51: The Series

51: The Storm Chapter 5 Part 2

Lindsay had just pressed the send button on her phone when she heard the door chime and looked up to see two large men walk into the department. Cat immediately ran to them, greeting them with hugs and kisses. As Lindsay watched, she knew those had to be Cat’s brothers. She watched as Cat turned and walked toward her office while the men stood quietly at the front counter.

“Sheriff, my brothers are here if you have the time to meet with them,” Cat said, standing at Lindsay’s office door.

“Of course I have time. Bring them in,” Lindsay said.

“Yuri, Viktor,” Cat called out, motioning for them to enter the office.

Lindsay stood from her desk as the two men walked in.

“Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to meet you both,” Lindsay said as she shook their hands.

“The pleasure is all ours. My name is Viktor, and this is my brother Yuri,” Viktor said, nodding towards his brother.

“Ma’am,” Yuri said with a slight nod.

“Please sit, both of you. Cat said that you are both working as officers in the city and are looking to move to a smaller department. Tell me about your work histories and backgrounds and why you want to change departments. Viktor, would you like to start?” Lindsay asked.

“First, please forgive the accent. I was seven, Yuri was four, and Cat was not yet speaking when our family moved to the United States. Because of that, mine is the strongest. I have been working in large city police departments for almost fifteen years, and to be honest, I am tired of it. I love what I do, but not where I am at right now. I would like to be where it is smaller, with no more cities. I’m not sure if that makes sense to you. I hope that you understand,” Viktor told her.

“Don’t apologize for your accent. That is who you are, so don’t worry about it bothering me. Most people in this area are accepting. I completely understand not wanting to be in the city and wanting a change but to stay in the same field of work. I have changed departments myself over the years,” Lindsay told him.

“Yuri, what about you?” Lindsay asked.

“It is the same thing for me. I love being a police officer, but am very tired of the city. When Ekaterina told me about the openings you have for deputies here in this department, it was like an answered prayer that I had yet to say,” Yuri said. “I was told some unusual things are occurring here, which I am not worried about. I will do whatever you need me to do.”

“Do you both have résumés? That is something that I would like to see before I make any final decisions. I would like to know when the two of you would be able to start if I do hire you,” Lindsay said. When she mentioned résumés, Cat had quickly picked up something off her desk, took it to Lindsay, and handed it to her. It, of course, was the résumés of Yuri and Viktor.

“Well, never mind about the résumés. As usual, your sister is prepared before I even know what I need,” Lindsay said, shaking her head.

“I can start today if you would like me to. I do not have a uniform, but I can get one. I left my full-time job last week. I have accumulated several weeks of comp and vacation time and was taking a little vacation for a while,” Victor explained.

“I did the same thing and can also start today if you would like,” Yuri told her.

“Hey, Bob, can you come in here?” Lindsay called out as she read over the résumés for Yuri and Viktor.

“What’s going on, Sheriff,” Little Bob asked as he walked into her office.

“I would like you to meet Viktor and Yuri Dyatlov, Cat’s big brothers. They are both class-A certified officers and want to make our little department their new home. Oh, and they can start today. Do you think I should hire them so we have more manpower before the storms hit?” Lindsay asked him, smiling.

“Yes, without a doubt, you should, and I found some uniforms in a box a couple of days ago, but I don’t know if any of them will fit these two,” Little Bob said, looking at Yuri and Viktor.

“Then, gentlemen, you are hired. Welcome to the department,” Lindsay said.

The door chimed, and Lindsay saw Big Bob walk in and turn toward her office.

Lindsay said, “Little Bob, go grab that box and bring it out so Viktor and Yuri can go through it and see if they can at least find shirts that will fit. As long as they have shirts, they can wear jeans until we can get pants for them.” Lindsay called to Big Bob as he walked into her office, “Big Bob, you have perfect timing. These are Cat’s brothers, and they are now our new deputies. Are you still feeling alright?”

“I’m not sure. Can I talk to you alone for a minute?” Big Bob asked Lindsay.

“Of course. Will all of you please excuse us? I will check in on how you are doing in a few minutes,” Lindsay said as she walked them to her office and closed the door behind them. They all left Lindsay’s office, leaving her and Big Bob alone to speak.

“What’s wrong?” Lindsay asked as she sat down at her desk again.

“I’m not sure,” Big Bob answered as he sat in the chair across from her. “My job as shift supervisor is to keep the deputies on my shift safe, and last night, I’m not sure that I did that.”

“Bob, you did everything you could do. The same thing happened to all of you. Wren is looking into it because he did not even have an answer when I told him about your reports this morning. You are great at your job, and nothing happened to any of your deputies. You need to talk to Little Bob about this. I think he might be able to help you,” Lindsay told him.

“Why would Little Bob be able to help me with this?”

“Have you forgotten that he was my shift supervisor the night I was attacked? Your deputies were not hurt, and I was. I know he still has some issues with that,” Lindsay explained.

“I had forgotten about that, not about you getting hurt, but that he was your shift supervisor. I think I will go back and introduce myself to Cat’s brothers. I need to prepare myself for another night of Annie in the car anyway,” Big Bob chuckled as he walked out of her office and toward his desk.

Lindsay leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a moment. She was relieved that she would have more deputies who could help with the storms and everything they brought. Now, Lindsay just needed to figure out what to do about the wrecked patrol car. She took her cell phone out of her pocket and sent a quick message to Wren, asking if he had learned anything about the missing time. Before she had put the phone back in her pocket, she had gotten a message from Wren saying he would be at her office in a few minutes.

Lindsay walked over to the map on the wall and began to look at it. It still bothered her that she had not found a pattern to the chaos, but she knew Cat would find it if there were one. As she continued to read the information for every pin, she could hear talking and laughing in the deputy’s area. Cat’s brothers were fitting right in, and that made her feel even better about hiring them. She heard the door chime and looked out of her office to see who it was. It was her husband, and he had something in his hand.

“I have a gift for you,” Wren said as he walked into her office.

“A gift? You don’t have to bring me gifts,” Lindsay said, smiling at him.

“Oh, but this I had to bring to you,” Wren said as he held up his hand and showed Lindsay a set of car keys. “I brought Little Bob’s car back as good as new. Here is the receipt for the oil change and tune-up. Don’t worry; it was donated to the department, so the commissioners can’t say anything about it.”

“How? No, do not answer that because I don’t want to know. Thank you, Wren; I needed that car back before the weather hits. Come with me and meet my new deputies. They are Cat’s brothers, Yuri and Viktor,” Lindsay told him.

“Are they anything like Cat?” Wren asked.

“I don’t know yet. I just met them,” Lindsay answered. “From the laughter and commotion back by Little Bob’s desk, I can tell you that everyone seems to be getting along so far.”

They walked back to where everyone had gathered and saw both Yuri and Viktor holding uniforms.

“We have uniforms that fit you two?” Lindsay asked with surprise.

Yuri answered, “You do. When do you want us to report for our first shifts?”

“Well, Annie is training on second shift right now. If one of you takes third shift tonight and the other does day shift tomorrow and then switches to get used to things, I think that would be good. We have severe weather moving into the area in just under forty-eight hours, so the faster we can get the two of you on your own, the better,” Lindsay told them. “Little Bob, you now have your car back. Here are the keys.”

Little Bob looked at the keys and said, “Agent Gold, I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.”

“You’re welcome, man, anytime. Yuri, Viktor, I’m Agent Gold,” Wren said, introducing himself to Cat’s brothers. “I am sure you will be filled in about the weirdness that has been happening. Just to let you know, you only need to contact me directly if there is an immediate threat to person or property. I’m sure that between Cat, the Bobs, and Max, they will fill you in and make sure you know what to do.”

“Our sister Ekaterina has already advised us there is weirdness, as you put it. I’m sure that it is nothing that I have not seen before,” Viktor assured Wren with a smile.

“Viktor, you may be familiar with some things, but I can assure you that you have never encountered some of the things that have happened in this county. I am sure, as a child, you were told stories about monsters, creatures, and strange occurrences. All of those stories were true. I know you have heard of the menk, or at least your sister has. They are real, and we have a version of them here, and this woman right here, who is now your boss, is the only person I know who was attacked by one and survived. This is not a joke, and please, for your own sake, don’t take it as one,” Wren told him.

As soon as Wren mentioned her attack, everyone in the group turned and looked at her wide-eyed. All but Viktor and Yuri knew about the attack. She had never talked about it or told them what it was. Now, they all knew.