Chapter 5
Savvy
“Like hell I will!”
Jeff Sanchuk surges to his feet, kicking the chair back. Then he plants his fists on my desk and leans in. I ignore his attempt at intimidation and meet his furious glare.
“Like I said, up to you. But I suggest you think about it a minute, because the alternative is a straight dismissal for misconduct, and that could well impact your pension eligibility. I don’t know if you’ve checked the particulars of our pension plan, but it is subject to some strict rules.
What I’m offering is a way for you to walk away with both your pension and your reputation—for what it’s worth—intact.
I strongly suggest you consider your decision carefully. I’ll give you twenty-four hours.”
“I was doing this work when you were still in diapers,” he points out, barely suppressed anger lacing his voice as it raises in volume.
“That chair should’ve been mine, and the only reason your ass is in it is because your daddy put it there.
I took a bullet for your old man and this is how I’m repaid? ”
He swipes at the container of pens on my desk, sending it flying against the wall. I quickly grab my laptop before that suffers the same fate. There’s no contingency fund in the department budget for a replacement.
“Everything all right in here?” my second-in-command sticks his head around the door.
Well timed, since the irate man was just making a move to come around the desk.
“It’s all good. Jeff was just leaving, weren’t you?”
The glare he throws me sends a chill down my back, but I don’t waver and hold his eyes until he finally huffs, turns on his heel, and stalks out of the room, aggressively brushing by Hugo. It’s not until he disappears out of sight I let myself relax.
“Are you okay?”
I force a smile for Hugo. “Yeah. I figured he wasn’t going to go quietly. Thanks for sticking around.”
“Not a problem. Carson had after-school practice anyway,” he explains, sitting down across my desk.
“How are things with him?”
He smiles and shakes his head. “Surprisingly good. We had a decent talk this weekend after bumping into Gaines and his daughter at the Bread & Butter and ending up sharing dinner with them.”
The mention of Nate piques my interest. He was back today to work on the repairs in the holding cells, I saw him in passing a few times, but other than saying hello, I haven’t had a chance to check in with him.
I’ve been too busy with the investigation into what almost certainly was the murder of Franklin Wyatt.
His partner Jeremy arrived in town Saturday night and has been staying at The Carriage House, our local bed-and-breakfast, and I’ve been in regular contact with him, the state patrol’s forensic unit, and the medical examiner’s office.
We’re still waiting for official confirmation, but I have no doubt Wyatt will turn out to be our victim.
But that doesn’t mean Nate Gaines hasn’t entered my thoughts a couple of times these past days, and I’ve been curious to find out how things are going with him. So Hugo’s mention of him has my attention.
“You had dinner with Nate?”
Hugo chuckles. “Yeah. I can’t for the life of me remember the guy, but he seemed to know who I was. Are you aware he’s actually a Silence native?”
I’d say so.
“I am.”
There must’ve been something in my voice that caught Hugo’s attention, and like the good investigator he is, he immediately follows it up with, “Did you know him from before?”
It’s not that it’s a secret, but I’d rather not have that old drama dragged up again. There’s been plenty of more recent drama in my life to keep the town gossips busy.
But Hugo is not only a colleague, he’s a friend. The last even more so since his wife’s death last year. Dealing with the loss of a spouse was something I could identify with.
“He’s an old boyfriend,” I admit. “It was a long time ago. He left town and I hadn’t seen him since.”
“I see.” He quietly studies me. “Is his return a problem for you?”
“No. Not at all,” I firmly state, convincing myself as much as him. “Like I said, a lifetime ago.”
It doesn’t matter memories of his strong, callused hand holding mine wherever we went, or the way his kisses used to make me feel, have begun to resurface.
I dismiss them the moment they pop up. It is not a place I’ll ever go back to.
A lifetime has passed between then and now, and I am not the same person. Nor is he, for that matter.
The ship has not only sailed, it was run to ground.
However, there is nothing saying he and I can’t be civil. Friendly, even. After all, like Hugo, Nate clearly has lost a loved one as well. Between the three of us, we could form a support group.
“What’s funny?” Hugo wants to know when I snicker at the concept.
“Nothing. Silly thoughts. Listen,” I abruptly change the direction of this conversation. “Did you have any luck getting anything more from the tenants at the Sterling’s cabins?”
I’d sent Hugo and KC out there this afternoon to follow up with a few of Wyatt’s neighbors we hadn’t been able to track down yet.
“The guy in cabin four was able to confirm Franklin left around three Friday afternoon. He remembers thinking it was odd the lights never seemed to come on next door that night.”
His chair creaks ominously when he leans back.
A reminder we need more than just the ceiling replaced.
I don’t think many improvements have been made to the office during my father’s tenure.
He never saw the need. But things have slowly been falling apart, and I had been trying to squeeze the budget to find room for a few things—like new office furniture to replace some of the pieces being held together with duct tape—when the ceiling came down.
I already had a few items on my wish list, but I may as well throw that out now.
Besides, I have my hands full with more important stuff at the moment.
“Good. Now if only the medical examiner would get back with a time of death so we have a timeline to work with.”
“Nothing yet?”
“No. He’s still waiting for dental records, and the tox screen has to come back before he can put his report together.”
I sigh deeply, frustrated things aren’t moving faster.
We have so little to go on, and I’ve already spoken with Franklin Wyatt’s partner several times, working from the assumption he is the victim, just to keep the investigation going, but there hasn’t been a lot I can do anything with at this point.
Jeremy was able to tell me Franklin needed a mental health break and to do some soul-searching, which is why he was in a cabin in the woods by himself.
He’d been burning out, working long hours, dealing with employee conflicts, and other bank-related issues that had him questioning whether or not he should just quit.
His struggles started having an impact on his personal life, which is why Jeremy suggested he take a short sabbatical to get his head together and figure out what he wanted to do.
Normally, I’d be calling around, questioning a few of his coworkers to see if there was anything there worth looking into, but I can’t do that until his identity is confirmed.
It’s a hurry up and wait situation, which is sadly not uncommon in law enforcement.
“It’s already closing in on six,” Hugo points out. “More than likely you won’t get anything until tomorrow. Why don’t you head home? You’ve been going full steam all weekend.”
He’s not wrong. I’ve only been home to shower and roll into bed for a couple of hours of sleep before returning to the office. There isn’t a whole lot I can do here I can’t do at home, and Lloyd McCormick and Warren Burns are on duty tonight. If anything happens, I’ll get a call.
“Fine,” I concede, getting to my feet.
Hugo follows suit.
“I’ll walk out with you.”
I call a general goodnight to whoever is left in the office as I cross the lobby. Hugo holds open the door for me, and I walk outside, turning right toward the parking lot.
An engine revs as I step off the curb to get to my vehicle, and I snap my head around to see a black F-150 approach at a fair clip from the back of the lot. When the truck slows marginally as it passes by, I notice Jeff Sanchuk behind the wheel, his eyes on me.
“He’s not happy,” Hugo observes behind me.
I snort. “I think that’s an understatement, but he brought this on himself.
I’m hoping a good night’s sleep will bring him to the right decision.
But either way, he’s gone. I can’t afford loose cannons in my department, which reminds me, I should start looking for a new deputy.
I wouldn’t mind a female to cut down on all this testosterone flying around. ”
“Do what you gotta do, but in the meantime you may wanna watch your back.”
I turn and toss Hugo a tired smile.
“Yeah, I know.”
Nate
“These two okay?”
The butcher holds up two thick cut, nicely marbled striploin steaks.
“Perfect.”
I’d planned a stir fry for dinner tonight but in my rush to get out the door this morning, I forgot to get the chicken out of the freezer. Then I had to drive into Spokane this afternoon for more supplies and thanks to an accident just south of Colbert on the way back, I only now got back to town.
When I called Tate to check in with her and let her know I was going to stop in at Safeway to grab something quick for dinner, she suggested steak. I already grabbed a tub of potato salad and a bag of the sweet kale salad she seems to like. Anything to keep my girl happy.
Things have been pretty good over the weekend and I’m hoping it can stay that way.
I toss the steaks in my cart and steer toward the freezer section to pick up some ice cream. My stomach does this weird little flip when I catch sight of Savvy, halfway down the aisle, staring into the freezer. She’s not moving.
She jumps at my “Hey.”
“God, I’m sorry. Hi, am I in your way?” She immediately steps aside.
“Nope. I was heading for the ice cream at the end.”