Tip of the Spear Pt. 03

"No, sir," Ray said. "I'm here to get some background on your children, Jeremy and Ginger." The old man looked at them, confused.

"There's a couple names I never thought I'd hear again," Old Man Rodgers said. "They in some kinda trouble?"

"You could say that," Ray told him. "What can you tell me? Sheriff Blackerby said you kicked them out about five years or so ago. Can you tell me about that?" The old man sighed and sat back in his recliner.

"I caught them out back behind the barn one day. Heard some strange noises, so I went and took a look," he said.

"What were they doing? Drugs?" Ray asked.

"I wish that was all it was," the old man said. "I'd have kicked their asses over it, but I coulda handled it. They were, you know, doing the dirty."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rodgers. Could you be a bit more specific, please?" Ray asked.

"Specific? Alright. Here's specific," the old man said. "They were fucking. They were bare-assed, butt-fucking nekkid, fucking each other's brains out behind the barn. She was on top of him riding his dick for all she was worth, and he was loving it. From the way they were going at it, I knew it wasn't the first time they'd done it. Is that specific enough for ya?"

"Yes, Mr. Rodgers, that's pretty specific," Ray said.

"You know, she even offered to suck my dick while was fucking her brother," the old man said. "Her own father's dick! Can you believe it? What kinda sick shit is that?"

"Where was their mother during all this?" Ray asked. The old man laughed.

"Beats the hell outta me, Detective Hale," he said. "Their mother left us when they were just toddlers. Took off with some fancy-assed doctor from Fresno. Last I heard, she was in Seattle."

"So you're divorced, then?" Ray asked.

"Bet yer sweet ass I'm divorced. I filed paperwork as soon as the lawyer said I could. Divorced her for abandonment," he said. "Never heard a peep from her."

"And as far as you know, she's never been in touch with the children, is that right?" Ray asked.

"Nope. Said she did her part bringing them into the world. Said it was my job to raise them. Hell, I don't even know if they're really mine. Don't matter much now, I guess. But I raised them as mine anyway."

"And you never remarried?" Ray asked.

"Nope. Been there, done that. Ain't doing it again," he said. "Besides, what decent woman in her right mind would want an old man on a farm out in the middle of fucking nowhere?" he added, rhetorically, in a voice filled with sadness and longing.

"Did you ever see any indication this was going on? I mean, before you actually caught them," Ray said.

"Well, I did notice some looks between them, but I never thought it was anything to be too concerned about. Ginger takes after her mother a lot. She got to be a bit of a tease and a flirt when she got older. But I never imagined they were into... that. At least not with each other," he said.

"When was the last time you heard from either of them?" Ray asked. The old man shook his head.

"I never heard from either of them after that day," he said. "Believe it or not, I miss them, even after all this time," he added, wiping a tear from his face.

"Get any mail addressed to either of them?" Ray asked.

"The usual junk mail. Offers for this or that. Annual registration renewals. That kind of thing. I just tossed it all in the shitcan," he said. "So, what kinda trouble they in now?"

"They're suspects in a murder case, Mr. Rodgers," Ray said. The old man shook his head as tears fell down his face. "I'm looking for anything that might help explain their behavior."

"What will happen to them?" the old man asked.

"Well, we're still investigating the crime, Mr. Rodgers. It's still pretty early to say what will happen. Is there anything you want me to pass on to them?" Old man Rodgers thought for a moment before responding.

"Yeah," he said. "Could you please tell them their father loves them. And misses them. And tell them... I'm sorry things worked out the way they did. It's not their fault their mother abandoned them. I did everything I could. I guess it just wasn't enough."

"It's not your fault, Mr. Rodgers," Ray said. "They're adults. They're responsible for their own actions."

"Tell me something, Detective. How did they get by all these years?" the old man asked.

"Well, they... found ways to make money. Different things," Ray said, not wanting to hurt the old man further by telling him his children were into the porn industry.

"If there's anything I can do, let me know," the old man finally said. "And please, keep me informed of what's going on."

"I will, Mr. Rodgers," Ray said. "Here's my card. If you can think of anything -- anything at all, please let me know."

"Thank you, Detective. I will," the old man said after taking Ray's card. Ray and Deputy Halliburton left the old farm and drove back to Fresno.

"That was pretty messed up," Halliburton said when they got to the Sheriff's Department. "You never did say exactly what it was the kids did to support themselves."

"No, I didn't want to cause the old man to hurt more than he already was," Ray said.

"So, what did they do?"

"Porn, Deputy. Lots and lots of porn. Not exactly the kind of thing you'd want your old man to know about. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, I see your point," Halliburton said.

"Thanks again," Ray said, shaking the deputy's hand. He went to the motel where Sgt. Bledsoe had reserved a room for him and checked in. Once in his room, he called Ryan.

"How did it go?" Ryan asked.

"Pretty messed up," Ray said. "Their mother abandoned them when they were toddlers. Father raised them himself with no help. Caught them screwing each other behind the barn and kicked them out. Hasn't heard from them since."

"Damn," Ryan said.

"Yeah. So, how are things at your end?" Ray asked.

"Well, Callender didn't waste any time this morning," Ryan said. "Filed a motion for change of venue. Claims that after my speech Saturday, there's no way his clients can get a fair trial. Said my speech created a 'hostile environment' or some such bullshit. Showed the judge a video of the audience's reaction to what I said."

"I can understand that," Ray said. "What did the judge say?"

"The judge said he would consider it, but not right now. Said he'd wait and see how things go," Ryan said. "He also read me the riot act. Said he understood what I was saying, but that it could be construed the wrong way. Told me to be more careful about what I say from now on."

"That sounds like something a judge would say," Ray remarked. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, Ron told me that Mrs. Higgins' hard drive is now fully recovered. We got all of her passwords and Ron is going through it now. I expect he'll have something for you by the time you get back. Also have a lot more video with the Rodgers kids. By the way, when will you be back?"

"Flight leaves first thing in the morning," Ray said. "Gonna call the wife, then get something to wash the trail dust outta my mouth."

"Alright, I'll see you when you get back. Have fun out there," Ryan said.

"Fun... Yeah, right," Ray said before ending the call.

...

3:30 pm, Monday, September 27, 2021

"Sheriff, you need to get to the jail house, right now," Sgt. Bledsoe said when she came into Ryan's office. At that moment, Ryan was on the phone with Judge Brown, who was demanding he take immediate action. He nodded at Elaine as he spoke to the judge.

"I'm on it right now, Your Honor," Ryan said. He hung up the phone and headed out, snagging a couple deputies on the way. When he got to the jail house, he saw a crowd of angry townspeople, some holding signs demanding Trudy, Ginger and Jeremy be shot, skinned, and hung -- on the spot.

Other deputies had already taken positions around the crowd, while patrol cars were positioned to keep the crowd from growing. Protesters were yelling and screaming, demanding the three suspects be brought out immediately. One protester saw Ryan approached and yelled out.

"You promised us justice, Sheriff," the man said. "We want justice -- now!" Ryan sized up the situation and took action. He stepped up to the crowd and spoke.

"And you'll have justice," Ryan said. "But it'll be done right. In a court of law. Not by a lynch mob. Commissioner Higgins' family just laid him to rest. You really want to sully his name and his memory like this? Do you honestly think he'd want people acting this way on his behalf? Not no, but HELL NO! He'd tell you what I'm telling you now. Go home. Let the law do its job. What you're doing right now could very easily get those three released from jail. Think about that."

As he watched, the crowd backed down a bit. They began looking at each other, taking in what Ryan had just said. One protester spoke out.

"Do you really mean that, Sheriff?" he asked.

"Yes, I do. Their lawyer has already asked for a change of venue. You know what he said? That there's not enough people in this town who can be fair enough to sit on a jury. I don't believe that for a damn minute, and I don't think you do either. Look, I'm as upset about all of this as you are. But trust me, you're not doing anyone any favors here this afternoon." The crowd quieted down and looked at each other guiltily.

"You wanna help?" Ryan asked. "The best thing you can do right now is go home and let us do our job. The truth will come out and yes, justice will be served. Go on home, right now, don't do this again, and I'll forget this ever happened." He looked at the deputies standing post around the crowd and nodded his head. They saw his signal and spread out so the townspeople could leave.

As Ryan watched, the signs came down and people began walking away. He looked but saw nothing to indicate anyone would rally the group. The deputies gently guided everyone away, and soon, the area was empty except for a news van and a reporter with a camera crew.

"Excuse me Sheriff," a young woman carrying a microphone asked. A camera man followed her as she approached Ryan. He turned in her direction.

"Yes?" he asked. "What can I do for you?"

"Allison Channing, KHRK Eyewitness News. I have a couple questions for you," she said. He recognized her once she introduced herself. He had seen her on television, but never met her in person before. She seemed shorter in stature and a bit thinner in person. Maybe, he thought, it's true the camera adds ten pounds to a person.

He also took in her attire, which consisted of a dress he thought was just a bit too short for someone in her position. Then again, he couldn't recall ever seeing anything below her waist on television. Maybe they didn't care how she dressed. Either that, or she dressed this way to distract guys like him.

"I'm really quite busy now, Ms. Channing," Ryan said. "Perhaps you should speak to our Public Information Officer."

"I would, Sheriff, but all Jenny ever says is either 'no comment' or 'check out my Twitter feed.' I was hoping to get some reaction from you about today's protest," she said. Ryan smiled at that. Jenny Carson was quite efficient at that, he thought. And she was a whiz with all that social media stuff.

"Alright, Ms. Channing. One question," he said. She thought about her one single question a moment before speaking.

"Sheriff, Commissioner Higgins won his last election with over 76 percent of the vote. He's actually one of, if not the, most popular commissioners to serve in the last 20 years, with support from both sides of the political aisle. Given what you said at the memorial this last weekend, do you honestly believe an impartial jury can be seated, and do you feel any responsibility for what happened here today?" she asked.

"That actually sounds like two questions to me, Ms. Channing, but I'll give you an answer anyway," Ryan said. "When I first accepted this job, I took an oath. As part of that oath, I promised to uphold the laws of the State of Texas and the ordinances of this county. I also promised to support and defend the Constitution. In this country, when someone is arrested and accused of a crime, that person is considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Justice comes in the courtroom, from a jury of that person's peers. Not from a mob. I meant what I said this weekend. Justice will be served. But it will be served in accordance with the law. I will not tolerate vigilantism. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, it does, Sheriff. Thank you," she said. She made a gesture at the cameraman and turned back to Ryan. "Can I ask you something else, Sheriff? Off the record."

"What's that?" Ryan asked.

"What are your personal feelings about all this? I mean, the crime, the protest, everything?"

"Just between you, me and a lamp post?" Ryan asked.

"Yes," Allison said with a smile.

"I saw what was done to Commissioner Higgins, Ms. Channing. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I understand their anger. More than you know. But I also have a duty to the law. People need to understand this isn't something that can be fixed in a half-hour, like some kind of television program. It takes time to get things done, and we have a responsibility to get it done right. I hope that answers your question," he said.

"It does, Sheriff," she said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said. He looked around to make sure everything was secure, then went back inside. When he got back to his office, he saw an email from Judge Brown: "Nice work, sheriff. Thank you." He sent an acknowledgment and decided to call it a day. When he got home, Beverly met him at the door and gave him a deep kiss.

"I hear you had a bit of excitement this afternoon," she said.

"Yeah, a bit," he told her.

"The report I saw said you did a good job with that protest." She turned on the television and they watched some of the local news. Most of it showed the growing protest at the jail house. Then they saw Allison Channing's face fill the screen.

"It was only the fast reaction of Sheriff Caldwell that kept this protest from becoming a riot," she said. Then the scene cut to the remarks Ryan gave her in response to her initial questioning. Ryan was impressed with the way she framed the report. After it was over, Beverly turned the television off.

"You did good today, sweetheart," she said.

"Then why do I feel like such a damn hypocrite?" he asked.

"You mean, with what happened with Knight?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "And now, here I am talking about not putting up with vigilantes."

"Well, you weren't exactly wearing a badge then, you know. Besides, you had a Special Agent with the FBI who could very easily have arrested all of us. And Sheriff Coltrane even escorted us to the state line. Remember? You did the right thing then, and you did the right thing today," she said.

"I guess you're right," he said.

"You know I'm right," she said. "Now, why don't you get out of that uniform and have dinner. I made meatloaf. Full of cheese and mushrooms. And Mrs. Anderson gave me a pecan pie. Then I intend to take you upstairs and fuck your brains out. How's that for dessert?"

"Now that sounds like the best offer I've had all day," he said with a smile.

...

More to come...

Note: I have received emails from readers telling me Texas doesn't have county commissioners. According to the Texas Association of Counties, counties in Texas have what is called a "Commissioner's Court" that consist of five members, four elected commissioners and one County Judge. The commissioners are elected from districts within the county while the judge is elected at-large.

Since Hard Rock does not exist, I exercised a bit of artistic license in the makeup and duties of the county government.