by Ron Walden
“I was careless, Roger. In my surprise of seeing Morgan, I let emotions get in the way of good judgment. They tell me you’re the one who took out Duncan. Makes us more than even, makes us good friends. Congratulations on your promotion. We’ll miss your smiling face.”
“Going home today? How about a lift?”
“No, thanks. Someone a lot prettier than you is coming with some clean clothes and a ride. I plan to be in the office Monday to finish the reports. I’ve written most of it out longhand; all I have to do is type it out. Come by the office Monday.”
“I’ll bring John Sutter; he wants to see you too. Says he owes you a cup of coffee.”
Dan gathered his personal effects, washed up a little, and put on some cologne. Right now it seemed more important to be with Beth than to be out of the hospital. Home seemed good though; seemed like forever since he slept in his own bed and made his own coffee. The coffee here was less than great. He wanted to complete his reports too, before he reported to Red on Monday.
Beth was beautiful in her new dress, and new hairdo. Dan couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Her eyes gleamed with the thoughts of getting him out of the hospital and home again.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready, but not for the wheel chair the hospital insists on. Boy, you look terrific.”
“Thank you, sir. You look rather good yourself.”
The nurse came with a wheelchair. Beth loaded his personal belongings, along with one bouquet, into his lap.
“Would you give these flowers to the children’s ward for me? Tell everyone at the nurses station thanks for being nice to me.” Then turning again to Beth, “Now, let’s get out of this place; it’s full of sick people.”
“I was so scared. I couldn’t believe it when they told me you had been shot.” Beth told Dan. “Forgive me for rambling, but I’m having trouble with my emotions lately. She hesitated…“I think I am falling in love with you.”
He looked at her tenderly. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about us, too. I don’t know if it’s love, but I know I want to be with you all the time. I was like a kid at Christmas, when I knew you were coming to visit me.”
She started the car, paused and turned to him. Their kiss was lengthy and mutual. As they drove to his home, they chatted about local current events. When they were only a few blocks from his house she said, nervously “I’m cooking dinner for you. The doctor said you could move around a little, but, I’d like to stay to make sure you stay put.”
“Who else is coming to dinner?”
“Sheriff McNabb wants to talk to you and asked if it’d be okay for him to come over this evening. I thought it would be all right and asked him to dinner.” she said.
“What could be so important to make him come to my house? I can’t imagine anything that can’t wait until Monday morning.” He turned to Beth and smiled.
“Maybe I should have you schedule all my social events. How would you like to apply for the job as Dan Webster’s personal secretary? The hours would be long, and the pay would be poor. Great fringe benefits though.” She laughed as they turned into his drive.
“You must be getting well; you’re getting frisky.” She stopped the car. “You go inside, and I’ll bring the stuff from the car.” She looked into his eyes and said, “I’m really glad to have you home where I can take care of you.”
It was just after six. Dan was in the back yard taking in the last bit of sunshine when he heard the screen door open behind him. Sheriff McNabb, with a beer in his hand, stepped off the back porch. He was not in uniform. As he approached, he reached out to shake Dan’s hand.
“How are you feeling, son?”
Dan shook his hand,
“Pretty good. I’m glad to be home. It must be true what they say about God looking out for fools. My ribs are sore, but it could’ve been much worse. I’m ready now to finish those reports.”
McNabb got serious.
“Niceties out of the way brings me to why I came over tonight. Since the raid, there has been big drop in morale within the department. Morgan was well liked and everyone is still in shock. Dan, I want you to help me reorganize the department. I’m going to run for reelection. There’s been speculation about the person who’ll take over since the raid. I’d like you to consider being my new Chief Deputy.”
Dan was in shock. It took him a minute to answer. “ You sure don’t beat around the bush. Are you serious?”
“Dead serious, Dan. I need someone I can trust, you’re it. I need someone with the ability to reorganize, and you have proven yourself there. You are good at managing people. There is no doubt in my mind; you are best qualified for the job. It’ll be your job to review all cases, handle all personnel, and, in general, do all the things you’ve seen me doing. One of the reasons, I think, Morgan was able to do what he did was because I was too busy with my reelection and didn’t pay enough attention to the general operation of the department. I feel guilty about that.”
Red stood and walked to a large tree and leaned against its rough trunk. “I don’t want my people neglected anymore. There’s too much strength lost in the department when one of the officers turns sour. I’m going to be dealing more with the County Commissioners, writing grants, and focusing on other administrative duties. Perhaps this new administrative structure will allow a more efficient department. I really do need your help, Dan. Think about it and don’t say no.”
Dan’s mind ran a thousand directions. “It’s a big step, but I will consider it.”
There was small talk around the dinner table, both Dan and Red laughed over old war stories. Beth sat quietly and enjoyed getting to know these two fine men. The sheriff left about nine. Beth washed the dishes while Dan sat quietly at the kitchen table thinking.
“Want to share?” She flicked a towel at him.
“There are so many things happening in my life right now, it’s hard to sift through. And you’re not helping any either.”
Beth sat down and took his hand away from his coffee cup.
“What am I doing to confuse the situation?”
“You’re becoming such a big part of my life, I can’t imagine being without you. I want to be with you every minute, and …” he laughed. “I keep building this house for you, and every time I do, it gets bigger. I’ll be out of money before I propose. I’d call that love, wouldn’t you?”
Beth blushed a rose pink and whispered, “We’ll talk about it later. You and Red did a lot of talking tonight. He really likes you, you know.”
“He’s asked me to become his Chief Deputy. What’s more, he wants me, as the new Chief Deputy, to run the entire department. I’m not sure I’m ready to take on all that responsibility. What do you think, am I up to the job?”
“Oh, Dan! You underestimate yourself. You can handle it, and do an excellent job. Red knows you can handle it, or he wouldn’t have asked you. Besides, it’d take you away from all those gunfights. If you plan to stay in law enforcement, then it would be a good career step. Maybe with the raise, you can build that house you keep dreaming about. I think it’s exciting. I’m happy for you.” She kissed him on the cheek and then kissed his hand. He reached out for her and she slipped away.
“Beth, will you stay with me tonight?”
She turned to him and quietly said, “I’ll stay.”
Monday morning, Dan was in the office early. He accepted the Chief Deputy position. Roger Dorfmann and John Sutter came to the office. After passing the time of day and some joking and small talk, they became engrossed in the ton of paperwork surrounding the bust.
Months passed before the first of 29 drug cases went to court, but the success rate in court was phenomenal. Only one of the indictments was dealt down by the federal attorneys. The attorneys for the accountant made a deal with the government for immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony regarding the financial end of the drug dealing operation.
Their success of arraignment, however, did not extend t
o the top. The two men suspected of masterminding and funding the operation were never indicted. Legal maneuvering became a model for future criminal cases where high priced, low conscienced, lawyers represented very rich and influential clients.
At one point in the evidentiary hearings, lawyers were arguing definition of three letter words written into law. It was a legal circus. In the end, Senator Nels Bergstrom wasn’t indicted. The Senator’s lawyers had convinced the judge to throw out all hard evidence. This left the Grand Jury with no choice but to dismiss charges against the senator. They were left with only hearsay evidence and couldn’t get an indictment.
The Senator claimed he was there to investigate a drug operation, and, was not only allowed to complete his term in office, was reelected.
Mafia boss, Leo Sardoni, never made it to court. Rumor was his bosses were troubled with the publicity. Two months after his name first hit the papers, he was boating on Lake Shasta. Leo liked fast boats. Witnesses at the scene stated Leo’s boat was traveling at more than 60 miles per hour when it disintegrated in a ball of fire and a plume of black smoke.
Roger Dorfmann eventually became the FBI Anchorage bureau chief. John Sutter became a district supervisor for the DEA in Phoenix.
Under Dan’s leadership, the Sheriffs Department served the public for many years without scandal. Dan and Red became best friends. Red was the best man at Dan and Beth’s wedding. Together, they overcame the turbulence of the Vietnam protest years.
Twenty-two months after Dan and Beth were married, about the same time the court cases from the raid were ending, Beth gave birth to a son, Roger Sutter Webster. Dan told the sheriff, “Beth wouldn’t let me name him Angus.”
The couple became leaders in the community and moved to a larger home. Most people in the county expected Dan to run for Sheriff when Red retired. But Dan realized long before, though he was a good supervisor and administrator, he didn’t have the desire or disposition for politics.
In the early spring of 1976, the sheriff told Dan, he didn’t intend to run for reelection. He wanted Dan to register and run for the office. It was the end of an era in Northern California.
Being a presidential election year, the ballot for sheriff was overshadowed in the press. It never was much of a contest. Only one candidate had any law enforcement experience, a tall, thin, Randolph Scott-like man by the name of James T. Brooks. He was a brilliant politician and loved to quote statistics. Jim Brooks had been a Lieutenant on the Sacramento Police Department for many years, especially in charge of statistical data and public relations.
Dan found the very skills and attributes which propelled him to his position in the department, would now cause conflicts between him and the new sheriff. Brooks wanted every move an officer made documented and entered in his statistical computer. The officers began to have less time to work with residents of the county. They were becoming response oriented; responding only to call-in reports and investigating, but not necessarily solving crimes. The incidences of crime in the county increased.
One warm July night, a patrol officer found Ernie sleeping in his pickup just south of town. The officer woke him up. After administering a field sobriety test, arrested him for driving while intoxicated. Ernie was brought to the jail and booked. Ernie whined for a cup of coffee. The booking officer became agitated.
“Shut up about coffee, Ernie, You ain’t getting one ‘till morning.” Ernie became loud and insisted he be given coffee.
“I’ve always had coffee here. I need coffee. I can think better with a cup of coffee. One cup of coffee ain’t gonna hurt anyone. Give me a cup of coffee!”
A heated discussion resulted, bringing the officer’s temperament to a boiling point. He called another officer for assistance, and the two dragged Ernie into a holding cell. He was pushed around some, then ignored for the rest of the night.
When day shift came on duty and took the first count, they found Ernie on the floor, dead. His hands were bloody from beating on the door. A heart attack, and then a call for help. The on-duty officers had ignored his calls.
Dan investigated the incident and submitted his report to Sheriff Brooks. He recommended termination and criminal negligence charges against the two officers involved. The sheriff told Dan he could not accept the report.
“It casts a shadow over the reputation of this department, and I will not let that happen. I’ll verbally reprimand these men; you’ll amend your report and that’ll be the end of it. Do you understand?”
Dan tried to contain the emotion inside himself, but words poured from his mouth like fire from a dragon.
“I understand everything, better than you might imagine. You’re so worried about your image, you’re willing to sacrifice this entire department. I’ve stood by and watched you destroy the public confidence in this office. I’ll be damned if I’ll be party to your abuse of public trust. I’m going to do everything I can to see that Ernie’s family sues for negligence. I’m resigning as of now. My formal letter of resignation will be on your desk this afternoon.”
He slammed the office door. Everyone in the work room heard his angry words. Some of them clapped or pounded their desks. He went to his office, tossed his personal belongings into an empty box, changed clothing, left his uniform hanging in his locker, and called Beth.
“Beth, come and get me, can you? I’ve quit the force and now I just want out of this place.” She saved her questions until she could talk to him face to face. When he came out the officer exit in the rear of the sheriff’s headquarters, he was dressed in civilian clothing, his face was livid red, and he was carrying a paper box.
“Take me to the newspaper office,” he said, and slammed the door.
The editor of the local paper had written articles grumbling about sheriff Brooks. When Dan told his story and gave him a copy of the investigative report, he knew exactly how he would handle it.
Dan handled it by beginning to drink.
He and Beth sat on the patio one afternoon discussing their life together. Young Roger, was in school and their second son, Timothy, would soon enter kindergarten. The house was their only real debt. Beth skillfully managed their money, and even had a small saving account. Their life, up to this point, had been a fairy tale with a happy ending.
“Dan, Call him. Roger has a lot of contacts and he may know of a job opening.”
“Okay! Okay. I’ll call him. I sure don’t want to, but you’ve nagged me long enough!”
Beth kept the hurt of his words to herself. She tried to understand what sitting around meant for him.
“Dan Webster here. Is Roger around?”
“One moment.” Came the reply.
“Dan! So you didn’t go off the edge of the world after all.”
“Damn near, Roger. Like walking on a razor’s edge.”
“Hey, what’s up. Kids okay? Beth? Come on talk to me. Or would you rather meet someplace?”
“No. No. Family’s okay. What I need more than anything is a job. Something to do. I’m going crazy and taking Beth with me—just sitting around.”
“I’ll get back with you.” Roger hung up.
Roger checked around and found Trans Alaska Pipeline was hiring security guards. Roger contacted the head of the security company for Trans, an old State Trooper friend. Roger called Dan.
“Meet me, Dan. I’ve got to go to California and I’ll be in your neighborhood around noon. Meet me at the Squealer. I’ll buy us a couple of dogs with everything.”
They ate the peppery Big Chief hot dogs and washed them down with milk. They laughed about old times and Dan told Roger about the kids. “I’m telling you, we couldn’t convince him he was just tanned. He thought he was dark all over.” Both men laughed uproariously. “Then he looked at his pale little butt in the mirror and crumpled to his knees and said, “Oh, no. I’m two sided.” Dan struggled through laughing to tell Roger about his namesake.
When their guffawing settled down, Roger said, “Well, old buddy, You have an interv
iew appointment, in Anchorage, Alaska this next week. So get your Ulu and your Parka and fly away.”
Dan interviewed and was hired. He moved his family to the Kenai Peninsula, about 70 air miles south of Anchorage and a wonderful place to live. Weather was moderate, schools were the best, people were friendly, and hunting and fishing were legendary. He bought a home on an airstrip on Mackey Lakes, and he soon learned to fly.
He’d worked for the company 14 years, before he turned down a supervisory job. There were only three people who’d been with the company longer. He was happy working two weeks in Prudhoe and spending two weeks on the Kenai. He kicked the drinking habit during the first two years in Alaska. Now, Dan was well respected, and occasionally was asked to teach classes in the head office.
His son, Roger, was in his first year of college and Timothy was a Senior in high school, and football team captain. He smiled when he thought about those days with the California force.
CHAPTER FOUR
Wednesday. Dan tried to sleep as the jet cruised its way toward Prudhoe Bay and Deadhorse Airport. This was crew change day. He got up at 4 AM and had driven to the Kenai Airport for his early morning shuttle flight to Anchorage to make Alaska Airlines’ North Slope flight.
The big difference between crew changes now and those of the “good old days” was he no longer made the flight with a hangover. Age, years of depression, and too much drinking had given him a look of intensity. His face now angular and stoic. His hair beginning to show flecks of gray.
For the past 12 years, Dan had been employed by Pipeline Security of America. PSA held security contracts for the Trans Alaska Pipeline. PSA corporation started small but had, over the years, built an outstanding reputation for commitment and professionalism, achieved only by hiring skilled professionals, ex-law enforcement people, and by maintaining an ongoing training program.
Security on the pipeline requires police skills, human relationships, good judgment, along with knowledge of company policy and law. A guard might be required to arrest an individual and hold him for an extended period waiting for backup. Weather could prevent assistance from arriving for a week or more. The job required special people with special talents—Dan qualified.
