Peril in the Pines Ch. 04

"Well, they've always had their own police force, just a handful of people, and since the lumber mills have closed they can't afford to keep it up. The chief is retiring and they're shutting down the department. Their county supervisors are trying to decide whether to have the state troopers patrol the city, or turn it over to the Pike County Sheriff's Office."

"Well, frankly I doubt that their county government is as concerned about taking care of their taxpayers as ours is. But look at what we've got here. They went through that same deal here back in the Great Depression and the Sheriff's office has been policing this town ever since. Small police departments are terribly expensive to operate considering the population they're protecting."

"Yes, and there's a companion article here about the same department. Look, see the girl in this picture? Pretty, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is. What about her?"

"Her name is Kathleen Cafferty. She graduated at the top of her class from the university with a major in criminal justice. In fact, in her major she had a 4.0 index. Then she landed a job with the Greenwood Police Department and they sent her to the police academy, where she just graduated at the top of h class. But the department was disbanded the day after her graduation from the academy. So now she's out of work."

"That's a shame. Has she applied to the state police?"

"I don't know, but I think she must have. If she could get on anywhere they wouldn't have put the article in the paper, would they?"

"Where does she live?"

"Just across town, over by the metal stamping plant."

"Oh, boy!"

"What?"

"I 'm glad you gave me a heads up on this. The mayor will be on the phone with the Sheriff and the county supervisors Monday morning. Maybe sooner."

"The mayor? Why?"

"Mayor McCarthy. Ring a bell?" Jan looked blank. "Mayor Mary McCarthy!"

"Oh, I see."

"I'll guarantee you that her parish priest has been bending the mayor's ear already. Let's see, over there she must be in Saint Brendan's parish, right?"

"I guess so."

"Monsignor Patrick Sullivan, pastor. Are you getting the picture? We have a lovely Irish Catholic colleen in need of help, and her Irish priest will talk with our Irish Catholic mayor and this will be like an avalanche of political pressure picking up weight as it descends on the Sheriff. He won't have the budget for another deputy, but the county supervisors will get their share of pressure, too, and by this time next week we'll have a new deputy, the first woman deputy ever in the department. Then we'll have to have a women's locker room and shower room and rest room, which will mean a building addition. That will cramp our nice, roomy parking lot. And while they're at it, they'll be putting wheelchair ramps all over the place to bring us into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"This cuts two ways. A well qualified woman should be able to get a job as a deputy. But I'm wondering what it's going to do to our department, and how it's going to complicate my job. Anyway, don't throw the paper away. I'll take it into the Sheriff's office on Monday and make sure he's prepared for all this."

I went in and took a quick shower and changed into comfortable clothes. "Anything going on this weekend?" I called out to Jan from the bedroom.

"I haven't made any plans but I'd sort of like to do something with Mom if it's okay with you. She's been all alone since I moved out, and it must be a pretty big change for her. Kind of abrupt."

"Okay with me. Why don't you give her a call this evening, see if she's got any ideas. If all else fails, we could take her out to dinner on Sunday."

"Sounds good to me. Our dinner's almost ready, fifteen minutes or so. I'll call her now, while the potatoes are cooking."

Later, over dinner, I asked Jan what her mother had to say. "Yes, she'd like to see us. She doesn't have any plans, so whatever we decide is okay with her." There was a pause. "While we were chatting she asked if we'd heard about that sweet Cafferty girl losing her job before she could even start it."

SETTING THE BIG WHEELS IN MOTION

Monday morning I was sitting in the Sheriff's guest chair at 6:30 am, nursing a cup of coffee and waiting for the Sheriff to finish his phone call with Terry Connelly, the county supervisor for our district. Mostly he was listening. Finally, he said, "Well, all right, if that's how you've got it arranged, that's how it'll have to be. You and Frank will have to come up with the funds, that's all. Just understand that I can't water down the quality of my department, so this will have to be handled with an abundance of judgment and discretion. And I'll have the final say over that other hire. Do we have an understanding?" "Good, you come here on Wednesday morning. See you then."

The phone call completed, the Sheriff turned his attention to me. "Well, Jack, here's what we're going to do. First, we'll officially declare Vince the Senior Deputy. Because he has both patrol and supervisory duties, he'll need a partner. We'll hire Kathleen Cafferty, and for on the job training she'll partner with Vince. For now, she'll have a locker but not in the regular locker room. She'll change into and out of her duty uniform at home. For a lavatory she'll use the ladies' rest room in the lobby, same as Becky does. You with me so far?"

"Yeah, it all makes good sense, based on what I know so far."

"The county will immediately buy that vacant house on the other side of the parking lot. Used to belong to old Mr. Henson. It's been vacant for over a year. Terry's brother-in-law is a realtor, so they'll take care of that. When it's torn down they'll enlarge our lot, and we'll need that, because we're going to get a big addition to our building, plus a face lift of the old part with new windows and doors and all that. The new addition will house a new locker room and shower room for the men, and the old locker room and shower room will be done over for women deputies. The new addition will also house a new state-of-the-art interview room, new holding cells, and my new office. You'll get this office when I move. The office you use now will become Vince's office. The old interview room will become a multipurpose room, for eating lunch and holding meetings.

"Architects will bid on the remodeling, but because we'll need an architect who understands this area and also has experience on public buildings, it's likely that Frank Davis's cousin will get the contract. Since you've been away for five years, you might not know that Frank is the supervisor of the third district. Of course, with so many Hispanic people living in the county now, we ought to have a Hispanic deputy, and we'll get one from Manny Gonzales's district, if I agree to the candidate. He'd better be a damn sight sharper than Manny. With three of the five supervisors taken care of this way, the rather sizeable appropriation for this project will be approved, in time for the annual budget. That will allow it to be put on an accelerated schedule, to be ready next year.

"Oh, the building will be dedicated all over again, as if it were all brand new. That will allow it to be named after Mary McCarthy's father in law, a former mayor and county supervisor. His name will be all spelled out on a plaque in the lobby, Francis X. McCarthy. For brevity, the name on the front of the building, in letters at least a foot high, will be 'The McCarthy Center for Public Safety' or something like that. So at first glance, it will appear to be named after our mayor, and it will display that name, like a billboard, in time for her reelection campaign. All the Irish Catholics will be reminded how we bailed out the lovely Kathleen Cafferty, mostly by her large family shouting it from the rooftops, and also by Monsignor Sullivan whispering in private, just in time for Terry's reelection, which just happens to coincide with my own. And of course, we'll get the Mexican kid's picture in the paper along around then, doing something with schoolkids. Maybe get him and Kathleen Cafferty to do something jointly with the Explorers or whatever else comes along.

"I want you to understand four things about all this. First, it really is high time that we hire a female deputy, and a Hispanic one, too. Our department should reflect the diversity of Hopi County, and it doesn't. Second, the county really ought to give our base here a facelift. It needs it and we deserve it. Third, this whole scenario may sound like backroom politics, and it is, but it's the way things get done in a democracy and there's nothing illegal about it. And fourth, all this is strictly confidential, and not to be breathed to a soul, including Janice and her mother. Got that?"

"Got it. Now I suppose that we're going to give this the full court press with the news media, right?"

"Right."

"Good. Just keep me out of it."

"Can't be done. Remember that all of our hiring and firing records are official documents, subject to the Freedom of Information business. So if they start to look into our most recent hire, they'll also uncover the one before that. The first thing I'd say about that is that you'd better look pretty sharp in your crisp, new uniforms. The second thing is that by the time all this hits the news you'll be starting classes at the academy. Now you tell me what's the third thing."

"I'd damn well better get just as good grades as Kathleen Cafferty did. Shit!"

"Think about it."

"Oh, I will, I will."

MAKING A NEW FRIEND

I had picked up my duty uniforms the afternoon before, and was showing up at work for the first time wearing the official, drab clothes that we chase bad guys in. They are a dull gray color, and they're sort of like the fatigues that were the work clothes of the Army before camo's. Made for comfort, they hang kind of loose, permitting free movement. The pants are worn bloused at the top of short boots that resemble combat boots. The shirts have the official county crest on the left shoulder, with Hopi County spelled out above and Sheriff's Office below. Then over my breast pocket was my name and below that Chief Deputy. Embroidered patches on my collar lapels displayed the two silver bars of the captain's rank. Slightly in back of that on the left lapel a small black microphone was clipped in place, and on the left side of my belt was the radio, not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes. On the right hip was my pistol in its holster. This was the 40 caliber Smith & Wesson that I had borrowed from the Sheriff. Because I liked it so much, and because he wanted to transition us from 9 mm to 40 cal, the Sheriff sold the gun to the county and then issued it to me. It was an ideal arrangement for me in that it was a great pistol, tuned just the way I like them, smooth as silk because it is well broken in and with a trigger pull to drool over, and it didn't cost me anything. Just ahead of the radio on my left was a carrier with two spare magazines. Scattered elsewhere around my waistline on the belt were all sorts of other stuff that I'd probably never use. The duty belt with all the standard equipment on it weighed about ten pounds, and I'd be wearing it all, at least until I was finished at the academy and the news reporters and photographers went away. Mace, handcuffs, all the rest of it, seemed to me like the chains that Christopher Marley dragged after him when he came to see Ebeneezer Scrooge. I could see that a flashlight would have some utility, and I mentally promised myself that I'd haul the rest of the stuff around until I could see which of the hardware was worth the weight it added.

I put it all on and went to find Vince to see if I had it on right. He tactfully suggested that I take the cuffs out of their leather case and remove the plastic bag that they were sealed in. Then he rummaged through his locker and found a small flashlight, powered by two AA cells, with a black leather case that would be more practical for me than the four cell Maglite, which was carried partly to light up the dark and mostly to club bad guys on their hands and wrists to make them drop things we didn't like them to wave at us, like guns and knives. In fact, he told me, the state's attorney had determined that the four cell Maglite was a weapon, and people other than sworn peace officers were not permitted to carry them in public places where weapons are not permitted.

Vince showed me how to position the hardware so I could sit down and not have it sticking into my back. I took him into my office and closed the door. "You and I need to talk about some things that are going to happen around here, in confidence. What I'd like you to do is come over to my house some evening after dinner. Or better yet, come for dinner. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't even know whether you're married, Vince. What is your family situation?"

"I'm divorced. I have two kids, pretty big now, one in high school and one in middle school. They live with my ex-wife and I have them every other weekend."

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"Yes, I have been for three years now. We live together. I don't know if we'll marry. We've talked about it, but mostly those talks just bring back sad memories for both of us. But as we both see it, we're in it for the long haul."

"Well, maybe you could bring her along with you to dinner at my house some time soon. We're almost in the same boat as you, living together but not married, although we do plan to marry after I get a few paychecks from here into my bank account. We could eat and then the ladies could chat while you and I talk privately for a short time, maybe an hour. What's your lady's name?"

"Rose. Rose Wilkins. She's tall, nearly six feet, and she's the first woman I ever knew who knows what it's like to be taller than everybody else. I'll let her tell you how we met. As soon as we sized each other up we knew that we were a match made in heaven. Poor Rose had been married to a little guy about five foot six and she towered over him. It worked all right for a while, but eventually both of them got so they didn't want to be seen in public together. So they divorced amicably. She doesn't have any kids."

"Mine is named Janice Miller, goes by Jan. I dated her a couple of times when I was home on leave, but I wasn't about to get serious with anybody when I was going back to Afghanistan. Long distance relationships can be a big problem, and I had no way of knowing whether I'd come back in one piece. But I looked her up when I got out and we clicked. We're so close that I even love her mother, who's a wonderful lady. I'd like very much to meet Rose, and I'll be proud to introduce Jan to you both. I might even be able to arrange for Jan's mother to be there for dinner. Make it more of a family get together. Now just for a teaser, I'll leak one tiny detail. Some time in the future, probably next year, this office will be yours. Your title will be Senior Deputy. That's all I can say right now. It's just too hard to keep anything a secret here."

"What's that mean? You won't take away my patrol car, will you? I won't be tied to a desk, will I?"

"No, and no. How could we handle the real tough calls without you out there to race off to them? Most of the time you'll be out on patrol, answering calls, and being a cruising supervisor. But come to dinner and you'll learn more details that will fit the puzzle together and make some sense to you.

"Now on another totally different subject, will you take a ride out to the academy with me this morning? I'll explain what it's about on the way."

"Sure. I can be ready to go in a half hour."

"Great. When you're ready, come by here and grab me."

On the way, Vince remarked, "I've made this drive so many times that the car knows the way." We cruised easily over a newly repaved state highway toward the state's police academy, tucked away in a forest in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. "It's customary for a department to be represented at the graduation of one of its own, and when the Sheriff couldn't attend, I'd go in his place. It was always quite a sight. They have a special area, off on one side of the regular parking lot, where the patrol cars would park. Each agency has its own paint job and style of lettering. The lot is on the west side of the building and the setting sun would light up all of them like a floodlight."

"That would be something to see, all right. I'll get to see it when I graduate, I guess. I'm supposed to see Gordon Reese, the director. Do you know him?"

"Oh yeah, Gordy's an old friend. I did a four year hitch in the Navy and then went into law enforcement when I got out. Same as you. At that time Gordy was a patrol officer in Dawson, and he came here part time to teach the classes on arrest and arraignment, the interface where the police, prosecutor, and court come together. Then he taught some other classes, and when he retired from Dawson he came here to teach full time. Then when Curt Higgins retired from the director's slot Gordy took his place. I'm sure you'll like him."

And I did. Gordon and I seemed to hit it off right away. I explained that I would be attending classes as a part time student except when I was needed back in the county, because I would be working at my job full time, too. I asked him to help me highlight the subjects that would benefit me the most, and conversely the ones that would be a waste of my time, and he agreed. "I doubt that you'd get all that much out of the firearms instruction, from what I heard through the grapevine." he said, with a chuckle. Since I wouldn't be attending all of the classes, I asked that I be allowed to audit and be excused from the examinations, being given a 'completed' grade instead of a letter. Gordon looked at my face searchingly, and then laughed out loud. "All right," he said, "it's a deal. Could this have anything to do with Kathleen Cafferty?"

"Who's Kathleen Cafferty?" asked Vince.

I jumped right in before Gordon could say any more, with "I told you that you'll be finding out more about what's going on when you come to my house for supper. I wasn't going to give you a name yet, so just forget about that for now and trust me to keep you up to speed as this thing goes forward." Then to Gordon I mentioned, as if it were simply a matter of passing interest, "Vince is our new Senior Deputy. As soon as it's official he'll be wearing sergeant's stripes. I understand that you've been able to watch him develop in law enforcement for a long time. You must be very proud of him. He's like the poster boy for all lawmen, as far as I'm concerned."

"Good Lord, it's about time he got some recognition. If somebody ever tried anything with me or my family, I'd be praying that Vince got the call." He turned to Vince. "Congratulations, big fella. I'm going to ask the Sheriff if he'll let me announce that at the next graduation, along with Jack's appointment, of course. But there's no hurry on it, so I'll hold off until the new developments are ready to be made public."

"Gordon, while we're here, I'll give you a heads up on something I'll need help on after I graduate. I'd like to have a topic every month that we'll get our deputies refreshed on. For example, weapons that we don't use every day, or martial arts, or fingerprinting, or whatever. We'll have one of our own men give the instruction, and then have group sessions at the range or the gym, and so on. A lot of it will duplicate your classes so maybe we could use your lesson plans. Could that be arranged?"

"Of course. It's not a thing we make a big deal about, but one of my responsibilities is to consult and assist in what we call 'in service' training to be given by the operating departments. It's written right into my job description. You just rest assured that we, and I personally, will give you whatever help you need."