Chapter 20
The Town Council made short work of their other business, quickly approving a couple of minor budget items, tabling an appeal by a developer for a variance to a land use ordinance the Planning and Zoning Committee had denied for further study, and recognizing longtime Town employee Burly Peterson on his retirement from the maintenance department with a plaque and thanks for a job well done.
Then Mayor Wingate announced to the handful of citizens attending the meeting that the Town Council was going to go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel issue, which was not open to the public.
There were the usual grumbles and complaints from the handful of people who faithfully attended every Town Council meeting, some speculating about conspiracies and claiming that the meetings should all be out in the open with no secrets. Flossie Fuller wondered if the closed session would address the issue of the prostitutes who were invading Big Lake. Once the room was cleared, except for the councilmembers, Weber, his deputies, Mary and Pete Caitlin, and the Town’s attorney, Bob Bennett, Mayor Wingate ordered the deputies to leave, except for Robyn.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Chad said.
“It wasn’t a request,” the mayor said. “This is a closed session.”
“Hold on there, Mr. Mayor,” Kirby Templeton said. “I think these people should stay. They’re all employees of the Sheriff’s Office and they may have input or information that concerns this issue.”
“What about Pete Caitlin?” the mayor asked. “He’s retired.”
“I believe that former Sheriff Caitlin may have some insight we need,” Bennett said.
The mayor started to object, but Frank Gauger, another senior member of the Town Council, said, “Let them stay, Chet. Let’s not drag this out all night long, okay?”
The mayor didn’t like it, but he decided to proceed. “Once again, we’re here to discuss Sheriff Weber’s poor job performance and unprofessionalism,” he told the Council. “We have a series of unsolved crimes that the sheriff seems to just ignore.”
“What crimes are those?” Weber asked.
“What crimes? We had a hostage situation on Rawhide Trail last week, a shooting at the Thriftway, another shooting on Zuni Lane, the Town’s mascot was stolen in broad daylight, one of those hippies was arrested at Kirby’s pharmacy, and today we had an arson. Those crimes, Sheriff Weber!”
“I’m glad somebody stole that stupid turkey, it was ugly,” said Councilman Mel Walker, who owned the Arby’s franchise in Big Lake.
Two of the councilmembers hid grins, and Templeton rapped his gavel, but Weber noticed the corners of his mouth were turned up.
“We solved that crime yesterday,” Weber said. “The suspects were arrested, they went before Judge Ryman this morning and made bond.”
“Nobody told me,” the mayor said.
“With this crime wave we’ve got going on, I don’t have time to report to you on everything we do,” Weber told him. There was a snicker from one of the councilmembers, and Kirby rapped his gavel again.
“Sheriff, we don’t expect you to report to us on every misdemeanor case you deal with,” Templeton said.
“Well, somebody needs to tell Mayor Wingate that,” Weber said. “Because he expects me to.”
“Now you listen to me, Sheriff, I…”
Templeton rapped his gavel a third time, more sharply. “Chet, stop it! We waste so much time with this petty nonsense. Let’s get on with it. Sheriff, what about these other crimes the mayor is referring to?”
“There was no hostage situation. Harley Willits and Arnold Foster got into another fight and Harley got out of hand. His wife was there, but she wasn’t a hostage. She left in the middle of it to go play bingo. I took Harley into custody, he went before the judge, and he also bonded out. I still have his shotgun and don’t plan to return it to him until the judge makes a decision on what to do with him. The shooting at the Thriftway by Officer Trask was justifiable and he’s on administrative leave. Once Anthony Wilson is ready to be released from the hospital in Phoenix, Mr. Bennett and I will decide whether to charge him with anything.”
“What about Frank Harrelson? Didn’t he start all of that?”
“What could I charge him with? He’s the manager of the store and he told everybody it was closing and to leave. I guess he can decide when to close, there’s no crime in that. He trashed the place, but I don’t think we can arrest a man for trashing his own store.
“As for the shooting on Zuni Lane, it looks like a clear cut case of self-defense and I don’t expect any charges to be filed. And an hour ago, I arrested Dutch Schmidt for setting fire to his bulldozer.”
There were murmurs among the councilmembers and Templeton said, “Well, it sounds to me like Sheriff Weber has a pretty good handle on things, Mr. Mayor.”
“What about the hippies?” Mayor Wingate asked. “You were the victim there, Councilman.”
“Yes, I was,” Templeton said. “And Sheriff Weber and Deputy Summers came as soon as we called. I’m satisfied with their response.”
“Let’s cut to the chase,” the mayor said. “Sheriff, we have some serious concerns about your personal relationship with Deputy Fuchette, your subordinate.”
Weber felt his neck color, but knew he needed to maintain control. “Define personal relationship.”
“Just what I said. You have a personal involvement with someone under your direct supervision.”
Weber nodded his head. “Mayor Wingate, are you not Deputy Wingate’s father? As the mayor, doesn’t that constitute a personal relationship with a subordinate? Councilman Gauger, doesn’t your son work for the town, driving a school bus? I had dinner at Chad and MaryAnn Summers’ house last week. In a town this size, we all have personal relationships.”
“You know that’s not what we’re talking about,” said Councilman Adam Hirsch, who had resented Weber since high school, when a girl he had a crush on had publicly scorned him in favor of the taller, older, better looking upper classman. “It’s common knowledge that you and Deputy Fuchette have a physical relationship.”
“I need to interrupt here,” said Bob Bennett. “I told Mayor Wingate yesterday that this is not an issue for the Town Council to be addressing.
“Whose side are you on?” the mayor demanded.
“I’m not on any side,” Bennett said, shaking his head. “My job as the Town’s attorney is to represent the interests of the Town. And if we are going to start accusing our Town employees of misconduct, we have to have something to base it on. We don’t.”
“This Town doesn’t pay you to torpedo every attempt to discipline the sheriff,” the mayor said heatedly. “Your job is to advise this Council on legal matters!”
“Understood,” Bennett replied. “And that’s exactly what I’m doing. Legally, no matter what kind of relationship Sheriff Weber and Deputy Fuchette have as two consenting adults, it is none of this Council’s business. There is nothing in the Town’s charter or bylaws that has a code of conduct prohibiting a relationship between employees and supervisors. In fact, we have a long precedent in the Sheriff’s Office of exactly that kind of relationship with former Sheriff Caitlin and Mary, who was the Administrative Assistant under her husband.”
“That’s ridiculous!” said Councilwoman Smith-Abbott. “Sheriff Caitlin and Mrs. Caitlin were married. What Sheriff Weber and Deputy Fuchette are doing is…”
“It’s none of your business, or this Council’s business,” Bennett interrupted. “This body cannot impose the morality of its individual members upon Town employees. In fact, to even ask them about their relationship could be construed as harassment, in my professional opinion. Now, if there is any evidence that this alleged relationship is not consensual, or if Deputy Fuchette has been in any way coerced into it, we have grounds to discipline the Sheriff. Or, if there is any evidence that Deputy Fuchette has received preferential treatment because of any relationship she might have with Sheriff Weber, or if their alleged relation
ship has created a hostile or uncomfortable work environment for any employee. Barring that, our hands are tied.”
“You’re telling me we don’t have any recourse in this matter?” Mayor Wingate asked. “That’s impossible!”
Bennett shook his head and said, “Not unless coercion or a relationship is detrimental to the operation of the Sheriff’s Office. You may recall, Mr. Mayor, that two years ago I pointed out a number of deficiencies in our bylaws and suggested revisions, and your response was that they have worked fine for the last forty years, so why rock the boat? And at that time, I stated that Big Lake is not the same little place it was when it was incorporated those many years ago. But you and the Council decided it was something that could be pushed to the back burner, where it sat. What can I say?”
The mayor started to say something, but Councilman Templeton held up his hand to silence him.
“We need to address that issue at another time. Right now, I think we need to speak to Deputy Fuchette in private for a moment. I would ask everybody except Deputy Fuchette, the Councilmembers, and Mr. Bennett, to wait out into the hallway before we continue.”
It took a moment for the room to be cleared, then Templeton turned to Robyn and considered his words before he spoke.
“Deputy Fuchette, I’m trying to be tactful here, but I’m a small town man and my grown daughters are always telling me that I’m not politically correct, so please bear with me. I’m not going to ask you specifics about any personal relationship you may have with anybody. What I will ask is, do you feel like you have been forced or coerced into a relationship of any kind with anybody related to your employment?”
Robyn’s face colored, but she squared her shoulders and said, “I’m a grown woman, not some little girl. I am also a sworn deputy and qualified Expert on the shooting range at the police academy. Believe me, Mr. Councilman, nobody is going to force me into anything I don’t want to do. Any relationship I may be in, with anybody, is one hundred percent consensual.”
Councilwoman Smith-Abbott started to speak, but Templeton cut her off with a stern look, then turned back to Robyn. “Please understand, Deputy Fuchette, that you are safe to say anything to this Council without fear of reprisal from anybody in this room or in the Sheriff’s Office.”
Robyn nodded and said, “I understand that and I appreciate it, sir. But as I said, I make my own decisions in my life. I’m not being pressured into anything by Jim Weber or anyone else.”
Templeton regarded her for a moment and Robyn looked back at him, holding his eyes. The councilman nodded and said, “I know this whole proceeding is uncomfortable and no doubt embarrassing, Deputy Fuchette. Thank you for your cooperation.”
“I am comfortable that Deputy Fuchette is an independent woman who would not allow herself to be manipulated into anything she is not willing to do. So the next thing we have to establish is whether this alleged relationship is having any negative impact on the operation of the Sheriff’s Office or anyone’s job performance. Deputy Fuchette, would you mind waiting in the hallway and sending Deputy Summers in?”
Robyn left the meeting room and sent Chad Summers in to be interviewed, followed by Dolan Reed, Buz Carelton, and the other deputies. Weber stared at Robyn as they waited in the hallway. Like himself, Robyn was a private person and he was concerned about her reaction to the public inquisition. Robyn regarded him levelly for a moment, her face unreadable, and then looked away and would not meet his eyes.
Archer Wingate was the last deputy questioned and then it was Mary Caitlin’s turn. Five minutes after she went in, she opened the door and motioned everybody back inside. Weber could tell by the grim faces of Chet Wingate and Councilwoman Smith-Abbott that things had not gone their way.
“Let’s get this over with,” said Kirby Templeton. “Sheriff Weber, you know that I have a tremendous amount of respect for you and complete confidence in your ability to do your job. But I won’t say that I don’t have some personal misgivings about a few of the choices you have made in your personal life.”
The words, coming from one of his staunchest supporters on the Council, stung but Weber knew that Templeton was a man like himself, who never minced words or left you wondering where you stood with him.
The councilman’s next words helped soothe things a bit, when Templeton said, “Not one of your deputies, nor Mrs. Caitlin, have said they have anything but the utmost respect for you and for Deputy Fuchette and your abilities to do your jobs. Everyone has said you do not practice favoritism in any way or try to use your position as a personal bully pulpit, which is more than I can say for some in this room. I would expect no less of you.”
If the mayor understood the backhanded criticism from the Town Council’s senior member, he showed no reaction, and Templeton continued.
“As Mr. Bennett has pointed out, legally this Council has no authority to interfere in any relationship you may be having. I think we, on the Council, have to address any shortcomings that our Town’s bylaws have, but that is neither here nor there in this case. This meeting is over.”
“Wait a minute!” the mayor protested. “We aren’t even going to vote on this?”
“Chet, you don’t get it. There’s nothing to vote on,” Templeton said with exasperation. “But I will go on record as saying that I, for one, am sick and tired of sitting here week after week listening to a long litany of Sheriff Weber’s sins, real or imagined. Mr. Bennett just told us that he advised you yesterday that this issue was not within this Council’s province. Yet, you still drug us all in here for it, trying to get your way. Stop trying to abuse the power of your office and grow up!”
The mayor may not have caught the previous jab, but there was no mistaking this public criticism and he stared openmouthed as Templeton rapped his gavel, officially ending the Council session.
***
Outside, Weber’s deputies congratulated him and he thanked them for their support, while trying to catch Robyn’s eye. But she avoided him and climbed into her sleek silver-gray Ford Mustang and drove away before he could diplomatically break free.
Weber was just unlocking the door to his Explorer when Kirby Templeton called his name. “Got a minute, Jimmy?”
All Weber wanted to do was catch up with Robyn, but he turned and put the keys back in his pocket. “Sure, Kirby.”
“I’m your friend. You know that, right?”
“Of course I do, Kirby. And I appreciate what you did in there.”
“All I did was what’s right. But I have to tell you, if the Town’s bylaws were as up-to-date as they should be, you’d have a real problem right now. And friend or no friend, I have a real problem with you sleeping with this woman.”
“This woman?”
“Can it, Jimmy,” Kirby said with irritation. “You know what I mean. You’re treading on very thin ice in this relationship. Boss and female employee. I don’t like it.”
“So you think I should end it with Robyn? Is that what you’re saying?”
“I didn’t say anything of the kind. You said the other day you’d rather drive a bus or dig ditches than lose her. I’ve never heard you say that about any woman, and Lord knows, you’ve not been a monk. Do you love her, Jimmy?”
“Yeah, Kirby, I do. I’ve never felt this way about anybody before.”
“Then be a man and marry her,” Kirby said. “She deserves it.”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away without another word. Weber stared after him, then opened the door and climbed into the Explorer. He knew Kirby Templeton was a man of deep religious and moral values, but also not one to try to impose them on others. He also recalled that this was not the first conversation he had had that day in which someone had mentioned marriage between him and Robyn.
***
The Mustang was parked in the driveway of Robyn’s house, but it took her a while to answer the door. When she did, she didn’t invite him in.
“What do you want, Jimmy?”
“Are you okay?
”
“Oh, let me see…. except for being humiliated by having my personal life dragged before the whole Town Council and letting the world know that I’m your personal concubine, yeah, I’m just fine,” she said sarcastically.
“Robyn, I….”
She shook her head and cut him off. “What’s next, Jimmy? Should I wear a scarlet A instead of a badge? Would that satisfy this town’s gossipmongers?”
“Listen, Robyn, I’m sorry. So very sorry you were put in this position.”
“And do you know what’s the worst part of it, Jimmy? You and me. We’re hypocrites. Chad and Buz and every one of them stood up there and talked about how professional we are and about our integrity, and it was just a week ago that we were humping in the back seat of my police car while I was on duty, like a couple of horny teenagers.”
“What do you want, Robyn? Where do you want this to go between us?”
“I don’t know,” she told him. “I love you, Jimmy, and I know you love me. But I just can’t keep on like we have been, forever.”
“Tonight, Kirby Templeton told me I should marry you.”
Robyn’s eyes widened in surprise. “Jesus, Jimmy, now we’ve got people telling us to get married? This is crazy.”
“Is it, Robyn?”
“Yes, it is! Are you asking me to marry you?”
Weber wasn’t sure how to reply to that. Was he? Sure, he had occasionally thought about getting married someday, but it was always an abstract thing, not a goal, not a plan, and no particular woman came to mind when it did cross his mind. Now he had to ask himself if “someday” had arrived and Robyn was the woman.
“What would you say if I was?”
“Don’t play that game, Jimmy. Either you are or you aren’t. But before you do, if you do, you need to decide if it’s because that’s what you really want, or because that’s what you think is the right thing to do. And you can’t decide that right now standing here on my front porch.”
“You could invite me in.”
9 More Killer Thrillers Page 174