by C J Murphy
“Thanks, Sheriff. Let me know if you notice something. I can be at the stable faster than you can from your office.”
A smile spread across Chance’s face at her officer’s concern. “I’ll do that. Now get your ass home.” She pulled up the webcam and looked in on each horse.
“Roger that.”
Chance disconnected the call and opened an email from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Officer Quade Peters, her former colleague and close friend. She’d barely read one line when her door banged opened and Deputy Brad Waters strode in. Zeus stood quickly and alerted, baring his teeth. He reacted instinctively on the intrusion. She held up her hand to stop Brad and called out. “Zeus, blijven!”
Deputy Brad Waters stopped midstride and stared at Zeus, who was standing right in front of him.
Chance could see his hand shaking. “Zeus, hier!” Chance spoke his command to come back to her. “Zit,” put the dog into a seated position at her side. “Damn it, Brad! You’re lucky he’s as well trained as he is. You know better than to walk through a closed door without invitation.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” Brad said, never taking his eyes off Zeus.
“Zeus has one job, and that’s to protect me, and he does it well.” Chance gave the command for Zeus to lie down, but the dog never took his eyes off Brad. You don’t like him at all do you boy? Can’t say that I feel any different.
“I’m sorry, Sheriff.” Brad looked contrite, and like Zeus, his gaze was fixed in place.
Chance didn’t make the offer for Brad to sit down, but he took the liberty. “What’s so urgent that you needed to see me?”
“I didn’t hear you on the phone, so I figured there was no reason you couldn’t see me now.” Brad’s tone was smug and condescending.
“Not that I have to explain myself to you, Deputy, but I’d just hung up the phone. It’s customary to address a superior officer by their rank. The last time I checked, I’m your boss, not the other way around.”
“Yes, Sheriff.” Brad’s words were spoken through gritted teeth. He’d run against her the year she’d been elected. An embarrassing loss hadn’t endeared her to him.
“Now, what is it that you so urgently need to discuss with me on your day off? Since you approached me and I did not call you in, understand that you will not be paid overtime or compensation time for this meeting.” Brad had once tried to claim a casual conversation as a meeting on his timecard. “Understood?”
Brad glared at her for a few seconds. “Understood.”
Chance waved her hand for him to proceed.
“With my seniority and years of service, I’ve earned the position of chief deputy. It’s not…”
Chance held up her hand. “This is the last time I’m discussing this with you, Brad. The chief deputy serves at the will and pleasure of the sheriff. In my department,” she stopped to lean forward on her desk and stare him directly in the eyes, “and this is my department as the duly elected and sworn-in Sheriff of Tucker County, I make the decision who my chief deputy is, not you. I don’t care about your years of service or the fact that you served as Chief Deputy under the previous administration. You took that position to run a campaign for this office two years ago. That move left you without civil service protection.” Her gaze was steady, as crimson rose out of the neck of his wrinkled T-shirt. “I allowed you to rejoin the rank and file when I took over, because of your service.”
“Mighty nice of you.”
“If you are unhappy with your position, I’ll be waiting for your resignation to hit my desk. You’re the one that asked me to fill the open slot when Larry went back to active duty in the army. I didn’t seek you out. I agreed because I knew you needed the insurance for your family. If this arrangement doesn’t suit you anymore, feel free to look for other employment. If not, then understand that I will not entertain this conversation again. Taylor Lewis is my chief deputy and will remain so until one of us decides we don’t want it that way. Do I make myself clear, Deputy?”
Brad scrambled up out of his chair. His girth prevented him from clearing the arms without difficulty. “Crystal.”
Chance watched him limp out of her office and down the hall, sure his gout was acting up again by his uneven gait. Bailiff duty prevented him from being on patrol and gave him weekends and holidays off. No K9 was assigned to him, because he was unable to complete the vigorous training and regiment required. He was currently on vacation. Chance pulled his employment file out of her desk to make a note of the confrontation with a time and date stamp. She didn’t trust Brad Waters, and she had good reason. The chair creaked as she leaned back, allowing her hands to rest on the arms. She started a slow rocking motion and looked up to see Penny in the doorway, holding a small plate with a sandwich on it. The door was still open from Brad’s exit, and Chance waved her in.
Penny smiled and set down the peanut butter and banana sandwich. “I laced this with Advil. You shouldn’t notice, given the thick layer of crunchy peanut butter.” She tilted her head as if she were examining Chance critically. “That bad?”
“Somewhere, he got the idea that I was in the market for a new chief deputy.”
Penny narrowed her eyes. “My wife decide to take another job somewhere and forget to tell me?”
Chance loved Penny’s humor and was extremely fond of the woman who ran her office. They’d met at a Fraternal Order of Police Christmas party, while Taylor was still working with the Marshals Service. Chance had developed a friendship with the couple, and they’d even doubled dated with one of her previous girlfriends, a local television reporter.
“Not that I know of. Zeus almost made lunch out of him when he came through the door unannounced. You should have seen Brad’s face. All the K9s around here, and somehow he forgets how protective of their handlers they are. I thought Brad was going to piss himself.”
Penny ran a hand over the dog’s head. “Don’t bite him, Zeus. The new vet hasn’t opened her doors yet, and you’d certainly get food poisoning.”
Chance caught the part about the new vet in town, a female vet. Could it be? No, no it couldn’t be. Too many years had gone by. “We have a new vet in town?”
“Seems so. Doc Hendricks didn’t give a name or a date when she’d be taking over his practice. Give him a call.”
“Well, my lucky Penny, this is good news. Keep your fingers crossed that if Sabrina doesn’t look better by tonight, the new Doc will be willing to see her first patient tomorrow.” Chance took a bite of the sandwich in front of her and chewed. “What else do you have for me today?”
“Quade wants you to call him. He sent you an email with some paperwork, but he needs to talk to you. Something about renewal certifications? I don’t know. Said he’d be back in his office around one. Other than that, this stack of papers needs your once over and signature.”
Chance looked at the stack that seemed to grow daily, even if she made sure that corner was empty by the end of each day. She grimaced and took another bite of her sandwich. “You might need to add a side of Jim Beam to these sandwiches if you’re going to keep burying me in paperwork. I’ll get on it after I call Quade. Thanks Penny.”
“Anything for you, Sheriff, except the Jim Beam here at the office. You’ll have to stop by the house if you want that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Chance chewed as she dialed Quade.
“U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Officer Peters speaking.”
Chance smiled at the familiar phone etiquette. “Hey Quade, keeping those fish safe and sound?”
“Keeping them away from the likes of you. By the way, we need to drop a line soon. It’s been too long since we’ve hit the Cheat together. How are you, Chance?”
“Doing my best to serve and protect. What can I do for you, my friend?”
Chance could hear papers shuffling in the background.
“Seems I have formal notification that you passed all your recerts. Anytime you want to come back and play on the federal side or pick up a Pu
laski again, I’ve got papers that say you are fit for duty.”
Chance nearly choked trying to swallow the peanut butter. “I saw the attachments to your email. I’m happy to help out on a call basis anytime. Although I appreciate the offer, no thanks. I’ve become pretty accustomed to being my own boss and enjoying this plush office.”
Quade’s laughter was contagious. “Chance, I’ve been in that broom closet you call an office, and plush is not exactly how I’d describe it. When are you supposed to get your new digs?”
Chance let her head fall back against the office chair. “And leave the beautifully artistic, water stained ceilings in this high-class joint? I make sure Penny’s office is water free and comfortable. I’d rather be on the road than sitting at this desk. I could use that Pulaski to dig my way out from under this pile of paperwork though. My old one is on a set of hooks right above the door. I need to move it closer so I can dig a line to keep anything else from making its way in here.”
The axe with the adze on the back of the blade was, at one time, as familiar to her as her own hand. Years as a smoke jumper had taught her all the things this specialized tool could do when fighting a forest fire. “We need to do lunch soon, the fishing will be harder to find time for, given your schedule. Call me and I’ll take a vacation day if you get some free time. Until then, I need to keep Penny on my good side and practice my penmanship. It was good to talk to you, Quade. Stay safe, brother.”
“Right back at you. Tell Mags hi for me, and I’ll watch the calendar.”
Quade signed off, and Chance washed down the last of her lunch with a swig of cold coffee. The first three documents on her desk required no signature. They were bench warrants for a few of the locals who had failed to appear for their court dates. The papers she held mandated that she locate the subjects and take them forthwith to jail. The court would sort it out later. With those documents acknowledged, she moved on to invoices for the stables and ammunition, and several legal notifications she needed to take care of as the chief tax collector for the county.
Last in the pile was a uniform request from Brad Water’s for new pants. Pain in my ass. Clicking on a folder on her computer, she pulled up the uniform budget to see how much was left in Brad’s allowance. There, in black and white, was an invoice where she’d ordered him three new pairs of pants less than four months ago. His uniform allotment was depleted for the year. She opened a word document and supplied the dates of his uniform requisitions showing the depletion of his account. Along with that, she copied and pasted the department’s uniform policy, which clearly stated that any request over and above the allotment was the responsibility of the individual. Only uniforms damaged during the performance of their duties would be replaced with discretionary funds. Seventy-five percent of the policies she had to write were because of Brad Waters. The man knew how to work the system and tested the limits every chance he got. The printed copies of the document were retrieved and signed. She would give Brad his copy and make him sign that he’d received it.
Penny spoke up from her desk. “Firing him would be less paperwork.”
Chance grumbled over her shoulder. “How did you know what I’m doing has to do with him?”
“Anytime you deal with him, you get a tic in your cheek and your ears get beet red. I assume you saw his uniform request?”
Chance nodded her head.
“Hand me that and I’ll have him sign it tomorrow when he comes in.” Penny shook her head in disgust. “I have no idea what makes one man so miserable. You know he only does this to see how much he can piss you off.”
“I regret ever giving him a job when Larry left. What’s done is done. I was trying to help his family.”
“Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.”
“You don’t have to give this to him. I’d rather he try to undermine me and leave you alone. Not a thing he can do to me but piss me off.”
“Suit yourself, I offered.”
The base radio on the shelf broke their conversation. “Comm Center to SD-1.”
Chance picked up the mic. “SD-1 to Comm Center, go ahead.”
“We have a report of an injured hiker out at Lindy Point. A child has fallen into a crevice and is unable to climb back up. The parents are with her but are unable to reach her.”
“SD-1 received and responding. Alert the SAR team. I assume you’re alerting fire and medical?”
“That’s affirmative. They’re being dispatched now.”
“I’ll call in for more detail.”
“Comm Center received. SD-1 responding.”
Chance grabbed her hat and headed for the door. She walked back to her office to retrieve her portable radio from the charger. The rest of her gear was in the Yukon. The tactical team would bring the rescue gear. Zeus loaded into the back, and Chance flipped on her lights and siren. As she headed to the stables, she called the Comm Center.
“Hey Pam, this is Chance, fill me in.”
“Thirteen-year-old female, hiking with her parents. She’s conscious and talking to them, but they have no way to get down to where she is. From what she’s told them, her leg might be broken. They had someone in their party run all the way back to the lodge to alert us. He did give me GPS coordinates. I’ve sent them to your phone. I know you want the tactical team, and we’ve sent out the page. Any other resources you want?”
“Get the helicopter on standby. I’m going up to get Kelly and ride out there. I can make much better time with her. Call Taylor and let her know what’s going on. She probably hasn’t had enough sleep yet, but I doubt I can keep her home. Tell the fire department I’ll contact them on Tac one with details.”
“Will do. Be careful.”
“Always.” Chance disconnected the call and made her way up the mountain quickly. The stables were only about another fifteen minutes away and close to the park. Once she was on horseback it would be a ten-minute ride up the trail to the state park and likely another thirty to forty minutes out to Lindy Point. She’d check her GPS coordinates when she got to the stables to confirm. “Hang on, little one, I’m coming.”
Chapter Two
CHANCE PULLED INTO THE stable and wasn’t surprised to see Taylor’s Yukon. She and Zeus entered the stall where Taylor had already thrown Kelly’s saddle on and was tightening down the belly strap. Chance grabbed the bridle, slid the bit into the horse’s mouth, and pulled the leather over her head.
“I’ll get Jill ready and be right behind you.” Taylor held up her hand. “Before you ask, yes, I’ve had enough rest. I left Midas at the house.”
“I trust you. I know you’d rather be on Sabrina. She’ll be miffed at you for riding Randy’s horse.”
Taylor led Kelly out of her stall. “I’ll slip her a few more carrots. Can’t take a chance on her injuring that foot more. Pam gave me all the info. SAR may need to bring the equipment out there by horseback if this kid is where I think she is. No way to get an ATV out there.”
Chance retrieved a few pieces of hardware and a bag of rescue rope and slipped on the backpack containing her helmet and rescue harness. With one foot in the stirrup and pulling on the saddle horn she swung onto Kelly’s back. Zeus pranced around beside them, ready to go. She entered the GPS codes from the Comm Center into her small, handheld unit. After checking the general area, she was headed to, she pulled on the reins and started Kelly away from the stable.
“Meet me at the main part of Lindy Point. What I’m seeing with these coordinates tells me she’s out past that. We’ll have to do the rocks on foot.”
Taylor nodded. “I’m right behind you.”
Chance urged Kelly into a trot on the gravel road and entered the woods left of the main road. A well-beaten path wound through the tall oaks and maples. Everything was green and lush this time of year. It was still warm this early in the afternoon. Once the sun crept toward the horizon, the temperatures would begin to fall. It was imperative that they rescue the girl before they lost the light. It was after two in
the afternoon, leaving them about seven hours of daylight. The injured girl was in an area where some of the rock crevice were over sixty feet deep. Until she arrived, Chance had no clear picture of the rescue obstacles
“You doing okay, Zeus?” Chance looked at her K9 and was rewarded with a bark as he bounded beside her. It had taken many hours of training to ensure both her horse and her dog were comfortable working with each other.
The trail began to climb. She passed a small stream, taking time to allow Zeus and Kelly a quick drink before they started off again. The path ahead wasn’t easy, and there would be no open water source nearby. Two canteens traveled with her to be used on arrival. Taylor would care for both horses when she got there. Chance would continue to push toward the girl.
Squirrels and chipmunks chattered out their annoyance, and a few deer were spooked from their grazing, as she rode on through the forest. Her radio had been relaying information about the responding units. Chance took a second to give an update on her progress.
“SD-1 to Comm Center.”
“Comm Center to SD-1, go ahead.”
“I’m about ten minutes from Lindy Point. SD-2 should be about fifteen minutes behind me. Any updates?”
“SD-1, your tactical team responded approximately fifteen minutes ago with SR-5. They’ll get as close as they can and await your instructions. You should be able to reach them now on Tac one.”
“Okay, Comm Center. I’ll advise when I reach the scene.” Chance thought about the equipment on Search and Rescue Unit Five. The gear needed for a high-angle rescue would be difficult to transport out to the scene. She might need help from the equine community. It would take time to get those resources to an access point. Although she hated to activate them without having eyes on the situation, daylight was burning. “Comm Center. Call the equine volunteers. See if they can mobilize to transport personnel and equipment. Once I get there, I can advise if I need them to start the transport of resources.”
“Comm Center received. Equine unit will be called.”