn’t a ticket. Not only were you exceeding the speed limit by forty miles an hour, you resisted arrest and ran.”
Clay shook like a leaf. Jamie, on the other hand, chuckled. The kid didn’t know when to quit.
“I’ll call my dad and—”
“He can do nothing. I do not work for him, and he has no influence with the sheriff’s department any longer. So your dad will wait for the judge to decide what he wants to do with you, the same as anyone else, and then your dad can pay the bail.”
Jasper read them their rights and put Jamie into his car while Reggie loaded Clay. After a tow truck arrived and collected the bikes, which Reggie impounded and had taken to the lot behind the station, they drove to town. Reggie didn’t talk to the young man in the back, letting him stew the entire ride. Once they arrived, the boys were put in a cell just as he’d described.
“What have you done?” Shawn asked as he barreled up to Reggie once he entered the station. “The mayor’s sons… really?” He placed his hands on his hips. “You really are asking for it.” There was an undertone of delight in his voice.
“They were endangering themselves and others. Is this the type of thing they do often? I imagine it is, but this kind of behavior will stop. They were terrorizing people. We had complaints that they tried to run over dogs while they were out there. That sort of thing will not happen.” Reggie gritted his teeth. “And I don’t care whose kids they are.” Reggie took a step closer. “You need to get that through your head, and you better know that I’m watching you like a hawk. You step out of line again like you just did and I will terminate you, and I don’t care who your mama is. We will do our jobs to the best of our ability, and this deferential treatment to those in authority stops immediately. Now—” He checked the clock. “—you’re on traffic duty for the rest of your shift. Go on out to the welcome sign on the road into town and stake it out.”
“I’m your senior deputy,” Shawn seethed.
“Until you act like it, you’ll be given rookie duties. Now I suggest you move before I write you up.” Reggie wished he knew what it was that Shawn was pulling. Reggie had been by his home, and it was some sort of minimansion outside of town. He had a good idea of their family income, and there was no way he could afford that house on a deputy’s salary. Something was rotten in Denmark, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.
Reggie waited until Shawn left, then took the boys’ statements with Jasper and let them make their phone call.
The fireworks came faster than he expected.
“Where are my sons?” the mayor blustered as he barged into the station. He walked up to Sam, who shook his head and turned to Reggie. “Where are they? I want to see them, and I’m taking them home.” He pointed, his face red, approaching crimson.
“You may see them, but that is all. They are being charged with criminal vehicular recklessness and will be arraigned tomorrow. We have statements from other motorists about how they were run off the road, and from people in that area who nearly lost their dog.”
“This is ridiculous!” the mayor bellowed.
Reggie crossed his arms over his chest. “Actually, it’s the law.”
Another man came in and identified himself as being from the Sacramento newspaper.
“You need to wait outside.”
“Is it true you have it in for the mayor?” he asked, undeterred.
“Actually, it’s his children who have it in for the mayor and his career. They’re the ones misbehaving. Charges will be filed soon enough, and then you can report the facts.” He turned to the mayor, whose cheeks were flame-red and who seemed about ready to have heart palpitations. “Take His Honor back so he can see his sons,” Reggie told Jasper. “But they stay in their cells. And you”—he turned to the reporter—“may sit out in the lobby.”
As he left, the reverend swooped in, with Willy in tow.
“Sheriff, I’m sure there’s something we can do to help resolve this in a Christian manner without all this fuss.”
What a hypocrite.
Reggie caught Willy’s gaze as he rolled his eyes behind his father’s back.
“I can assure you the boys will be dealt with in a proper legal manner.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Reverend. Charges have been filed by the people who live on that road, and there is nothing I can do about it. I know these are the mayor’s boys and your parishioners, but they have violated the law and put lives in danger. Now, I suggest you and the mayor either settle down before seeing the boys, or go on home. The boys will be safe and will come to no harm.” He motioned to his office, followed the reverend and Willy inside, and closed the door.
“Those boys have a history of this behavior, don’t they?” Reggie asked, and was pleased when the reverend nodded. At least he didn’t lie. “They need to be taught a lesson, and this is going to be a harsh one. I don’t expect the judge will throw the book at them, but spending a night in jail and then having to go to court will do them some good. They need to grow up and realize their actions have consequences. I’m sure personal responsibility is a very Christian virtue.”
“But those boys’ futures are at stake. They both play baseball, and Jamie is up for a scholarship in the fall.”
Reggie shook his head. “Then they should have thought of that before putting themselves and others in danger.” He leaned against the desk, crossing his arms. “What if they had harmed one of the people they forced off the road? What if someone had been seriously hurt or killed? Would we be having this conversation, or would you be out at the home of someone you know, talking them through their grief?” He shoved forward. “You and I are on the same side. I have different methods and tools than you, but I want those boys and the rest of the community to be safe and secure. And I’m sure so do you.” He raised his eyebrows, waiting for a response, and received resignation instead. “Why don’t you see if you can calm His Honor down and get him to go home? Nothing more will happen tonight.”
The reverend nodded and walked toward the door. “Are you sure there’s nothing you can do?”
Reggie nodded. Charges and complaints had been filed. It was out of his hands now.
“Ummm…,” Willy said, once the reverend had stepped away.
Reggie was a little surprised he was still here, but thankful. He’d wanted to talk to him, but hadn’t been sure how he was going to get the chance. Reggie checked that the reverend wasn’t still outside and closed the door.
“Not many people get one over on my dad, and you did it twice.” There was no smile, and Willy kept glancing at the door.
“So you’re Reverend Gabriel’s son.” Reggie crossed his arms over his chest.
Willy rolled his eyes. “Don’t do the attitude thing, okay? Everyone does that. Besides, it’s a little late to try the whole badass thing after you saved me the other night. I know you’re a nice guy.”
Reggie lowered his arms. “Fine. I take it your father doesn’t know about you?”
Willy shook his head. “My dad thinks he runs everything, and most of the time he’s right. The mayor and council all usually do what he tells them. Everyone both loves and fears him in a way.”
“What about you?” Reggie asked.
Willy did that little dance from foot to foot. It was so easy for Reggie to read him. He liked that. Most people worked really hard to hide things around him for various reasons. He intimidated a lot of people, which he used to his professional advantage whenever possible.
“My father is…. He wants me to be like him.” The confidence Willy had shown earlier seemed to be gone, and that told Reggie a lot about the relationship between father and son. “Living with him has always been hard, you know? Everyone expects me to be perfect and exactly the son my father deserves. But I’m not. I’m me, and I don’t want to be a clone of my dad.” He glanced at the door yet again, as though expecting it to open at any second.
“Let me guess. He’d never accept th
at you’re…,” Reggie prompted.
“Gay?” Willy whispered and shook his head. “My father would….” He shivered from head to toe. “I don’t know what my father would do. He used to tell us that it was better to beat the devil out of people than to coddle the weakness of the flesh.”
Reggie’s mouth went dry. “Did he beat you? Does he?”
“I stay out of his way.” Willy turned and reached for the door. “I want to thank you for not outing me or… you know, earlier today….”
“Of course.” Jesus, at least Reggie knew he’d made the right choice. “But you know you’re going to have to stand up to him at some point.”
“Yeah, well.” Willy sighed. “You’re good at getting around him—maybe you can teach me something.” He glanced out the door and then rushed over, taking Reggie by surprise. He hugged him, which was a breach of all his professional conduct. Reggie hugged him in return, but only for a second, and then Willy let go and was out the door.
Reggie followed him out a few seconds later as Willy joined the reverend, helping the mayor, who glared at him.
“You—”
“Don’t blame me for what your boys did,” Reggie said quietly.
“They’re scared…,” the mayor said in a small voice. It was clear he was frightened as well. Maybe a healthy dose of fear was what they all needed.
“Nothing will happen to them tonight. They’ll be safe—I can promise you that. Now go on home, and for their sakes, as well as your own, get them a lawyer. They’re going to need people on their side, especially you.” Reggie opened the door and held it as the small group left.
He caught Willy’s eye, and dammit if heat didn’t course through him, which was the worst thing possible, for himself as well as Willy. He was so young and, from the looks of things, inexperienced with life in general. Willy had probably spent all of his life here in Sierra Pines, and while it was a nice small town, it was definitely a sheltered environment, especially for the reverend’s son.
As Willy passed through the door, he glanced back once again, the lost-puppy look tearing at Reggie’s heartstrings. There was little he could do to help Willy, and a lot that could hurt him, which was the very last thing Reggie wanted.
Chapter 3
WILLY WENT right to his bedroom and closed the door. His mother had been in the kitchen, and he was grateful she’d been busy and hadn’t heard him come in. His dad was occupied, so Willy had walked right home alone, thinking of the sheriff the entire way. The man made his heart beat faster just being near him, and his hands had grown so sweaty that he’d had to wipe them on his pants a few times. The sheriff in their town was gay. Willy smiled at the thought of how his dad would react to that, especially since it seemed Sheriff Barnett wasn’t beholden to him or the powers that be in the town. That would frost his dad’s butt to no end.
“Sweetheart,” his mother said, sticking her head in the room a half hour later. “Where is your father?”
“He’s ministering to the mayor. Clay and Jamie were arrested and are in jail.”
She gasped, putting her hand to her mouth. “That’s terrible. The poor boys.”
“They were racing on their bikes and ran someone off the road. They could have hurt people.” There was no love lost between Willy and Jamie. Clay was a nice enough guy when he wasn’t around his brother. But Jamie was a bully of the highest order, and he could either talk or threaten his brother into just about anything. The two of them together were terror on wheels. “They’re getting what’s coming to them.”
His brother, Ezekiel, raced into the room around his mom, leaped up, and bounced on the bed. “I losed a tooth,” he said, showing Willy his altered smile and holding up the tooth. “What do I do with it?”
“I’ll take it, sweetheart,” his mother said, and Ezekiel handed it over.
“I didn’t cry at all, Willy.” He bounced once again and flopped down next to him. Willy reached around, grabbed his brother, and pulled him onto his lap, tickling him until he squirmed and giggled up a storm.
“Dinner is almost ready,” his mom said before leaving.
“Are you hungry?” Willy asked, lifting Ezekiel up into the air, to more squeals. “It’s time to eat. You need to wash your hands.”
Ezekiel raced to the bathroom as soon as Willy set him down. He rarely walked anywhere. Ezekiel had one speed—run—and he was always happy and full of excitement. Willy wished he could be more like him.
“Ruthie,” Ezekiel whined at the bathroom door. “I was here first!” He turned to Willy, who scooped him up again. “It’s not fair.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Ruthie was thirteen and had decided that she was some sort of princess and that everyone needed to get in line behind her. Willy had heard his dad talk about it, and he didn’t think that was going to last much longer. His dad didn’t stand for that sort of thing.
The bathroom door opened, and his sister tried to look innocent.
“You need to be nicer,” Willy told her, and Ezekiel stuck his tongue out at her. “That’s not really nice,” Willy scolded Ezekiel gently.
“But she’s mean to me.” He crossed his arms over his chest just like Willy had seen Reggie do more than once now.
“She’s just being a little selfish.” Willy set Ezekiel down, and he ran inside to wash his hands. Willy did the same, and after they dried off, he guided the others to the table.
Their father came in the back door. He silently greeted their mother and then sat down. The three kids took their places, and as soon as they were seated, his father folded his hands and offered a prayer. Then and only then did they pass the food, with every dish starting with their dad. It was an old ritual, and Willy had never thought anything of it until he’d been to school and seen how other kids acted.
“Is everything all right?” his mother asked.
All three of the children ate and remained silent unless spoken to at the table, including Ezekiel, though it was hard for him sometimes.
“It will be.” His father looked up from his plate. “The new sheriff is a bit of a quandary. I think he’s a good man at heart, but he’s lost his path to the Lord. He says he isn’t interested in the church, and that worries me. This entire community needs someone who will set a good example.”
Willy bit his lip and took a bite of mashed potatoes. He knew his father meant someone he could push around the way he did everyone else. “He seems to know what he’s doing, and you always said how the previous sheriff worried you with his lax ways,” Willy said.
His father nodded. “I’m thinking we need to try harder.”
“Or simply realize that not everyone feels the same way you do about everything.” Willy knew he was inviting his father’s displeasure, which came in the form of pursed lips and a glare. Willy returned his gaze to his plate, and once again thought about getting a job and a place of his own. He was twenty-two. It was time he stopped living at home and made his own way in life. More than once he’d thought of getting on a bus and simply leaving for San Francisco.
He finished eating and asked to be excused, then took his plate to the kitchen as soon as his father nodded. Willy went outside to sit on the front steps. There was a chill in the mountain air, so he went back inside, got a sweatshirt, and told his mother he was going for a walk. He needed to get out of the house and have a chance to think. Willy left before his father could get curious, and turned toward town as soon as he reached the sidewalk.
Hands shoved in his pockets, Willy really didn’t care where he went as long as it was away from home for a while. He kept his head down as he tried to figure out what to do. Willy knew he was never going to measure up to what his father wanted from him.
Just before he reached the main street, a vehicle pulled up next to him, the window lowering. “Hey. You okay?” Sheriff Barnett asked from inside the white SUV.
“Sure. I guess,” Willy answered with an exaggerated shrug. “Just thinking.” A light mist collected on everything, and
Willy pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt in an effort to keep warmer. “Just out for a walk to get some fresh air.”
“There’s a real storm coming. You should get home. We’re expecting a few inches of rain tonight. Would you like me to give you a ride?”
The lock clicked, and Willy climbed inside, closed the door, and raised the window. “Thanks.” Rain suddenly came down heavily. He sat still, watching the drops spatter on the windshield and then the wipers wash them away, only to have the pattern start again.
“You want to talk about it?” Reggie asked, pulling back out onto the road.
“Nothing to talk about. I’m stuck for now until I can get out of here. I need to get a job and then maybe a place of my own.” Willy sighed. “This town….”
“It’s a good place,” Reggie said, glancing at him.
“No. It’s a prison, and my dad is the warden.” It was the first time he had ever talked about family business with anyone. His mom and dad, him, Ruthie, Ezekiel—they all put on this perfect face for the rest of the world. His parents were particularly good at it. “He decides everything that happens at home, and now he wants to decide the rest of my life for me. He signed me up to go to divinity school so I could help minister to his congregation.” Willy yanked at the seat belt as the car suddenly felt too confining. He had to get out… now.
As soon as the car had pulled over, Willy stumbled out to the side of the road, ignoring the rain as he lost his dinner, stomach rebelling against him. He straightened up, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and spat to get some of the taste out of his mouth.
Reggie patted his back and then helped him into the car. “Do you want me to take you—”
“Anywhere but home. I can’t go back there.” Willy sighed as Reggie closed the door. He fastened the seat belt once more, and Reggie got in the car and started the engine. Without saying anything more, he drove. Willy didn’t know where, but that hardly mattered as long as it wasn’t back to that house.