Chapter 5
The next morning Joel was due to run into town for supplies.
However, first he would drop off some puppies with Sterling.
Too bad Chelsea and Lindsey wouldn’t be there to see them upon arrival.
Yet hopefully they would both run into this cute furry group soon enough.
Being puppies, they were very energetic.
He drove into the farm, and there was Sterling waiting for him.
Sterling was smiling the whole time he was trying to install peace and order with this active bunch.
Joel could see how this part of his job was so very enjoyable and rewarding. “So where do you want these?” Joel asked him.
“We’ve got a barn set up for these guys, complete with heating and air, automated feeders, water fountains, and soft beds.
Plus the dog run was completed just yesterday.
So this is the perfect time to see if any of these wiggly happy puppies can escape our handiwork.
” At the look on Joel’s face, Sterling added, “Don’t worry.
Between all the hands on the farm, my camera set up, and the external fencing around that one barn, we have layers and layers to keep them safe out there.
We’ve got an automated door on the barn at the dog run connection to keep them inside at dark, away from any predators. ”
Joel nodded. “Good to hear. So how does this work? You’ll call me to get the ones that you won’t be training? Or do all go back to Timber’s until you are set up to do the training?”
Sterling laughed. “It’s a work in progress, so we’ll play it by ear.”
With a wave, Joel was off to run errands in town. It was a necessary part of the day for somebody, and he didn’t mind doing it for the most part. This morning though he would make a side trip to see the detective, checking if he had any updates.
As soon as he walked in, the detective sighed and shook his head. “You guys are a pain in the ass.”
“That may be,” he conceded, “but, until this is resolved, that won’t change.”
He glared at him and then nodded. “I can see that, but it also doesn’t hurt that you’re sweet on her.”
“Doesn’t matter whether I’m sweet on her or not,” he replied, his voice cool. “The fact of the matter is, a young woman narrowly escaped being run down. It’s your job to find the culprit, to keep townspeople safe.”
“And yet we only have her word for it,” interjected another cop in the office.
Joel turned slowly and stared at the newcomer. “So the police department assumes Chelsea’s a liar now?”
“Women have been known to make all kinds of claims in order to get a little … extra attention.”
Joel’s eyebrows shot up. He looked over at Richard. “Is that what the PD stands for now?”
“No,” Richard stated calmly, “but we do have to keep an eye on the facts.” When Joel just stared at him, Richard finally groaned and said, “Jesus. No, that’s not what this is.”
Joel continued to stare at him. “Obviously some people in the PD here have a different viewpoint than I do.”
“You’re just a sucker for a pretty face,” said the same detective, with a snort. “Get as old as I am, and you’ll realize they’re all liars and cheats.”
At that, Richard turned and glared at him. “Come on, Roy. That’s not fair, and it has no bearing on what happened to Chelsea.”
“Maybe it does,” Roy argued. “For all I know, she’s been lying right from the beginning. Look at her mother.”
“You can’t blame her for her mother’s issues or assume she’s the same,” Joel declared.
“Why not? That mother of hers has done nothing but cause us problems too.”
“She’s still here?” Joel asked, turning to Richard.
“No, she’s been moved out of here to be held until her trial date.”
“Good,” Joel declared. “That’s one last thing for Chelsea to worry about.”
“Why would she be worried about that?” Roy asked, with an eye roll.
“Just more drama.” When Richard turned on him, Roy lifted a hand and added, “Whatever. You guys can go ahead and make a big deal out of all this.” With that, he stomped over to an empty office, closing the door behind him with more force than necessary.
Joel turned to Richard in astonishment. “Is that seriously how your people view what happened to Chelsea? Is this the best officer you could hire? I know you’re short-handed, but this is all you got?”
“No,” he muttered. “Roy just has a chip on his shoulder at the moment.”
“That’s not a chip, and that’s not just a recent hate thing going on either,” he snapped, staring at Richard. “That is a long-term negative bias toward women that is clearly clouding his judgment and his ability to do the job.”
Richard winced. “Well, it doesn’t matter because he’s not handling the case. I am.”
“Uh-huh. And will you handle all the cases involving women coming through this town?”
Richard did not bother to reply.
Joel just stared at him and shook his head. “I came in here for reassurance, and now I’m leaving with the total opposite.”
“I said Chelsea will be fine, and there’s no need to worry about that,” he stated, pointing to the bullpen. “We’re working on it,” he added in a testy tone. “I also have to work within the law, and, until something else happens, you and I both know I can really do nothing about it.”
Joel narrowed his gaze. “That’s not encouraging.” He turned and walked back outside, considering his options for a long moment. It didn’t appear that he would get any update from Richard. Even as Joel stood here, Richard stepped out.
“It would help if you didn’t come in here.”
“Ya think?” he quipped, without turning around. “Lots of things would help, but you know what would really help? How about if the local police department took this whole mess seriously and made sure this doesn’t get any worse?”
Richard almost growled. “I’m telling you that we’re working on it.”
“Yeah, which completely counters what you just said inside about nothing we can do. So which is it?” He didn’t expect a reply from Richard, so he continued. “I’m not too impressed if Roy there is part of your we. Did you get any update on the body?”
“No, not yet.”
“What about the fact that he was released and supposedly off to hospice? Do you have any idea who picked him up?”
“No, not yet,” he grumbled, through his teeth.
Joel frowned and added, “I don’t understand the hospice bit. My understanding of hospice is late-stage life.”
“Yes,” Richard agreed, “but maybe he had nobody to pick him up and no place to go to. In that case, hospice means going to a hospice care home. Still, that doesn’t make any sense either, as we can’t find a record of that registration.”
“So, then who picked him up and who was scheduled to take him wherever he needed to go? Has anybody checked that they’re even alive as well?”
Richard frowned at him. “I have a call in to the hospital, but, so far, they haven’t gotten back to me.”
Joel didn’t say anything to that. He wanted to, but instead he asked, “Do you know an old gal named Gladys down there?”
Richard nodded. “She’s kind of a hard-ass at the hospital.”
“Yeah, how come she is still in the position?”
“Mostly because she’s held that position for a very long time, and I think everybody thinks she does a good job at it.” When Joel didn’t say anything, Richard asked him, “You disagree, I presume?”
“I’m not so sure that I disagree as much as I’m interested in knowing what the deal is because she’s giving Chelsea an awful lot of guff.
When she had to talk to you the other day, she got severely reprimanded at work, as in that was no valid excuse to be even a few minutes late for her shift.
” When Richard turned to him in surprise, Joel nodded.
“So, I’m not exactly sure what’s going on, but, after Roy’s idiotic statements, I’m wondering if people here are against Chelsea because of her mother.
If so, maybe she should be looking at moving out of here.
I don’t know what to think,” he clarified, “but it doesn’t feel right. ”
“No, but it also could be,” Richard suggested gently, “that she’s exhausted and trying to finish the program and also may be finding out that there’s more prejudice against her than she may have realized because of her mother.”
Joel snorted. “And yet how many people actually know the real story?”
“It doesn’t matter whether they know the real story or not. They aren’t going to care. They’ll just make sure that whatever story they choose is the one they push people to believe.”
Joel was stunned. “So, you’re telling me that people will be assholes simply because they get some irrational idea in their head, and they just go with it, true or not?”
Richard laughed. “That part of human nature hasn’t changed in a millennium.
When you have somebody who’s in trouble, it’s either circle the wagons and help or get out the pitchforks.
There’s always two sides to every case. Her mother has been here a very long time, and she probably, possibly, …
could have supporters, people who may not even know the full story.
They may think Sterling came back to town and kicked her ass out, even though she looked after the place for him. ”
“And what’s that got to do with Chelsea?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I couldn’t even begin to fathom what public opinion of her is right now—or of Sterling.”
“Yeah, that sucks too,” Joel muttered, as he looked around. “As if both of them haven’t been victimized enough.”
As Joel walked off toward the parking lot, Richard called out, “Stay out of trouble, will you?”
Joel laughed. “Not likely. I mean, if you guys won’t find out what the hell’s going on, somebody has to.”
At that, Richard raced to catch up with him. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up a minute. There won’t be any of that.”
“Yeah, don’t even start with me,” Joel snapped.
“Pretty much all of us at the Haven and now at Sterling’s have a hell of a lot of military experience.
Lots of us have done investigative work, so we know what we’re doing.
We’re not crazy, and all came back with a hell of a lot of reasons to live, but not one of us will have a single issue with doing what needs to be done.
If your department won’t do everything it can to find out what’s needed to keep Chelsea safe, then somebody has to step into that void and do it. ”
Richard went to grab his arm to turn him around, but he missed.
Before he had a chance to try again, Joel turned on him. “You don’t want to do that.”
Richard let his hand drop to his side. “Now let’s take it easy here.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but this? … This is me taking it easy. I heard you are friends with Timber and was told that you are actually reasonable, somebody who is much more likely to get to the truth than a lot of people around here. I know that Timber thinks you’re a good guy, but right about now I’m not seeing it. ”
Richard winced.
“Somebody deliberately tried to run down Chelsea, right after she happened to be the one who reported a truck off the road near the Haven that ended up containing a dead body. Oh, and she happened to get a look at the driver. You’ve got a detective who openly disrespects women in general and believes them all to be liars.
Now Chelsea’s got some overzealous work supervisor on her case after deciding that the police interview of a potential key witness in a homicide case isn’t worthy of being a few minutes late for work, and that very same hospital isn’t returning your calls.
And that’s not even diving into the harm her own mother caused her for her whole life—and Sterling too.
Now I don’t know what’s going on here, but you can bet I’ll find out. ”
And, with that, he got into his vehicle, slammed the door, and drove off, leaving Richard standing there, swearing.