Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Nina
Sweetwater Point
Sheriff’s Office
“Have you seen this?!”
The door to Nina’s office slammed shut, the glass rattling in protest. Not a question then.
“Good morning, Mayor Kelley,” Nina said, not troubling herself to look up from the report. She knew what she’d find, a man who indulged too much in the drink, red in the face, giving himself an apoplexy. “I’ll need you to be more specific.”
The newspaper landed on her desk with a thud.
Emblazoned across the front of the Founding Chronicle was “Wild Beast Terrorizes Sweetwater Point.” The incident with Jollett occurred three days ago. It made the local broadsheets the next day, of course. There was no hiding what happened on the busiest street in town in the middle of the day.
“We made the Founding newspapers. How charming,” Nina said. Local events seldom made news in the capital. No one cared terribly about the goings-on in the West Lands unless it was sensational or scandalous. This, apparently, merited the front page with multiple illustrations.
A highly unrealistic Jollett in full beast form terrorized a swooning woman. The caption claimed it was Beloved Opera Singer Dora Hayes .
Below the fold was an illustration of Hero Major Anthony Pearson and it was, unfortunately, realistic.
Strong jaw, dark eyes that could pierce your soul, neatly combed hair smoothed back and silvered at the temples.
Somehow, the black -and -white illustration managed to capture the way age and experience heightened his already unfairly generous aesthetic appeal. It was vexing.
Nina flipped the paper over again, preferring to stare at the drooling Jollett clutching a swooning woman.
“Do you think this was drawn from testimony, or do they keep a selection of monsters terrorizing beautiful women on hand?” Nina asked.
The woman in the illustration was beautiful in that very popular way with a waspish waist, large eyes, and a delicate frailty.
She couldn’t imagine Miss Dora, beloved singer or not, wearing the contraption necessary to make her waist so tiny.
How could she get enough breath to perform? Clearly the artist took liberties.
“That’s what concerns you?” Kelley asked, growing red in the face. “Do you ever consider how this makes our town look? How it makes you look?”
“Honestly, no. I’m concerned with doing my job, not appearances.”
This was the wrong thing to say. His eyes bulged and his cheeks went scarlet.
“Coffee?” she asked, hoping to divert him enough to avoid an apoplexy.
“I’m not drinking that bitter root swill.”
Sadly, bitter root swill was an accurate description of the station’s coffee. The budget didn’t stretch to genuine Earth coffee, so a faux coffee of steeped roots and bark it was. Nina wanted to pretend that, with enough milk and sugar, she couldn’t tell the difference, but she could.
Nina smiled indulgently and removed her reading spectacles. This would take some time. She should make herself comfortable.
Through the glass in the door, she gestured to get the attention of a deputy, Remi, and held up two fingers. She motioned as if drinking. Remi understood, or at least she hoped he understood. The other deputies would clue him in.
“Are you certain? A teaspoon of sugar forgives a lot of sin,” she said.
“We need to discuss?—”
Nina held up a hand to stop him. “You can rant and rave at me all you want, but after coffee.”
“I’m the mayor. You’ll listen to me now.”
“You are the mayor,” she agreed, “but we did not have an appointment.”
“I don’t need an appointment?—”
“As I was saying, my time is as valuable as your own. I’ll speak with you now out of professional courtesy, but after I’ve had my coffee. If you take umbrage at this, you can make an appointment for next week.”
“Next week!” He grew redder in the face.
“After the equinox. I’m afraid this is a busy time for the department.”
The deputy arrived with two mugs of steaming faux coffee, a small jug of milk, and a sugar dish.
“Try the coffee. It’ll grow on you.”
Kelley ignored the offered cup.
Nina took her time adding milk and two cubes of sugar. There was no love lost between her and the mayor. Since he took office a year ago, he seemed to find infinite faults with how she ran her department. He wanted her gone, she knew that much. She didn’t much care for him either.
Satisfied that it was sweet enough to counterattack whatever unpleasantness the mayor was about to say, Nina said, “Now, how can I help you, Mayor?”
“The incident?—”
“We can’t control what the newspapers print,” she said, speaking over him.
The redness in his face persisted and she was petty enough to take delight in it.
“As delightful as it is to have you visit, it was not necessary for you to come all the way down from town hall about that.” Town hall was across the street, but the point remained.
“You’re enjoying this,” he said.
“I assure you, this is not enjoyable.” That was a lie. It was immensely enjoyable. The mayor did not like her and the feeling was mutual. She had been appointed during a previous administration and fully expected the mayor to create difficulties when it came time for her reelection.
“There was a beast on Main Street! In broad daylight! We’re a laughingstock!”
She could understand that sentiment. It was one thing to embarrass yourself in front of a local audience and quite another on a larger stage.
“My office responded with it as soon as we were aware. If you’d care to read the report, which I sent to you three days ago, you’ll find that the beast escaped from the fort. He attempted to abduct Miss Dora. Major Pearson shot him before anyone was harmed.”
“It makes Sweetwater look bad.”
“We’re on the periphery of the West Lands. Untamed wilderness is part of our charm.”
“A sheriff is meant to control the town. Bring order to chaos and yesterday was chaos.” The volume of his voice increased.
Nina matched him, rising to her feet. She planted her hands on the desk and said, “I cannot control every monster that wanders into town.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be able to sense those creatures? That’s the point of you!” he shouted, the words echoing off the walls of her office.
Nina was keenly aware that the entire sheriff’s department was listening to their conversation. The walls were hardly more substantial than cardboard.
She sat down at her desk and took a calming breath before speaking. “I can track monsters when I’m actively hunting. As I said, the equinox is in two days. What occurred with Jollett was unusual.”
“Broad daylight,” he repeated. “The business owners are not pleased. Custom all but dried up. You can’t fathom the impact this has on the town’s economy.”
“I’m sure the economy will recover,” Nina replied. The railroad terminated in town and that would never change. Sweetwater Point would always have travelers in need of rooms, hot meals, and supplies.
Kelley’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve had complaints about your behavior as well.”
“My behavior?” This surprised her. The beast was already dead when she arrived. What could anyone find objectionable about that?
“Yes.” He pulled a small notebook from the inner pocket of his waistcoat. “You said, and I quote, ‘I hope your guts spill out on the road.’ End quote.”
Nina flexed her hands. Those were not her words but completely captured what she had wanted to say. “That is not what I said. Quite the opposite. I told Major Pearson to try not to die on the way back to the fort, since he refused to seek medical care from Doctor Bell.”
“Several witnesses report that you shouted profanities at Major Pearson.”
Nina frowned. Did she? She remembered the effort it took to hold her tongue and not speak her mind, but perhaps something vulgar slipped through.
“Your conduct was unprofessional, unbecoming of your office, and, frankly, unladylike.”
“Is being a lady a requisite for upholding the law now?”
His eyes bulged again—was it a medical condition?—and he pointed a finger at her. “There. That right there. This is not how a sheriff behaves.”
“Mayor Kelley?—”
Now he spoke over her. “I know your family has been in Sweetwater since founding but our town is no longer wild. We’re modern and as civilized as any town in the east.”
Sweetwater Point really was not but Nina managed to keep that thought to herself.
“You employed that green brute without consulting me or the previous mayor.”
“Do not besmirch my deputy, and I do not need to consult the mayor’s office on who I hire.”
“You do when it’s a monster."
“He,” she said. “His name is Hal DeLacey and he’s my best deputy.”
“Your behavior represents all of us, and I don’t think it’s too much to ask that the sheriff represents the best of us. If you can’t manage, then perhaps we need a new sheriff.”
There it was.
“If you’re planning to use this incident to get me out of office—” No, she did not shout. She spoke with authority. If her voice carried…well, it didn’t matter because every person in the station was already listening.
“We all know you only hold this position because of your family connections.”
“Nepotism?” She laughed and didn’t bother to make it sound polite or ladylike. It was scornful.
“You’re a Navarre. What other qualifications do you have? An unfinished law degree?”
“Years of service as a deputy. My cousin may have been sheriff?—”
“And your grandfather. How many favors were called in?”
Her fingers drummed on the desk, tapping out an annoyed rhythm. “The previous administration appointed me, long after both my grandfather and cousin died, so do not pretend this is some backroom deal.”
Kelley’s nostrils flared. “Your behavior is too emotional.”
“ My behavior?” Pot, meet kettle.
“You should be removed from office, frankly.”
“You don’t have the authority,” she said. Then added, “Nor does the city council.”