51: The Series

51: The Storm Chapter 3

Lindsay looked at the clock on her office wall. It was almost 3:30 in the afternoon, and she was waiting for the evening shift to start arriving. Today was the day that Annie would begin training on the same shift as Andy and Big Bob. She knew Big Bob could handle it, but she was worried about Andy. Andy had an anxiety disorder that he was finally beginning to overcome. When she became Sheriff, Andy could barely utter a single word to a woman, but now, he could finally speak to women. Andy was still not able to look them in the eye when he did, but he was getting better, and Lindsay was happy for him and proud of him for that. She just hoped that Annie Huggins would not undo all the progress he had made.

“Sheriff,” Cat said, standing in her office door, “Are there any plans on what to do if Andy can’t handle Annie’s constant talking?”

“No, not yet. I hope he can handle it, and she can keep her talking under control. It will take a lot of work on both their parts. Big Bob will watch out for both of them. I can promise you that,” Lindsay told her.

“Are you sure about this?” Cat questioned.

“Come in and sit down, Cat,” Lindsay said as Cat came in and sat in the chair in front of her desk. “I can tell you this: I put Big Bob in charge of the evening shift because I know he will take care of everyone working that shift. I did the same with Little Bob on the day shift and Max on the night shift. If you haven’t figured it out, the Bobs, Max, and I have all known each other for years and worked together in this department before. You and Andy are both relatively new to this place. You have only worked with me for a few months, but I can tell you that we are all a big family here, and we take care of each other. Big Bob will not let anything happen to Andy. He will also make sure that Annie is OK. If he has to, he will pick her up and carry her like a football. Does that make you feel any better?”

Cat smiled, “Actually, it does. You are saying that Big Bob will take care of Andy tonight the same way Little Bob took care of Annie yesterday.”

“Yes, but I don’t think Big Bob will be holding Andy’s hand. He might. I mean, anything is possible, but I don’t see it happening,” Lindsay said, smiling.

Cat began laughing hysterically, “I just got this picture in my head of Big Bob holding Andy like a baby and rocking him.”

Lindsay started laughing, too. That same picture popped into her head as soon as those words left Cat’s mouth. They heard the door chime and looked to see that Annie had just walked in. Lindsay took a breath to regain her composure.

“Hey, Annie, come here for a minute. Let’s talk before your shift,” Lindsay called to her.

“Yes, ma’am,” Annie said when she entered Lindsay’s office.

“I just wanted to remind you that both of the deputies you are working with tonight don’t talk very much. They both like things to be quiet so they can hear everything going on around them. Do you understand what I’m saying?” Lindsay asked her.

“I think so; I need to not talk too much while I work with them,” Annie answered.

“That is exactly what I am saying. You are welcome to ask questions. We all want you to do that so you learn everything that you can, but try not to talk about many other things that are not work-related. Big Bob and Andy are just very quiet guys, and they like it that way. Are you OK with that?” Lindsay asked.

“I am. Little Bob called me today and told me almost the same thing that you just told me, so I have been working on not talking as much all day. I am going to go say hi to Little Bob if that is OK with you, Sheriff,” Annie said.

“Absolutely. Go talk to Little Bob and get it all out of your system,” Lindsay said.

Lindsay and Cat watched her bounce out of the room and back to Little Bob’s desk. She began by pouring herself a cup of coffee from the pot sitting on his desk. She then sat down and started talking, pausing only to take a sip from her cup.

“After hearing her say that Little Bob called her today, I get what you were saying about this being a big family. He did not have to do that, and yet he did. On a completely different subject, I have a question for you. Would you mind if I rode with some of the deputies sometime?” Cat asked.

“No, I wouldn’t mind as long as it doesn’t interfere with the operation of this department. But that does make me wonder why you would want to,” Lindsay said.

“I am hoping that it will help me understand some of the things that are going on in this county,” Cat said. “I also have another question for you. My two brothers are in law enforcement in the city and are thinking about moving to smaller departments. How would you feel about them applying down here?”

“Are you serious? That would be amazing. We can use all the help we can get right now. Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Lindsay asked with excitement.

“I just spoke to them last night. Viktor called me and told me what he was thinking. Then I called Yuri, and he said the same thing. Do you want me to call them tonight and have them schedule a time to come meet and interview with you?”

“Are you kidding? Call them now and tell them to come here as soon as they can. They don’t need appointments. Before you call them, I have to ask, do they have any unusual hobbies or activities like you do?” Lindsay asked.

“You mean like my modeling and being a dominatrix?” Cat asked, smiling.

“Yes, personally, I don’t care what you do when you aren’t working. I don’t think that is anyone’s business as long as it’s legal and it doesn’t affect your work. But there are many others that it will matter to, so I would like to have a heads-up,” the sheriff told Cat.

“No, I’m the wild one of the family. Oh, and don’t worry because I have never done anything illegal, and I have stopped doing the dominatrix thing. It was great money when I was in school, which is why I have no debt and a bunch of degrees, but now I have other priorities. As for the modeling, I have never done any nude photos, so even if someone starts checking up on me and looks at my pictures, I have nothing that will make me ashamed. If it is OK with you, I would like to continue to model. It’s fun, and it pays well,” Cat explained. She tipped her head to the side slightly and looked at Lindsay.

Cat smiled and said, “You should come with me sometime to a shoot. You’re not the typical model, of course, and neither am I. They would do your hair and makeup, and you might have fun. You have amazing long hair, but you always have it up, and your eyes are haunting in a way. I think you might be good at it. I never see you with any makeup. You are always in uniform when you are here and probably in sweatpants at home. I have the feeling your husband might like to see you looking like a real girl for once.”

Lindsay smiled and said, “I might take you up on that sometime. I have to admit it would be nice to be pampered a little.”

They heard the door chime and looked to see Andy and Big Bob coming in the door. They did not pause for even a second; they walked straight to Lindsay’s office.

“Are you two ready for tonight?” Lindsay asked as they walked into her office.

“I think so,” Andy answered. “Is she still riding with Big Bob?”

“Yes, she is,” Lindsay answered.

“If you never see her again, that means I couldn’t take it anymore and left her in the woods,” Big Bob said, smiling.

“She was just in here, and she seemed a lot calmer. She said Little Bob had called her and talked to her earlier in the day,” Lindsay told them.

“Well, then I guess Andy and me will go back and see how she is doing,” Big Bob said as he motioned for Andy to follow him back to where Little Bob and Annie were.

“If you need us, Cat and I will both be here,” Lindsay said as they were leaving.

“I am going back to my desk. I will call my brothers now, and I need to finish up a couple of things before I go home,” Cat said as she stood and walked out of Lindsay’s office.

Lindsay leaned back in her chair and looked at the map on her wall. She had already made a list of the calls from the previous shifts for Wren to look over and had marked everything on the map. She was thankful that the number of calls about the weirdness seemed to have stopped increasing but wished it would start decreasing soon.

She remembered the thing that had been hit by Little Bob the day before and shuddered. She still did not know how she was going to explain it to the county commissioners and insurance company if the car had to be replaced. The one advantage of being short-staffed was that not all the department vehicles were being used now. She was just thankful that Little Bob and Annie were not hurt and that Wren had been able to help Annie cope with the situation.

Little Bob stuck his head in her office. “You need me to do anything before I head home?” he asked.

“No, I think everything is good. How do you think Annie will be working with Big Bob tonight?” Lindsay asked.

“She’ll be fine. I think everyone working this evening will be,” Little Bob told her. “If that is all you need to know, I am out of here.”

“Goodnight,” she said.

Lindsay watched him leave the building and hoped he was right. Cat waved to her through the window and walked out, leaving Madison in charge of dispatching for the evening. She looked back toward the desk where Big Bob was sitting. Annie was sitting nearby, and Andy was at another desk. So far, so good. They all seemed to be getting along, and that made her breathe a sigh of relief.

She looked at her clock again and saw that she needed to start heading home soon. She stood up and began putting everything away, ensuring things were ready for the next day. She walked out to where the deputies were to make sure they were doing well before she left.

“Are the three of you ready for tonight?” Lindsay asked.

“If we weren’t, you would be the first to know,” Big Bob said, smiling, chewing on a toothpick.

“For some reason, I believe that,” Lindsay said. “I’m going home. If anyone needs anything, call me.”

“Have a good night. We’ll try not to bother you,” Big Bob said.

Lindsay smiled at him and looked at Annie and Andy as she turned to leave. They were both sitting quietly and smiling at her. It worried her a little, but she knew they could handle things. She said goodnight to Madison as she left the building. She got in her car and started it but did not leave immediately. She had a bad feeling about that night. She did not know why, but she just felt something terrible was going to happen. She was hoping that by the time she got home, that feeling would be gone, but it was not. It only got worse.

-

Lindsay had been home for a few hours. She was enjoying some time with her husband, Wren, and her son Dillon. They had decided to watch a movie together, which they rarely did. Wren could tell that something was bothering her that evening.

“What’s wrong?” Wren asked.

“I don’t know. I just have this impending feeling of doom. Does that make sense?” she said.

“Coming from you, that makes perfect sense,” Wren answered, kissing her on top of the head. “What do you think is going to happen?”

“I have no idea. It started as soon as I walked out of the sheriff’s department, and it has gotten worse since then. Right now, I only hope I can sleep tonight,” Lindsay told him.

They continued to watch the movie in their living room. Lindsay was curled up next to Wren with his arm around her shoulders and her dog Crook beside her. Dillon was sitting in a chair nearby, watching videos on his phone, and not paying much attention to the movie. Just as Lindsay began to forget about the bad feeling she had, the phone rang. Instantly, she knew that was what she had been dreading.

“Hello,” Wren said as he answered it. He reached for the notebook and pen on the table beside the phone and got ready to write. “I will give the information to Sheriff Gold.”

“Do I even want to know?” Lindsay asked.

“No, but you need to know. That was Big Bob saying everything is going well. Just relax; they can handle anything that happens out there tonight and every other night.” Wren told her as he pulled her close and put his arms around her. “You worry about them when you don’t need to. Please try to forget that feeling you have. I know that it is usually right, but this time, it might be wrong.”

Wren quietly picked up his cell phone, sent a couple of text messages, and sat the phone back down without saying a word. He only hoped Lindsay had not noticed.