51: The Series

51: The Beginning Chapter 7 Part 2

Wren had made a phone call as soon as he pulled into the driveway and had just finished. He exited his car and began walking toward Lindsay and Warden Sims. Just as he started to say something, another scream came out of the woods near the house.

“Sounds like he is mad at something,” Wren said without even changing his expression. “After hearing that, I think you all might be able to leave. I have gotten word that there will be some training maneuvers in this area for the next day or two.”

“He? What do you mean by that?” Mike asked.

“That is simple. There is a man who lives in the area and is a little eccentric. He dresses up and does things like this sometimes. It really isn’t anything to worry about,” Wren quickly explained.

“I’m not sure that I believe that, but I am not going to ask any questions about it. If the federal government has an explanation, I will take it. Lindsay, Agent Gold, I will be on my way. I think I do need to find a clean uniform,” Mike said as he quickly walked to his truck, got in, and left.

“Can you explain all of that to my two deputies? Little Bob shouldn’t be a problem, but Keith may never be the same,” Lindsay said to Wren.

“Of course, I have been waiting to use that story for a while,” Wren said with one corner of his mouth turning up in a smile.

Lindsay just smiled and shook her head. Even if she asked him any questions, he probably could not give her any answers. While they were talking, Little Bob saw Wren and got out of his car. Wren walked over to where he was leaning on his patrol car.

“Keith, please get out of your car and come over here. Agent Gold needs to speak with you and Little Bob,” Lindsay said.

Keith slowly exited his car and walked over to where everyone else was standing. He was pale and had been sweating profusely.

“Keith, I’m Agent Gold. I work on the base. What happened today is the result of an individual who lives off the grid in this area. He has been known to trespass on the base from time to time. He dresses up and tries to scare people to keep them away from the area where he wants to stay. There is nothing to worry about. The military will be conducting some training maneuvers in this area, which I am sure will make him leave the area again. I hope he will return to the national forest and not bother anyone else. Do you have any questions?” Wren said.

“It sounded like there was more than one, and how could it push over a tree and make all that sound from different locations?” Keith asked, visibly shaking.

“He sets up the trees in advance. He cuts them part of the way through and then pushes them over when the people he is trying to scare are close. As for the sounds, he has become an expert at throwing his voice and has used recordings in the past. That is what he probably did this time, too,” Wren calmly answered.

“Keith, why don’t you and Bob go back to the department? I will finish here with Agent Gold and follow up with the homeowner,” Lindsay said.

Little Bob just laughed, and Keith turned and walked back to his car, shaking his head. He was having problems processing what he had seen and heard earlier. Lindsay and Wren watched the two of them pull out of the driveway and turn toward the sheriff’s department.

Lindsay turned and looked at Wren. “You know I am not buying a word of what you just said, right?” Lindsay asked.

“Of course I do. I also know that I can’t tell you everything I know about this whole situation and that you have had more personal contact with the big guy or his family than I have, which might make you more of an expert on him than I am.” Wren told her. “Let’s go talk to the reporting party and see what he has to say.”

“Maybe you can convince him that he hallucinated the whole thing,” Lindsay said, smiling.

It took Wren a few minutes to convince the man that what he had seen was a person, not a creature. Lindsay watched the process in amazement. It was almost as if he had some magic power that forced people to believe what he said. Just as they were finishing with the homeowner, they heard the first truck pull into the driveway.

“Well, sweetheart, it looks like my presence is no longer needed. I will see you later. Do you know when you will be home?” Lindsay asked.

“It should be at about the regular time. I just need to brief everyone here and leave instructions. They all know what they need to do,” Wren said.

Lindsay left as more vehicles were starting to arrive. On her way back to the sheriff’s department, she questioned if Keith was going to quit or if he had calmed down. Lindsay also wondered if Dillon had been kept busy or if everyone who was at the office had felt sorry for him and taken it easy on him. When she got back, all of her questions were answered.

Dillon was busy emptying every trash can in the office even though he had already dumped them at least once. He had also cleaned the deputies’ restroom, swept the floors, and mopped them; somehow, Cat had even gotten him to clean every coffee pot in the office, and this was just the first day of his “community service.”

Keith was sitting at a desk with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He was not handling things well. Little Bob was sitting at the desk beside Keith’s, trying to tell him that it wasn’t anything to worry about and to believe what Agent Gold had told him. It was just some crazy man who lived off the grid, but no matter what he said, it was not working.

“Keith, are you going to be all right?” Lindsay asked him.

“Sheriff Gold, I can’t believe what Agent Gold said…,” he trailed off. He was looking at her with his eyes wide as he just put together that they had the same last name. “Agent Gold, and you are...?” he asked.

“We are married. I suggest that you go along with what he told you. I can tell you that I know what you know. What he knows is above our pay grade, and we will never know everything,” Lindsay told Keith. “I think you should probably go home early. If there are calls, I will cover for you until the evening shift comes on. Just try to relax. There will always be crazy people who’ll try to scare the crap out of you, and that was what happened today, that is all.”

Keith stood up and nodded as he gathered his things and left without saying anything. Lindsay hoped that he was going to be OK. He just needed to digest everything that had happened on that call.

“So, is that the story we are all sticking with?” Little Bob asked.

“It most certainly is,” Lindsay said as she sat down where Keith had been sitting. “That is the story we will both tell if anyone asks. As for reports, when we arrived on the scene, the owner was uncooperative and would not open his door. We saw and heard wildlife in the woods surrounding his house. We called the game warden, who also found nothing. That’s the end of the story.”

“Sounds like a good story to me. I have to say I was rather impressed by Wren. I have known him through you for years, but I have never seen him in action as Agent Gold. It was fun to watch,” Little Bob said.

“I think that was the first time I have seen his full Agent Gold mode. You know, I think I have worked with him more in the few weeks I have been sheriff than I did my entire five years with this department before I was fired. It’s actually been kind of fun to see him in action, as you put it,” Lindsay told him.

Little Bob asked, “Has he ever told you exactly what he does? I mean, you two have been together, what, like five years now, right?”

“No, he hasn’t because he can’t. We have an understanding that if we don’t volunteer the information when it comes to our respective jobs, the other doesn’t ask about it. For most couples, it would drive them crazy, but for us, it works. Truthfully, I have the feeling that if I knew everything that he knows, I would never sleep again,” Lindsay said.

“I think you are right about that. I don’t want to know what Wren does. Hey, why don’t you go on home? I know you will probably be going through files to find Keith’s replacement if he does decide never to come back to work. It is only fifteen minutes early, and I’ve got nothing better to do. Besides, isn’t that what chief deputies do? Take care of the sheriff?” Little Bob said.

“So, you are taking the job?” Lindsay asked.

“Of course, I have been doing the job anyway. I figure I might as well get the title and the pay that goes with it,” Little Bob answered.

“Hey, Cat, I hate to do this to you, but is there any way you can pull the files of our reserve and part-time officers so I can find someone in case I need to replace Keith?” Lindsay asked.

“Already done. I did it when I saw him walk in the door.” Cat answered.

“Thank you, Cat. Dillon, are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” Dillon said as he jogged toward his mother.

Lindsay stood up and picked up the files as they went out of the department door. It had been another weird day at work. She hoped that Keith would pull it together overnight. He was good at his job. She was also quite surprised at how Keith had reacted to the situation. He had been an army ranger and had done two tours in Afghanistan. The man could remain calm and composed through anything except what happened today. She was not going to push him a lot about it. He needed to work through this on his own.

She just kept running everything through her mind as she made the drive home. She pulled into her driveway, and Dillon jumped out of the car almost before it was in park. She walked into the house and could smell that Wren was cooking supper, and it smelled like one of her favorites: tacos.

“Hi, honey. I’m home,” Lindsay called out as she entered the kitchen.

“Hi, babe,” Wren said, giving her a quick kiss. “How is Deputy Keith doing?”

“Not good. I brought home files of people who might want his job just in case he decides he had enough today,” Lindsay told him.

“Yikes. Sorry about that if I caused part of the problem. Go change out of that uniform and come back so we can eat. I’m hungry,” Wren said.

“Yes, sir. I am not going to argue, especially with a man in an apron cooking my food,” Lindsay said.