by Kieran York
“Thanks, Royce.” The deputies were all concerned about Chance. Terry asked, “And how’s Deputy Chance doing today?”
“Better this morning. When she’s healed, you can take her for a day or two.”
“Like I said, I’d love to work with her. You make it look so easy.”
“She makes training easy. Chance is intuitive. All female officers need to be intuitive. That’s the edge that women enforcers have. I can’t explain it, but it is definitely a plus. Also, always remember, survival depends on being fully engaged every moment. My dad always said that you only get one kick at the wolf.” Royce glanced down at her watch. “I need to roll. My desk probably looks like a trash bin has been overturned on it.”
“See you later, boss. And this is my last warning - stop parking illegally.” Terry snickered.
Royce tipped her hat. “I can only try.”
Driving back to Timber, Royce considered the good fortune of having a team of skilled enforcers. Being surrounded by a group of respected deputies was like the Cop-Goddess had placed victory in her lap.
***
Entering the Times office, Royce immediately sat in the rocking chair across from Gwen’s desk. Both cats, Priss and Valentino rubbed Royce’s legs. Gwen glanced up, then back at the newspaper mockup she’d been scouring. “Did you bring me a major front page story?”
“I wish,” Royce replied. “If I could just cut a couple suspects from the list. I’d like to break the Nita and Toni alibi. It’s difficult. I keep getting firm reports that they hate one another. So why would they cover for one another. Unless they were in collusion.”
“By the way, how’s Chance?”
“Gran’s keeping her quiet and down. Chance wants to be on patrol, but Hertha said to watch her for a couple days. Then I’ll have her checked out again.”
Gwen slid her glasses back up the ridge of her nose. “Any checking out between you and the gorgeous vet?”
“We both know it’s over.” Royce swallowed. With a curt nod, she added, “I’m never going to have enough time to do justice to a relationship. Things were fine with Lyn because we both knew that our professions require a lot of attention.”
“She’s now D.A. of a huge city. She’s made it. She also has a candy factory,” Gwen quipped. “I’m not certain why she’s working so diligently when her family owns a candy company.”
“She’s like I am - driven. There’s something inside that insists I chase criminals.”
“Well, thank her for sending chocolates. Have you talked over our infamous gun shop murder with her?”
“Briefly.” Royce grinned. “I asked her who she thinks killed Cal. She answered the wife. When I asked which one, she said I should throw them both in the slammer until one confessed.”
Gwen spoke slowly. “I don’t see Grace or Nita confessing. Emma now is bragging about being an heiress. She owns a quarter of the gun shop. But Grace is still in control. Maybe she can get her son and daughter back in line. Cal always gave Tony whatever he wanted. Emma resented it so she acted out. Fought with her parents. Then ran off with a no-account. The hubby found out Emma wasn’t getting anything until Calvin or Grace went to the Lord. Well, that was what Grace told him. Emma wasn’t a wealthy woman - so her husband hightailed it. He’s now ex-hubby. If he’d waited another year, he’d have hit the jackpot. At least a quarter of the jackpot.” Gwen carefully placed her eyeglasses on the desk.
Royce pondered, “I wonder how the three of them are going to get along enough to run the shop. You can bet your britches that Grace is running the show. She’ll keep Tony and Emma leashed. Tony may be back living with Grace again. Now that Nita will have title to the ranch. I don’t believe Nita is going to be giving Tony a free ride like Cal did. Once it’s fully in her name, Nita will kick him to the curb.”
“Probably. By the way, did you check out the business with Tony and Luther squabbling?” Gwen asked.
“Both had the same story. They just bumped into one another and faced off. Easy to do with Luther. Well, they’re both large men, and they delight in shoving matches. An ego thing.”
“I hope you find the killer. Luther needs to go back to Dallas. Timber City didn’t throw him a big reception when he came here for Yancy’s funeral. We’ll all certainly sleep better when he’s on his way out.”
“Maybe he is the killer.” Royce’s statement was with a lower pitched voice. “But maybe isn’t grounds to arrest him.”
“You’d like him to be Cal’s killer?”
“More than you know.” Royce stood slowly. “You know his history. What do you want me to say?” Royce grinned. Her dimples deepened. “I’d love nothing better than to nail him with a murder charge. Give you a scoop for your front page.”
“I personally would like to hear you say ‘Hold the presses!’”
“Anything else?” Royce asked with amusement.
“As a matter of fact there is. Royce, please ask Lyn to send more chocolate. My wonderful house-spouse would like strawberry centers. I wouldn’t mind nougats with coconut inside.”
“Will do.”
“Oh, and I don’t mind marshmallow and caramel.”
Laughing way out loud, Royce answered. “I’ll just order my butterscotch centers. And you and Nadine can have a box of assorted.”
“I love that you and your ex are such great pals.”
“Me, too,” Royce answered. “Me, too.”
“You’re going to call Lyn right away?”
“As soon as I get back to the office,” Royce promised with a teasing doff of her hat.
“Run!” Gwen’s concentration returned to her papers.
Royce closed the door, and mumbled, “Run.” She slipped a disk of butterscotch candy into her mouth. Smiling as she ambled her way across the street, she said, “Plenty amazing.”
Chapter 16
Royce heard a small familiar voice behind her. “Where’s your dog?”
Shavano White watched the sheriff. She squinted up at the tall enforcer.
“Hi, Shavano.” Perplexed, she asked the seven-year old girl, “Does your mother know you’re going to Molly’s Pantry?”
“Yes. She’s watching me.”
Royce glanced across the street. Hertha was at the window, nodding. Waving, Royce then opened the door for the youngster. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t wandering off.”
“Antero is the roaming boy. I don’t wander unless I’m just looking after him. And you need to call me Vannie like everyone else does. Where’s your dog.”
“Chance hurt her foot. Your mother told me to make her stay inside until she’s healed. So I left her home with my grandmother.”
Molly greeted them, as she ushered them into her bakery. “Vannie, your mom just called to tell me you were on your way over. Where’s that little Antero?”
“My brother wanted to hold the kitty that has a cough. But I’m getting pastry for him, too.”
While Molly and Vannie selected pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, Royce poured herself a cup of coffee and sat at the counter. When Vannie left, sack in hand, Royce watched as she safely made her way across the street. She saw Hertha opening the door as her daughter entered. Hertha then waved to Molly.
“Heavenly days but that little girl is so adorable. They both are. Hertha dresses them both so cute. What a sweet little play outfit she was wearing. Their manners are really good. Hertha is trying to give them some freedom by allowing them to come here without her holding their hands.”
“Vannie seems more open to following instructions,” Royce said. She speculated, “I think Antero is a little more adventuresome.”
Molly’s eyebrows lifted in amusement. “As I recall, you were very adventuresome when you were her age. Of course, back then there weren’t as many characters out and about. You were usually to be found at Gwen and Nadine’s, but sometimes you were hiding out in a tree, or in the woods.”
“I don’t know how you and Dad worked and kept track of me.”
“Probably more than if I would have hurt my foot,” Royce joked. “I think the townsfolk were frightened of Chance at first.”
“They were used to little Smoky. But now they’re on to Chance.”
Royce thought about Smoky. At fifteen, she was still trying to do her routine rounds through Timber City. Tears moistened Royce’s eyes. Smoky loved everyone, with the exception of the bad guys. She recalled the night when Smoky eased into the dog bed that was beside Royce’s bed. Royce had always allowed Smoky to sleep in her bed, but when Smoky became too decrepit, Royce insisted that she sleep on the small bed on the floor. She worried that Smoky might fall. She didn’t want Smoky in pain.
The following morning, Royce woke. Smoky lifted her head, then quietly went to sleep. Her heart gave out only moments later.
Hertha was no longer in Royce’s life, then Smoky died. Royce was devastated. Then Chance came into her life. Nick had brought the pup to Timber City with the expressed purpose of giving Royce a new dog.
Chance had been in a K-9 class in Denver. The training academy referred to the unruly pup as Not-A-Chance. They knew she wouldn’t make it through school. The dog wasn’t trainable, and she was way too small for enforcement standards. Thinking she would make a good pet, they offered her to Nick. He felt sorry for her. He thought taking the dog would solve two problems with one solution. Royce would have a dog. The problem pup would have love, in a small city where she wouldn’t have to perform. The blend worked out perfectly. Royce adored the dog, and Chance became one of the best trained dogs in the state. Royce had insisted on only one thing. A name change. Not-A-Chance became Chance.
Royce replied to her mother, “Yes, now the Timber folks are on to Chance.”
***
Glad that the office was empty, Royce checked her desk for messages. One message was that CBI had tested blood samples on the cold case. Jane Doe’s unsolved murder was finally getting assistance. The blood hadn’t deteriorated. They had DNA. It would take time, they reminded the sheriff, to search the DNA profile for a match. When they could work it into the schedule, they planned to search Colorado Missing Persons for a hit.
Again, they assured Royce they would do all they could. That did not guarantee they would find either a hit, a name, or anything else. In fact, they said, it was dubious. But it was a beginning point.
Royce gave a hearty fist pump. She issued a silent message of gratitude.
***
“Glad to hear you’re getting some fires lit,” Lyn Evan’s upbeat, casual voice began.
Royce was astounded at the way she made use of her vocal range in court. At times she used her lullaby-the-jury voice. In a blink it would be her pounding, accusatory tonality that quieted a courtroom.
“Actually,” Royce explained, “I wasn’t really planning on anyone paying any attention to a case that’s four decades old. They had nothing back then. My father worked the case on his own time because no one believed it would ever be solved.”
“It’s far from solved, darling. A DNA profile is good. Maybe the results might find someone related. However even that’s a stretch. Back then women went missing all the time. Families didn’t even list them as missing. They’d gone to join cults, communes, and circuses. So even if they’ve got DNA, if it doesn’t match and there’s no hit, you’re right back to square one.”
Royce shut her eyes a moment. “I know you’re right – but I keep saying there’s a maybe somewhere in the mix.”
“If I can help, let me know.”
“There is something,” Royce said. “Gwen and Nadine said to tell you hello. And they wouldn’t mind another box of chocolates. Assorted. I haven’t told them about the new cappuccino flavor. And I’m sure they’d love that too.”
Lyn chuckled. “Please tell them I’ll see to it.” Lyn laughed heartily. “They must think I get out my mixing bowls and put together chocolates in between tossing jerk offs into the slammer.”
Royce grinned. “Thanks for all the candy. Thanks for tossing those criminals in the pen, and thanks for making me laugh. I miss you.”
“I miss you too. You cuddle better than any woman in the world.” There was a pause. “With the exception of me.”
Royce closed her eyes. She could see Lyn’s eyes sparkling and her lips smirking. Lyn had a tantalizing, confident smirk. “Yes.”
“On to the current case of the gun store owner. Is anyone saying anything at all that’s incriminating?”
“Lyn, suspects are as guarded as they can be. Everyone points to everyone else. Anyone could have done it. Anyone would have done it. I have motives by the dozens.”
“Where’s your suspicion strongest?”
“That’s the problem. I’m not certain. I want to lock up Luther. He drives me around the bend. The guy threatens me. Threatens Chance. He’s even stalking the female deputy. You remember Terry Doyle?”
“Yes, she’s a bright and adorable cop. Seemed to be a very efficient rookie. Can you make any charges for his harassing Terry stick?”
“Luther knows the law. He eludes any possible confrontation. And it’s a small town, so running into people is a sure thing. He just happens to be around when she’s around.”
Lyn used her official no-nonsense voice. “Tell her to be sure to document sightings. Enough sightings could be good for a court order of protection.”
“I’ve told her to keep a record. Those years in prison may not have trained Luther for anything other than knowing how to skirt the law.”
“Undeniably correct, Sheriff. Be careful.”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh, and how are things with Hertha?”
“We’re both aware it is impossible for us to get back together. Too much has gone on in the last year.”
“Is it that, or are you still terrified of being a parent?”
“Probably both.”
“You’re still in love with her. I’ve always known you were. But when children were mentioned, you’d turn white as snow. I’ve talked with you before about it. I can’t help you get over your fear of having children. I know a woman in family therapy. Maybe she could talk with you. She’s a sister, and she and her wife have children. Before you screw up the entire thing, Royce, consider talking with someone.”
Royce glanced at the blinking phone on her desk. “Got to go, I have a call I need to take.” The sheriff wasn’t at all certain that she needed to take the call. She was convinced that she did need to escape from the subject. She also was aware that Lyn knew exactly what she was doing.
The moment she answered the call, she tensed. Her grandmother usually didn’t call her while she was on duty. “Gran, is everything okay?”
“Fine. Chance started licking her paw. I called Hertha. She tells she has a Ute remedy. If you drop over, she’ll give you some. A healing salve.”
“How’s Chance’s limp?”
“No limp at all. But if she gets some infection from all that biting on her paw…”
“I’ll stop by the clinic when I get off,” she reassured her grandmother.
“Don’t you forget. Chance is getting restless to get out there and do her job.”
Royce grinned. “I’m sure she is. I promise I’ll pick up the salve.”
***
Checking her list, the sheriff, decided to stop by to talk with Emma. She’d seen Grace go to the Country Cookhouse for her lunch break. Preferring to talk with them separately, Royce plotted to go immediately to the gun shop for a talk with Emma. Then when Emma took her afternoon break, Royce could return to interrogate Grace.
Knowledgeable about how guarded people in the mountain community were, she usually interviewed in a place where the subject fe
lt secure. Certainly alone was always best. It was part of the Western tradition, don’t let them gang up on you. That was her reasoning.
“Sheriff,” Emma seemed surprised.
“I like to stop in from time to time so that you’ll know we’re working to find your father’s killer.”
Fidgeting, she placed the gun she’d been holding back into the display case. “I’ve told you everything I know.”
The sheriff wanted confirmation on whether Emma’s husband might have been incarcerated in the same prison where Luther pulled time.
“Have you heard from your ex-husband?”
Incredulously, she frowned. “What in the world would he contact me for?”
“His father-in-law was murdered.”
“My ex could care less. In fact, I think he’s probably remarried. I’m thinking he returned to California after we broke up. That’s where he did time. He hated Colorado. He wouldn’t have come to my dad’s funeral service. If there was a service.”
That eliminated some of the possible connection, Royce considered.
“That just leaves your family here?” Royce kept her tone conversational.
“If you call this family.”
“I’m guessing that Nita will soon be wanting Tony to vacate her ranch. Do you think he’ll move back into your mother’s house?”
“It’s big enough for all of us, but I hope he finds an apartment or somewhere else. To be honest, Mom mentioned that Nita would kick him out as soon as the papers were finished going through the probate or whatever they do. My dad was fool to put that ranch in her name. I just found out about Nita being the beneficiary on his huge insurance policies. Mom hit the roof. Nita then mentioned the chunk of property adjoining the ranch would be going to us. Tony and me. She said that evened it out.”
“Do you know if Nita’s horse business is doing okay?”
“Nobody ever said anything about it. Dad would probably cover her expenses. He covered all of her overdrafts. The bills she ran up were astronomical.”
