by Jeff Carson
Wolf turned back to Tammy and gave another glance over his shoulder, intrigued by the interaction.
He caught Tammy’s scowl and felt his face flush. He shouldn’t have kicked Kevin Ash out of the building like he had. But the process of hiring a new deputy was getting to him, and the presence of Ash’s son was a flick in the ear he hadn’t needed from the council chairman. It was one thing that they were pushing him with an unreasonable deadline to choose a new deputy to hire; it was quite another to force him to look at candidates like Kevin Ash—complete wastes of his time.
Wolf leaned a forearm on the reception counter and raised an eyebrow.
Tammy kept a blank face and scooted a manila folder across.
He ignored it and kept staring at her, failing to read any tells on her face.
Tammy Granger was the forebrain of the department, manning the phones and any walk-ins, and she was also a motherly presence. She looked out for all the deputies, keeping abreast of their personal lives, as if to make sure they were living right. If a deputy came in hungover, she’d know about it, and browbeat said deputy into promising better behavior in the future. If a deputy had wronged a spouse, or a town member, they would have Tammy to answer to when she heard about it through the grapevine.
At two hundred pounds, she was built like a mountain woman who’d spent as much time cooking as chopping wood to heat the fires she cooked with. She was imposing, but smart, and also compassionate. In Wolf’s estimation, it was a combination that made her one of the best employees in the entire department. He likened her to a worthy assistant football coach.
And since Wolf was the head coach now, having been sheriff for a little over eight months, he valued his assistant coach’s opinion. Wolf knew she had an opinion about the candidate sitting behind him. Tammy had studied the applications harder than he had, and the all-important first-impression rating was in the books, no doubt supporting what she had gleaned from the résumé.
True to classic Tammy Granger-form, however, she wasn’t letting on anything. Maybe Tammy was too disappointed in the entire process to play the game. They both knew that the woman sitting in the lobby was Wolf’s final interview, and then time was up.
He needed to choose a new deputy by Thursday, in two days, or the money would not be coming from the state of Colorado. The Sluice County Council had made it clear to Wolf—they needed that money. Either he made a choice, or they would make it for him.
As the days of Gary Connell, the deceased former council chairman, and his bottomless pockets, receded in the rearview mirror, the council’s money-grubbing was beginning to take on the personality of a hungry bear. They were ripping through the county, and the town of Rocky Points, upturning every opportunity to get any sort of funding, every cent from every source.
First they had concocted the idea of the Rocky Points Music Festival, which was taking place this weekend, kicking off Friday, and now there was the new hire.
It was clear to everyone that Wolf and his deputies were being proactive, and were ready for the upcoming music festival. But as far as the new hire went, the council thought Wolf was dragging his feet. He wasn’t. He just wasn’t going to hire some lackey to fill a quota. And he wasn’t going to hire Kevin Ash, the new council chairman’s moronic son, just to fill the position and to score some political points.
However, and what Tammy knew just as well as Wolf, the seven candidates he’d seen so far had fallen woefully short. And, now, here was the final contender. She was also a “recommendation” by a council member, Margaret Hitchens.
Chairman Ash’s nepotistic hopes were certainly going to be denied by Wolf. If he had to disappoint two council members—well, that was probably going to make things sticky for his future.
Wolf took a breath and slapped the manila folder on his leg, and then turned with a smile. “Heather Patterson?”
She scooted forward until her feet were flat on the ground, and then stood up and faced Wolf. “Yes, sir.”
Wolf was startled by her short stature, and he knew he was showing it.
Her glacial pool-blue eyes were unwavering as she stepped forward with an outstretched hand. Her shoulder-length dark-brown hair had a tint of auburn in it, and it was pulled back on one side, fastened with a series of silver hair clips.
Her handshake grip was small, firm, and confident, like the rest of her seemed to be.
“Nice to meet you,” Wolf said.
“Likewise, sir.”
Wolf waved a hand toward the door. “This way.”
She stepped past Wolf, wafting a soft, flowery aroma into his nostrils. The smell of Kevin Ash was finally a memory.
The door clicked and they entered the squad room.
Chapter 2
Every deputy in the room stopped what they were doing and stared like dogs. Wolf cringed and barely stopped himself from screaming at the top of his lungs for them to get back to work. Instead, he ignored them and walked, and she did the same, bouncing fast alongside him. Her hair swayed side to side as her legs did double time to keep up. She held her chin high and ignored the persistent glares burning into her.
“This way.” Wolf led her down the hall and into his office. “Take a seat.”
She sat down and eyed the sparse contents on Wolf’s shelves, and then the framed CSU football pictures hanging on the wall.
Wolf followed her eyes and slapped the manila folder on the empty desktop. “Heather, thanks for coming in today.”
She looked him in the eye and sat still and straight. “Thank you for having me, sir.”
He pulled the manila folder closer and opened it. “I’ve taken a good look at your application and résumé. Tell me why you want this job.”
Her confident look wavered for an instant, and she furrowed her eyebrows. “You mean why do I want this particular job? Or why do I want to be a cop?”
“Let’s start with why you want to be a cop,” Wolf said.
She didn’t blink. “I come from a long line of lawyers. My grandfather was a lawyer. My father is a lawyer. My mother and my two older brothers are lawyers. To say I’ve been raised with an intimate familiarity of the law would be an understatement. I’ve always been fascinated by it. My father is a corporate lawyer in Aspen, works in entertainment, but my grandfather was a public prosecutor. And he used to tell me county court horror stories, as he liked to call them, about how this guy got off for murder, or this guy got off for raping a woman … all because of technicalities that lawyers exploited to get their clients off scot-free.” She narrowed her eyes and shrugged. “Usually things that were done wrong during the investigation. Preventable stuff.”
Wolf nodded.
“Anyway, I realized early on that the way to combat this was to make sure that the investigations were done more thoroughly, and intelligently. Then one wouldn’t have such holes in cases to be exploited by some scumba"—she widened her eyes and straightened—“by a lawyer who was out to bolster their reputation and willing to do anything to win a case, no matter whether justice was served or not.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve just known I wanted to be a cop. An investigator. I’ve always been fascinated with forensic science, and putting together the pieces of the puzzle. And it’s a lot more exciting than being a lawyer, in my opinion.”
Wolf nodded and smiled nonchalantly, but the truth was that he hadn’t interviewed a candidate yet who had sparked his interest like this young woman had. Her passion was as infectious as her confidence.
He tilted her résumé and gave it a glance. “Tell me about your qualifications.”
“I graduated third in my class at Aspen High School”—she rolled her eyes when she said third—“and then went on to the University of Colorado at Boulder, where I trained in criminology—DNA analysis, fingerprinting, and the like—getting my Bachelor’s degree in forensic science with a specialty in investigation.
“In Boulder, I interned with the Boulder County Police Department under the tutelage of the
CSI department’s Sergeant Jim Duclon. I gained a ton of experience in the field and in the lab. The whole internship exceeded my expectations. By the end, I had zero doubt that I was headed in the right direction.”
Wolf had talked to Sergeant Duclon on the phone the previous Friday. The words the man had used were “Pattie kicked ass. She’s as smart as they come. If you don’t hire her, you’re an idiot. I don’t know why she doesn’t want to work here.” Duclon had seemed genuinely upset about the whole situation. Couldn’t shut up about her.
Wolf flipped to her fitness-test page. Despite her physical stature, her score was outstanding—ninety-fifth percentile across the board. Her run time, pushups, sit-ups, and pull-ups could beat out pretty much anyone in the department he had now. Her broad jump would have been remarkable for a man a foot and a half taller than she. And then there was her bench press. She had the relative strength of an ant, able to lift well over her body weight.
She narrowed her eyes and shifted in her chair. “I … know I’m not the largest woman on the planet, but my fitness-test score is satisfactory, as you can see. I’m a black belt in karate, and I’m more than capable of defending myself.”
Wolf had noticed that. Most of his men were well versed in self-defense and hand-to-hand combat, but not many had taken it to the level she had.
That, however, wasn’t what was most exciting about the firecracker sitting across the desk. It was her forensic-lab experience that distanced her from the other candidates. For years, any time the Sluice County Sheriff’s Department had needed specialized lab work done, they had had to farm it out to the Summit County crime lab. Heather Patterson had the experience to change that.
Wolf also noted that Heather Patterson had not mentioned her relation to Margaret Hitchens, a prominent member of the Rocky Points town council and Sluice county council. And, unlike many of the other council members, Wolf liked Margaret Hitchens. Heather Patterson would have known that coming in here, yet she was relying on her own merits to get her through the interview.
So far. She hadn’t heard the next question.
“All right. Now tell me why you want this job. Why Rocky Points?” he asked. “We aren’t big. We don’t have the high crime rates of a city like Boulder. So, why here?”
“As you know, I grew up in Aspen, and I absolutely love the mountains, and Colorado. I’ve actually spent some time here in Rocky Points with my family over the years. We have relatives here in Rocky Points, and we used to ski here. I really love the town and the ski resort.” Her eyes glazed over as she chuckled. “I still remember when I was young how we used to come here during Christmas time. We loved the festival, and my oldest brother, who’s a really good skier, used to do the horse-drawn skier race.”
Wolf smiled and nodded. “The Ski-Joring race.”
Every year the town gathered to watch the fastest horses in town sprint down Main Street with skiers on ropes behind them. He and his brother had raced it many times. Wolf had broken a pinky finger one year doing it. He’d also won it, twice.
“Yeah, the Joring!” she said. “Anyway, I have great family memories here, and when I saw there was a job opening for the Sluice County Sheriff’s Department, I knew you guys were headquartered in Rocky Points … and then when I got the call to interview I was very …” She snapped back to the present moment and regained her job-seeker composure. “I was excited for the opportunity to interview for the job. I realize this may not be a high-crime area, but I also know I have a lot to learn.”
Wolf smiled.
There were three knocks on the door.
“Yeah,” Wolf said.
The door opened a crack and Deputy Tom Rachette poked his head in. He did a double take and his eyes popped wide at the sight of Heather Patterson. “Hey, uh, sorry, I’ll come back.”
Wolf waved him in. “Heather, this is Deputy Tom Rachette. Rachette, this is Heather Patterson.”
She stood up and held out a hand. “Hi, nice to meet you.”
Rachette stood tall, stretching his stocky build as much as he could without getting on his toes. He took off his Sluice County Sheriff’s Department baseball cap and ruffled his closely cropped blond hair underneath, sending something that looked like a piece of dried leaf onto the floor. He looked her up and down, narrowing his eyes to unseeing slits, and then pursed his lips.
“Hey,” Rachette breathed more than said, as he gently grasped her hand.
She furrowed her brow. “Hi.”
Wolf flushed watching the exchange. He wanted to meet the guy who had taught Rachette how to talk to women and give him a punch in the nose.
“You’re not from here, are you?” Rachette asked.
Heather Patterson gave a small snort, and then mimicked his tone. “No.”
Rachette gave a warm smile and placed his other hand on top of hers. “Well, good luck. It was great to meet y—”
Rachette squinted and gritted his teeth. He sucked in a breath and pulled on his hand, which was now white in Heather Patterson’s grip.
After a few tense seconds, his hand slipped free and whipped back with a thump against his stomach.
“It was great to meet you, too.” She turned to Wolf with raised eyebrows, and Wolf gestured for her to sit back down.
Rachette’s face was brick red and trending toward purple. He stuck out his lower jaw and glared down at her. “You’ve got a lot—”
“What is it, Deputy Rachette?” Wolf asked.
Rachette looked at Wolf with genuine confusion.
Wolf sighed. “Why did you come here to my office?”
“Oh, yeah.” Rachette put his hat back on and flexed his hand. “I just wanted to talk about the team assignments today up at the festival grounds. It can wait until after your interview.” He backtracked to the door.
“Stick around,” Wolf said, then looked at Heather Patterson. “Ms. Patterson, you’re hired if you want the job.”
She smiled wide and stood, thrusting a hand at Wolf. “Yes! Thank you.”
Wolf hesitated for a second after seeing what she’d just done to Rachette, and then smiled and took her hand. “You’ll be a great addition to the department, Deputy Patterson.”
It was her turn to blush now. “Thank you, Sheriff Wolf,” she said.
Wolf nodded. “As you probably know, we have the first annual Rocky Points Music Festival coming up this weekend. Putting on such a big event is stretching us to the limit, to the point where we’re bringing help in from Vail PD, Glenwood Springs, and deputies from Summit County to help out. In other words, we need boots on the ground. So, I hope you understand when I ask, can you start today?”
“I … yes, I could.” Her eyes sparkled and she took in a shaky breath.
“Yeah, okay. Easy,” Rachette said.
She flicked a glance at Rachette, and then raised her chin.
Wolf smiled. “You’re sleeping at Margaret’s, right? So you have a place to stay until you find a place of your own?”
Her face went red again, and then she nodded. “I didn’t know you knew I was related to Margaret.”
“Lesson one, sister,” Rachette said. “Sheriff Wolf knows everything.”
“If you need to take a few days,” Wolf continued, “and go back to Aspen to get a few things, I understand. But we’re really going to need your help later this week, and it would be nice to get you up to speed for the next few days, then have you working the festival this weekend.”
She shook her head. “I’m packed for weeks if need be. Consider me on the job right now.”
“Great. Rachette, send Baine with Wilson for the rest of the week. You’re with Patterson.”
Rachette went wide-eyed and pale. “Uh, yeah, okay.” He cleared his throat. “Are you still going up to Grimm Lake with Jack?”
Wolf pushed in his chair and walked around his desk. “Yep. In fact, I’m outta here now. I’ll see you guys tomorrow afternoon.”
Rachette turned to Patterson. “Jack’s his son. They’re going
camping today.”
Patterson gave a large nod. “Aha.”
Wolf opened the door and ushered them out. The squad room was completely empty except for Deputy Baine, who squinted at his computer screen, pecking at his keyboard with his index fingers.
Patterson smiled at the sight of Baine, and so did Wolf. It was rare in this day and age to see such a display of computer ineptitude. Even Wolf could type circles around Baine, who was a couple of years younger than Wolf.
“Hey, Bill Gates,” Rachette said, “you’re with Wilson today.”
Baine looked up. “Wilson already left with Hughes.”
“I guess we need to call him back then.”
Baine gave Patterson a quick nod, and looked up at Wolf.
“This is our new deputy, Heather Patterson,” Wolf said, and Baine stood and shook her hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Patterson said. “That your son?” She pointed down at a few pictures on Baine’s desk.
“Yep. That’s my little man,” Baine said.
Rachette sniffed. “You want to call Wilson? Or me to?”
“I’ll call him. He’s on the parking team. We’re on traffic. Which team are Wilson and I gonna be on now? Which team are you guys?”
They all looked at Wolf. Wolf slapped Rachette and Patterson on the back and walked away. “You guys have this covered. See you tomorrow night.”
Chapter 3
Wolf scraped his boots along the gravel of the department lot, kicking small stones in front of him. Crunching tires rumbled behind him, and he turned to see the glaring sun reflecting off Chairman Ash’s black Range Rover. Ash slowed, and then sped past him and parked in a vacant spot, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
He sighed inwardly and walked to meet Ash as he stepped out of his truck.
“Sheriff,” Ash said with a sly smile.
“Chairman Ash.”
“I just spoke with Kevin. He said the interview went”—Ash pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and looked to the doors of the station—“very well.” Ash smiled gratefully and held out a hand.