51: The Series

51: The Storm Chapter 11

Big Bob looked into Sheriff Gold’s office from his desk where he was sitting. Usually, Lindsay would come out and talk to all of them, or her door would be open, and they knew they were welcome to go in, but today, it was different. Her door was closed, and all she did was look up as he had come into the building.

“Bob, what is going on with our Sheriff?” he asked.

Little Bob answered, “She and Agent Gold got into it today.”

“Are you sure? That doesn’t sound right for them. In all the years they have been together, I have never even known them to argue,” Big Bob said, looking at him skeptically.

“Oh, it was more than just an argument. They were yelling at each other, and it was not pretty. It started this morning when Lindsay came in early because we had one of those stupid poltergeist things here in the office. She yelled and scolded it the same as she did the one out at that woman’s house, and the same thing happened; it stopped and did what she told it to do. Then Wren came in and started in on what she had to do with the whole thing because she was controlling what happened,” Little Bob explained to him.

“I have never seen anything not listen to her when she gives direct orders. Nothing with half a brain anyway, but go on,” Big Bob said with a little laugh.

“I went and got a new coffee pot because that thing broke my old one while it was throwing stuff. When I came back, Viktor and I came in at the same time and were arguing a little, nothing too out of line. That thing decided to start throwing books at all of us again, so she came out and did her thing again, and this time, Agent Gold saw what was going on. He didn’t make any more inquiries about her controlling anything, at least not that I know of.”

“OK, so if all was forgiven, why is she being so antisocial right now?” Big Bob asked.

“Well, that is where things get more interesting because we got a weirdness call today that Lindsay, Wren, and Viktor went on, and it did not go well. It seems our new Russian friend here was almost killed by a werewolf,” Little Bob told him, sticking a thumb toward Viktor, who was sitting at a desk nearby. Little Bob was completely ignoring what he had been told about telling anyone what had happened earlier in the day.

“Werewolf? You have got to be freakin’ kidding me,” Big Bob said.

“Nope. It came out of what is left of that old abandoned house near Lindsay’s house and charged them. She shot it three times, and when it went down, it landed on Viktor. That led to a completely new argument and a lot more yelling. She has been in there since then,” Little Bob finished and pointed toward Lindsay’s office. “Oh, and I almost forgot about Yuri going to block off a flooded road and Wren and her having to go get him because he wound up losing time. He was almost catatonic when they found him sitting in his car as the floodwater was creeping toward it.”

“Well, my wife made one of her favorites just for her, and I am going to take it in there to her,” Big Bob said, getting up and picking up a small pot from the table where it was sitting. He walked over to her office, knocked on the door, and opened it without waiting for an invitation.

“Come on in,” Lindsay said, briefly glancing up from her computer. “There is a little good news. Most of the worst weather will be hitting south of us, so we may be dodging a bullet with this one.”

“Jenny made a ton of food and had me bring it in for everyone if you are interested. She also made you one of your favorites, venison and mushroom stew,” Big Bob told her.

“Thank you, Bob, but I’m not hungry,” Lindsay said, looking up at him.

He did not wait for her to say anything else. He put the pot of stew on the corner of her desk and sat down in the chair across from her. He just sat and looked at her until she said something.

“Bob, I’m fine. I’m just swamped today.”

“You are not fine, so don’t even try to lie to me. You know I can tell. Little Bob told me what has been going on, so I am not surprised that things are off with you right now.” He looked at her and squinted a little. “When was the last time you ate? I know you came in early, so did you even eat breakfast today?”

“I ate on the way in this morning. I’m fine. I just haven’t been hungry today,” she told him.

“And that translates to you ate a granola bar that was in your glove compartment for months, as you drove here at whatever time it was this morning, and you haven’t eaten since then. I will go get you a bowl and a spoon, and you will eat something because, let’s face it, if you go down, that means Little Bob is in charge, and none of us want that. Do we?” Big Bob told her, then went to get the bowl and spoon for the stew.

Lindsay watched him leave her office and walk toward where everyone was eating. One look at the table they had set up showed that Big Bob had not been exaggerating when he said his wife had made a lot of food. There were four crock pots and several trays, all full of food. She saw Big Bob coming back toward her office. This time, he did not knock. Bob just opened the door and came in. He filled the bowl with stew, sat it in front of her, and handed her a spoon.

“Eat,” he said as he sat across from her again.

“Are you going to sit and watch me eat?” she asked him.

“Yes, I am. Jenny would skin me alive if I didn’t make you eat that, especially knowing that you haven’t eaten all day,” Big Bob said, smiling at her.

She peered out into the department again and looked at all the deputies and dispatchers eating and talking. She smiled a little and then looked at the clock.

“Why haven’t Little Bob, Cat, and Viktor gone home yet? It is past shift change, and it looks like they are done eating,” Lindsay asked him.

“Cat and Viktor plan on staying here for a while longer. Cat even mentioned staying here for the next day or two, depending on the weather. She wants to make sure that if dispatchers cannot get here, the phones are covered. Viktor said he just wanted to hang out, and he and Annie are hitting it off.” Big Bob laughed, then said, “Little Bob may not go home for the next two weeks. He has the usual crew of his wife, mother-in-law, and the four girls, but now two of his wife’s sisters and their girls are there too. I think he is ready to crawl under his desk and hide if he has to do it. Eleven women are in that house right now, and he is the only man. I would hide from that one, too.”

Lindsay had been picking at the stew while he told her why everyone was still there. She had heard what he said but had not paid much attention. She looked up at him.

“Bob, I messed up today,” she said.

“Little Bob told me about what happened today, and not one thing he said sounded like you did anything wrong.”

“I was completely unprofessional today when it came to Wren. I screamed at him, and I should not have done that. I should have kept it together,” Lindsay said, putting the spoon down and leaning back from her desk.

“Let me ask you something. When you came in this morning, how many people that work here were in danger because of things flying around in the building?” he asked.

“Three.”

“Alright, and who was that?” Big Bob asked.

Lindsay answered, “Hanna, Max, and Yuri.”

“You forget that you were here too. Alright, and when it happened the second time, who was here?”

“Hanna, Little Bob, Viktor, Cat, Wren, and I,” She told him.

“Alright, then you had Yuri have his missing time, and Viktor almost died from that werewolf or whatever it was. You have all the right in the world to be angry about it. So far, you have had every deputy under your command be put in danger of some kind because of this weirdness, as well as two dispatchers plus yourself and your husband. If I were in your place, I would have taken your husband out back and beat him until he told me everything he knew.”

“That is part of the problem, Bob. He doesn’t know. What is out there has been hidden from him, too. They gave him a list of what they believed escaped, but part of what happened today was because of something he did not even know existed. That is part of why I feel so bad about my reaction,” Lindsay explained. “Wren will be taking every file of everything that could even possibly be out there and bring them all here to go through.”

“How many things are we talking about here? I mean, your big hairy friends have been here forever, but how many new ones?” he asked.

“He was given a list of around two hundred things, and about half are listed as dangerous,” she told him.

“Two hundred?!” Bob exclaimed. “Good grief.”

“I know, which means this could get a lot worse.”

Big Bob started to laugh, “You know, it figures. Only the government would tell you to go take care of something but not tell you what that something is.”

Lindsay replied with a weak smile, “I know, right?”

“Well, whatever I can do to help you or Wren, just tell me, and I will. Now, eat that stew before it gets any colder,” Big Bob told her.

“You are going to sit here and watch me until I eat it, aren’t you?” Lindsay asked, smiling at him.

“Yup, I sure am, sweetheart,” Big Bob answered with a chuckle.