A Father's Justice Pt. 07

"Don't ever complain about me getting new clothes," she joked. "So, when do you go before the board?"

"Tomorrow morning," he said.

"I'm glad to see you taking this on," she said. "It'll do you some good to get integrated into the community. I'm so proud of you." He smiled and kissed her.

That night, they watched the news and learned that the federal case against Knight had expanded to include a number of the middle-level managers. It seemed that more people were involved than originally thought, but none of them apparently knew the full situation. The expose on Jake also caused the company's stock prices to fall even further as confidence in the company dwindled to practically nothing.

The next day, Ryan appeared before the county board with Russell. As Russell indicated, the meeting was cordial and mostly informal. There were only a few questions that Ryan had to think carefully about before answering.

"Doesn't that eye patch give you problems with your depth perception?" one of the board members asked.

"It did at first," Ryan said. "But I've learned to work through it."

"So you can drive and fire a sidearm without any problem?"

"None so far," Ryan said.

"Personally, I prefer to see someone with direct law enforcement experience," another board member said. "You don't even have a degree in law enforcement. If we do this, would you be willing to enroll in an online course and get a two-year degree?"

"Absolutely," Ryan said.

"How much do you expect to get paid, Mr. Caldwell?" one female board member asked.

"I hadn't really thought about it, ma'am," Ryan said. "To tell you the truth, I really don't need the money."

"Yes, we checked your financials over at the bank," she said. "By the way, that was a wonderful thing you did for Ms. Simons."

"Thank you," he said. "She needed help, so I thought I'd lend a hand."

"So, about the compensation, how much do you think you'd like to get paid?" she asked.

"Frankly, I haven't given it any thought," he said. "Whatever you're paying Sheriff Coltrane, I guess. Maybe you could donate it to the homeless shelter downtown or the women's and children's center." She smiled and nodded her head.

"I think we can arrange that," she said. "Don't you?" she added, looking at the other board members. They looked at each other and nodded their heads.

"Yeah, we can do that," one of the others said.

"Gentlemen, I think we've found our candidate, don't you?" the female board member said. They discussed it among themselves before answering.

"I agree," one of the board members said. "I say we vote on it."

"I second that," another board member added.

"Well then, let's take a vote," the female board member said. "All in favor of appointing Mr. Ryan Caldwell as sheriff raise your hands." Everyone raised their hands. "Those opposed?" No hands went up.

"Very well," she said. "Mr. Caldwell, welcome aboard and congratulations."

"Thank you," Ryan said, accepting her hand.

"Sheriff, why don't you take Mr. Caldwell here down and get him a uniform?" she asked. "We'll conduct the swearing in ceremony about 1:00 this afternoon."

"Will do," he said, standing up. They drove back to the sheriff's office and Russell took Ryan into the back, where he found several shirts and pairs of trousers that looked as though they would fit. Ryan was relieved to see they had all been cleaned and pressed, and still hanging inside their protective plastic coverings. Ryan tried them on and found they fit perfectly. Russell also grabbed a new hat, a gray Stetson, and handed it to him.

"That looks like a good fit," he said. Ryan tried it on and was surprised to see it fit better than his old beat-up hat. Russell looked at him, nodding his head in approval. "Looking good, son," he said. He grabbed a black name tag from his desk drawer and attached it to Ryan's shirt. Apparently, Ryan thought, he had it pre-made just for the occasion. After attaching the name tag, Russell glanced at his watch. "About time for your swearin' in," he said. "Let me make a quick call."

As Ryan watched, Russell pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. He was surprised to hear Beverly's voice answer. Russell winked at Ryan, and put the phone on speaker.

"Beverly, I really need you to come down to my office, right away," Russell said, sounding serious.

"Is everything alright?" she said.

"Don't know," he said. "But it's serious and I need you down here as soon as you can."

"Alright, Sheriff," she said, sounding scared. "I'll be there in just a few minutes." Russell ended the call and put his phone away. He looked back at Ryan and smiled.

"That was mean," Ryan said.

"Yeah, it was," Russell said. "But I had to make sure she'd get here, y'know? Wouldn't be right for you to get sworn in without her here, don'tcha think?" A few minutes later, Beverly came in through the front door and was escorted to Russell's office.

"Is everything alright? What's going on?" she asked, frantic. Russell smiled and sat her down.

"Everything's just fine, darlin'," he said. "I just thought you might like to be here when they swear your man in." He turned to the door leading down the hallway and called for Ryan. Beverly gasped when she saw her husband-to-be come in wearing a uniform.

"Wow," she said. "I always did like a man in uniform," she told him. "So, when is the swearing in?" she asked Russell. He glanced at his watch.

"Any time now," he said. A few moments later, they heard the front door open and a group of well-dressed people came into the station. The desk sergeant came into Russell's office to let them know they had visitors.

"Thanks," Russell said. "Have everyone meet in the main conference room if you would, please."

"Will do, Sheriff," she said, leaving the office. Russell looked at Ryan and Beverly.

"You two ready for this?" he asked. Ryan looked nervous.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I reckon," Ryan said. They went down the hall and entered the large room, which was full of people, including a number of uniformed deputies. Ryan noticed an ice chest on the floor next to the table and a store-bought cake that had been decorated for the ceremony.

The deputies checked Ryan out as he walked in and he thought they seemed to approve of Russell's choice. He sensed no animosity or jealousy from any of them, which was a good thing.

The ceremony itself was short and sweet. The senior county board commissioner administered the oath of office, and Russell pinned the new badge on Ryan's chest. He handed something to Beverly, and asked her to follow his lead.

She watched as Russell pinned three stars on Ryan's shirt collar -- the rank insignia worn by the sheriff. She pinned the other set of stars on his remaining collar and stood back to admire him.

"Congratulations, Sheriff," the commissioner said, shaking his hand. "And may God have mercy on your soul," he added, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

"Thank you, Commissioner," Ryan said.

"There's tea and coca-cola in the ice chest, and Ryan, excuse me, Sheriff Caldwell, gets the honor of serving up cake," Russell said to laughter. "Sorry, no beer, we're still on duty, you know." Ryan sliced the large cake and served Beverly first, then the deputies. He gave Russell a slice, then served the commissioners. He cut a small piece for himself and noticed there was still about a third of the cake left.

"Why don't we save this for the fellas out on patrol?" he asked. Russell agreed.

"Good idea," he said. The female desk sergeant smiled and put the cake in a refrigerator for safe keeping. Ryan ate his cake, then made the rounds, meeting the deputies he would soon be responsible for. They all seemed nice, he thought, and they appeared to accept him as their new sheriff.

After the ceremony, Beverly came to Ryan and took him in. He looked so good in his uniform, she thought. Almost as if it was made just for him.

"You look so good, sweetheart," she said. "I'm so proud of you." He smiled and gave her a kiss.

"Why, thank you, little lady," he said, using a horrible John Wayne impersonation that caused her to laugh.

"I'd better get back now, dear," she said. "I have to stop and pick up some feed for the chickens, and get dinner started. I'll see you at home, alright?"

"I'll be there," he said, giving her one more kiss. He watched as she walked out the door. The deputies all congratulated her and seemed to welcome her into their little family. Ryan turned to Russell.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"Now, I issue your sidearm and your gear," Russell said. They walked to the armory, and Russell had him sign for a belt and a Smith and Wesson M&P 9 mm pistol, a polymer-framed, striker-fired full-size pistol similar to the Glock 17. All things considered, Ryan knew this was one of the best 9 mm handguns on the market, and he was surprised that a small sheriff's department like this would issue them. He almost expected them to carry six-shot revolvers.

"One last thing," Russell said, pulling a small box from his desk drawer. He handed the box to Ryan, who opened it and saw a small bar that sported a blue field with white stars on one side and three stripes, one white stripe with a red stripe above and below it. On the white stripe was written, "U.S. Army vet."

"What's this?" Ryan asked.

"It's a little something to show appreciation for your service," Russell said. "All the vets get one here." Ryan had seen some of the deputies sporting something similar and he noticed Russell had one as well that said, "USMC vet."

"Thanks," Ryan said.

"You're welcome," Russell said.

"What now?" Ryan asked.

"Well, we start getting you up to speed tomorrow morning," Russell said. "Be here at 8:00 am, sharp."

"See you then," Ryan said as he gathered his civilian clothes. The deputies said their goodbyes as he walked out the door. When he got home, he gave Beverly a kiss and headed upstairs. He looked at himself in the mirror.

"There's a new sheriff in town," he said quietly to the image in the mirror. The boys'll never believe this, he thought to himself. He smiled as he imagined himself asking, "Do ya feel lucky, punk?" They enjoyed a quiet meal and an evening of lovemaking.

"I'm glad I got to be a part of that ceremony today," Beverly said as she snuggled her naked body against him.

"I am, too," Ryan said.

"Promise me you'll be careful out there?" she asked. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her as he took in her warmth.

"I'll be careful, little lady," he said. "I promise."

The next two weeks flew by for Ryan as Russell gave him a crash course in law enforcement. Ryan watched as Russell briefed the deputies on the day's duties and took in every nuance he could. This was a good group, he thought to himself. Dedicated, motivated and loyal. They knew their stuff.

Russell finished the briefing by turning to Ryan, asking, "Anything you'd like to add, Sheriff?" Ryan knew this was Russell's way of making sure they knew he would eventually be taking over.

"Be careful out there," Ryan said, causing the deputies to nod in approval.

Russell took Ryan to the combat shooting range and was surprised when Ryan breezed through it, hitting all the bad guys while avoiding the "good guys." Actually, they were just cardboard cutouts, but it was a useful exercise that helped officers learn to distinguish between the two in a real-life situation.

From there, it was on to the defensive driving course, and Ryan got through it easily. When he finished, Russell got into the passenger seat and shook his head.

"Where'd you learn to drive like that?" he asked.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Ryan said.

"No, I wouldn't," Russell said. During the time with Russell, Ryan was like a sponge, soaking up everything he could from the man. Russell had shown him how to use the radio and the computer in the patrol car and walked him through simple traffic stops. Ryan had signed up for an online program through the University of Texas and spent what free time he had going through the courses assigned to him.

Meanwhile, Russell had taken him around town to meet the locals, all of whom seemed to take to Ryan, after they recovered from the shock of his eye patch and scar. While they were out one day, Ryan turned to Russell.

"You seem to know an awful lot about me," Ryan said. "Would you mind explaining that?"

"Not at all," Russell said. "I knew about you pretty much from the time you came to town. Goldsmith got a hold of me after you made that huge deposit in his bank, asked me to look into you. So I did. I reached out to my contacts at the FBI and kept a loose tab on ya for a while. I'd seen ya sitting out there on that porch of yours and I asked myself, I said, 'self, why would a man have all that money in the bank, yet choose to live in that piece of crap old house looking like a reject from an old Clint Eastwood movie?' I figured you was either hidin' from something or somebody or else you was a loose cannon getting' ready to cause trouble."

"I just wanted piece and quiet," Ryan said. "I didn't want to call attention to myself."

"With all that money in the bank?" Russell asked. "Where'd you get all that, anyway?"

"A lot of it was money I made on the job," Ryan said. "Other was money I earned from some well-placed investments, and quite a bit of it came from an oil sheikh who appreciated what I did for him. He gave me a second chance and said I should go someplace where I could find some peace. So I came here. Figured no one would find me here."

"And all that money you gave Beverly," Russell said. "Were you expecting something in return?"

"No, I wasn't," Ryan said. "I felt for her. Like I told Goldsmith, I know what it's like to lose everything that means anything to you. When I saw her out here on the road that day, I was reminded of what I went through. What I nearly did."

"I understand," Russell said quietly. "It hurts like hell when someone dumps you the way your wife did. Oh yeah, I saw the reports. Went through something like that myself once, a long time ago. You know you're not going to be able to help everyone like you did her."

"I know," Ryan said.

Ryan also spent time riding with the other deputies -- partly to learn the job and partly to get to know them better. He enjoyed the time with them and they seemed to appreciate his efforts. He also went on night patrol a few times with Russell.

One night, they were on a back road known as a local "lover's lane." They came up behind an old pickup that was rocking side to side. They both knew what was going on, so Russell pulled up behind the truck and flashed his lights briefly, causing the couple in the truck to look out the back window in surprise. Russell looked at Ryan.

"You wanna do the honors?" he asked.

"Sure, why not?" Ryan answered. He got out of the car and approached the drivers side, a flashlight in one hand and the other close to his pistol. He tapped on the window with his flashlight. A nervous young man rolled the window down. Ryan could see he was shirtless, and his trousers had been rapidly pulled up, but not fastened. He looked at the girl in the cab and saw she was covering herself with a blanket.

It was obvious to him that she was nude under the blanket and he saw a pile of clothing on the floor at her feet. He also detected the smell of sweat and sex from the cab. They were both shocked at Ryan's appearance.

"Drivers license and registration, please," Ryan said. The young man pulled out his license and grabbed the registration from the glove box. "I'd like to see your ID as well, young lady," Ryan added. As he watched, she pulled her license from her purse, which was on the floor. Ryan examined the licenses and looked at their faces. He verified they were both 18 -- probably high school students just out for a bit of nookie. He handed the documents back and addressed the young man.

"Out of the truck, sir," he said. "You, get dressed," he told the girl. The young man got out of the truck, fastening his trousers as he did so and tightening his belt. Ryan motioned for him to stand by the bed of the truck and looked at him closely. He could tell the youngster was "this close" to pissing his pants.

"You love this girl, son?" Ryan asked quietly.

"Y...yes, sir, I do," he said. Ryan nodded his head.

"You planning on marrying this girl?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know," the young man said. "Maybe."

"So, you like her enough to fuck her out here in the middle of nowhere, but not enough to marry her, is that right? Do your parents know? Do her parents know?" Ryan asked.

"No, sir, they don't know," the man said, trembling.

"Look son," Ryan said. "It's late and I really don't like the idea of dragging you two down for public lewdness, so I'll say this just once. The next time you feel the urge, show a little respect. Take her to a motel or something. You know, someplace with four walls and clean sheets. It's downright dangerous out here late at night, you know. People crossing the border, wild animals, snakes, one-eyed sheriffs. You understand what I'm saying?" The man nodded his head.

"Alright," Ryan said. "Get on outta here. And don't let me catch you on this road again, you hear me?"

"Yes sir," the man said, scrambling to get in the truck. As he watched, the man looked out the window. "Thank you, sheriff," he said. Ryan nodded his head and the man drove off, no doubt relieved that he wasn't going to jail. At least, not tonight. Ryan got back in the car and looked at Russell, who sported a big shit-eating grin.

"Well?" he asked.

"Yeah, they were doing the dirty," Ryan said. "Girl was stark naked under her blanket."

"And you let them go?" Russell asked.

"What the hell," Ryan said. "There weren't any drugs or alcohol. Just a couple kids looking to get laid. I chewed his ass out, told him to never show up here again, take her to a motel or something. I don't think he'll give us any more trouble." Russell laughed.

"Welcome to law enforcement, Ryan," he said, putting the car in gear. Ryan knew he would have a good story to tell Beverly that night.

During that period of time, Ryan and Beverly were also planning their wedding. They finally decided to have the ceremony in his back yard. While Ryan worked, Beverly arranged almost everything for the ceremony. Ryan offered to help, but Beverly wouldn't hear of it. She spoke to the pastor of the country church she attended when her first husband was still alive, and he agreed to perform the ceremony, but only after he met Ryan.

The meeting went well, with Ryan appearing at the church in his uniform. They spoke for some time about this and that, and by the time the meeting was over, the pastor felt a peace about uniting Beverly to the tall, scarred man.

Ryan kept an eye on the news, but it seemed that other things had managed to push Knight Petroleum off the front page. Everything, including Jake's probate and the class action lawsuit, was now in the hands of the court system and lawyers more adept at slowing things down than anything else. Ryan wondered if it would ever get resolved.

He stayed in touch with Sarah, Bob, Bill and Jorge. They were all pleased that he was now a sheriff and loved the pictures Beverly sent them of him in his uniform.

"The fellas will never believe this shit," Bob wrote in response to the pictures, causing Ryan to laugh.

Then one day, as Ryan and Russell were in the office working, Agent Smith walked in the door. He smiled as he saw Ryan in his uniform.

"Damn," he said. "You look good in that uniform. It suits you."

"Thanks," Ryan said.

"Yeah, I'll make a lawman outta him yet," Russell said as he shook Smith's hand. "So, what can we do for ya, Agent Smith?"

"You got a couple minutes?" Smith asked Ryan.

"Yeah, sure," Ryan said.

"Is there someplace we can talk?" Smith asked. Ryan looked at Russell before responding.