51: The Series

51: The Beginning Chapter 8 Part 3

She drove home and found that her husband was, once again, cooking dinner for their family. She was so happy to have him in her life.

“Hi, baby,” Wren greeted her in the kitchen. “I am making you one of your favorites, chicken fried steak with gravy and hash browns.” He walked over, put his arms around her waist, and kissed her. “How was your day after I left?”

She buried her face in his chest. “Aaahhh! Horrible! We are lucky that no one died last night because of our now former dispatcher.”

She went through the events of the night that took place both outside and inside the office. Wren gaped at her with a look of almost disbelief. After she had finished, he just stood shaking his head.

“I wish I could give you an answer to that one. Why would your dispatcher do something like that? He isn’t new, so it isn’t a matter of not knowing better. That has just got to be one of the worst things I have ever heard being done by a dispatcher,” Wren said, still shaking his head.

“As I said, he is no longer with the department for safety reasons. Cat has already found a replacement that is starting tonight. Cat said she is great at following protocol, so that will be perfect. I hope if she is that good, she stays for a while,” Lindsay said.

“Well, beautiful, go change out of your uniform because supper is almost done. While you change, I will go get Dillon out of his room,” Wren told her.

Lindsay went into the bedroom to change and found that Crook had made himself comfortable on the bed as usual. This time, he was using her pillow while lying on his back. She did her best not to disturb him. He seemed very happy, and after her day, she figured she might as well keep someone happy if she could. She quickly changed and went back to the kitchen, where Wren and Dillon were putting the food on the table.

After they had eaten and the dishes were done, Dillon went back to his room and went to bed early. Wren and Lindsay had laid on the couch and watched television for a while, but Lindsay could not get her mind to slow down. It was not just the events of the day but things that had happened since she had taken over as interim sheriff. Lindsay looked at Wren and saw he had fallen asleep. She managed to get up without waking him and went outside to the porch.

That porch was one of her favorite places. She would go there, lie in one of the chaise lounges, listen to the birds during the day, and at night, watch the stars. It helped her to slow her thoughts down and go to sleep. Tonight, she needed it to work. She had taken a blanket with her to fight the chill that night. She had been cuddled up under it for about ten minutes when the door opened, and Wren stepped out. She could see that he had her cell phone in his hand.

“Please, oh please, tell me that no one has called,” she said.

“Sorry, baby. It’s Nim Jones, and he sounds scared,” Wren told her.

Lindsay took the phone. She looked at it for a second and seriously considered hanging up on Nim but did not.

“Nim, why are you calling me this time of night at home?” Lindsay asked, with her voice tinged with annoyance and anger.

“I’m sorry, sheriff; I didn’t know who else to call. I was camping with friends, and they left me behind. There is something out here, and it is big. Please come and get me. I don’t have anyone else to call,” Nim pleaded. Lindsay could hear the fear in his voice and that he was whispering as if not to be heard by something.

“Nim, tell me exactly where you are. If you have GPS, text me the coordinates. I will come and get you, but if this is a joke by you or on you by one of your buddies, there will be consequences. Do you understand, Nim?” Lindsay said.

“I understand, and I’m sorry, but I need help, and I can’t call my parents. I’ll send you the directions to where I am right now. Thank you, thank you!” he said and hung up.

Lindsay sat for a moment until Nimrod sent her his location. She looked at the text, and her stomach dropped.

“Crap,” she mumbled.

“Where is he?” Wren asked. He had been able to hear both ends of the conversation in the still night air.

“A service road off of AQ in the national forest south of the base,” she told him.

“Crap,” he said. “That is one of the worst places he could be right now.”

“Agent Gold, does that mean you will be coming with me to retrieve Nim Jones?”

“You aren’t going there by yourself. That’s for sure.”

Lindsay and Wren went to the bedroom to put on clothes that would work for their possible future trek through the woods at midnight. She hoped that some of Nim’s friends were just pulling a practical joke of some kind, but it did not matter. He was terrified. He had been with Amber when she was injured on the river, and now he was trapped in the woods by himself in the middle of the night. She felt sorry for him right now. She went into Dillon’s room to wake him and let him know that they had to get someone who was stranded and would return soon. Dillon had known Nim for years, so she did not want to tell him what was going on.