Chapter 22 - Dean
Dean
Ismiled at Lily’s sharp intake of breath.
“You’re married?” her father asked.
“We didn’t know what the future held, so we committed ourselves to each other. Her protection is my responsibility. Safety is a precious thing these days,” I said, knowing she’d catch my meaning.
Our return already brought us two dead bodies and a woman crying while local townsfolk ignored her. Armed deputies protected the grocery store as if it were their last stand.
The ring stayed on her finger.
I took Lily’s left hand in mine and squeezed, daring her to challenge me.
Her fingers dug into my skin, hard enough to leave marks. “It looks hasty, but considering everything, it’s what we wanted. I wish you’d been there for me, Dad. There wasn’t any electricity or internet to tell you the news, or I would have. Forgive me?”
No one spoke as Bill Sutton processed our news. His features wavered between a compliment for her and a rebuke to me. I didn’t care which.
“I suppose congratulations are in order for your new son-in-law, Bill.” The sheriff patted Dad’s shoulder. Eric Gustafson, Deer Lake’s sheriff, and Bill Sutton’s oldest friend. He stood ramrod straight, with graying hair and cold eyes.
“I suppose they are,” Bill covered our joined hands with one of his. “Don’t apologize, my dear girl. Your happiness is all that matters.” He embraced her a second time, giving her his congratulations rather than me. “Lily, I need to speak with your new husband. Alone.”
“Whatever you say to him, you can say to me. I’m not a little kid anymore.” Lily presented our fake marriage as a unified front, implying she deserved the same harsh words from her father as I did. I admired her courage.
She once tried to kiss me years ago. I’d interpreted it as a rebellion against her father, rather than a sincere interest in me. I’d believed that until Thanksgiving last year. If any doubts lingered, her behavior today dispelled them.
“It’s fine, Lily. I’ll get you when we’re done here,” I said.
They hoped to put me in my place, both relying on decade-old memories to dictate their lectures and threats. They’d learn I wasn’t the same frightened kid with a drunken father and the threat of prison hanging over me.
Sheriff Gustafson cleared his throat. “Rosemary is here. She would love to see you again, Lily. I remember you two were close friends back in the day, weren’t you?”
Lily perked up. “Rose is here?” She glanced at me.
One of the few people I liked. “I’ll find you,” I said and waited for Lily to leave before continuing. “If you’re asking me to leave her, I won’t.”
“It appears more congratulations are in order,” Bill said with a gloomy tone. “You have what you wanted.”
“If you think I manipulated her, then you don’t know your daughter as well as you think you do,” I said.
For all my pushing, Lily dictated our progress. She chose what we talked about and when. She decided whether to believe me. She also brought me back to Deer Lake after I promised never to return.
A firebrand hid inside her. That fact forced me to announce our fake nuptials the way I did.
He continued, unsmiling. “Your time in the army was your new opportunity. My sway with the judge is the only reason you avoided prison time.”
“I thanked you for that years ago.” The anger threatened again. How much gratitude did he deserve? “You should tell your daughter. She’d enjoy hearing about the way you kept me locked up until I agreed. That part would be her favorite.”
Bill Sutton’s mouth snapped shut. Shame still lived somewhere inside him.
Sheriff Gustafson crossed his arms. “It’s your call, Bill.”
“I hoped to hear from Ryan again,” Sutton said. “His early warning gave us a head start, and we took it. The sheriff here.” He nodded towards Gustafson. “He’s done excellent work on our security operations. I’m grateful for it. The whole town is grateful.”
The sheriff’s responsibility extended across the entire county. Why concentrate so many deputies this close? “Fascinating.”
“I know your skills, Dean, but not even you could fight every deputy at once.” Bill’s lips thinned as he paused for breath.
“Lily may forgive me in time, though the harm to our relationship.” His head fell forward, warning me of whatever he planned next.
“He said to keep you and use you. I never understood how you influenced him the way you did. Ryan always insisted you were like a brother to him.”
I bit back an amused smile. Ryan instigated every time, confident that, as the mayor’s son, no harm would come to us. I never shared that view.
“We were close,” I said, unwilling to reveal more.
“Yes, you were,” Bill said.
“He suggested you for one particular role,” the sheriff said.
“What sort of role?” I asked.
“Our sheriff selected a group of men. Young and strong. You’ll train them,” Bill said.
“For what?” He had a pile of men close by, all eager to kiss his ass.
“Scavenging missions. Foraging. You’ve been outside. Cold, isn’t it? A hard winter is coming, and we need supplies,” Bill said.
“You want me to train some kids how to steal food?” What did I miss? “Use your cops for that. That’s what they’re for.”
“No, they’re solid men, and well-trained,” Sheriff Gustafson said. “They have responsibilities elsewhere. Order and safety come first. Without that, there is chaos.”
I got it. “You want me to go on your scavenging missions.” Away from Lily. Well played. I should have seen this coming.
“You train them,” Bill started.
“Then you lead them,” the sheriff finished.
Ryan said to use me, and they took it a step further. I’d have a few choice words for him once he showed up.
“I’ll teach them how to brush their teeth if you want,” I said, stalling for time. “They have weapons?”
“Rifles will be available, if needed,” the sheriff said.
“Where are they now?”
“We felt it prudent to store found weapons in the sheriff’s armory for safety reasons,” Bill Sutton explained.
I didn’t know what to make of that. People gave up their weapons in this hick town?
The sheriff noted my skepticism. “We took bold action to prepare for what might happen. Hard decisions, each one, but the right ones. People demand security, and we’ll give it to them.”
Agreement warred with my natural inclination to argue. I did neither.
Nothing about my status required me to hear this, and they still shared. Why? A warning or a threat?
“I do what you say, or you kick me out of Deer Lake? Okay, that’s fair.” I leaned against the desk, pretending to consider what else to say. “I’m curious. Why are bodies hanging from a scaffold?”
“Outsiders. We caught them robbing the grocery store the day after the comet landed,” the sheriff said.
“Theft is now a capital offense,” I said. Like I guessed. “Huh.” Lily would point out my hypocrisy if she were here, but she wasn’t.
Sutton sighed with regret. “These hard times require our hard choices. I understand some of it came as a shock to you. Believe me, you would not be alone. Nonetheless, we’ve prepared as best as we can. We gathered food and moved people within the town limits. That brings crime.”
“This town is what low crime looks like,” I said.
“That may change. This is a desperate world,” the sheriff said. He continued, with an eager note in his voice that worried me. Did Bill Sutton hear it? “You should know what everyone else in this town knows. Go check our jail cells.”
“Let me guess. They’re empty.”
“We have two punishments here. The capital kind and the banishment kind. People do what needs doing, and we won’t have problems,” the sheriff said.
Bill Sutton nodded along, though with less eagerness.
“How long do I have to consider your generous offer?”
“A day of rest is fair. You may start tomorrow,” Bill Sutton added. “You’ll report to the sheriff for now. A deputy will accompany you on any approved expedition.”
“Understood.” Not the homecoming Lily longed for, but the reception I predicted. “You’ll see me tomorrow.” I left them to find Lily.
I didn’t expect better from the sheriff and hoped for more from William Sutton. Returning his daughter home warranted some gratitude or an apology. Instead, he approved our marriage while also keeping us separated.