by Ted Clifton
“Ray, how was your drive?”
“Very good, Tony. Good to see you.”
“Yes. I was looking forward to our meeting today. Please come on back to my office.”
Ray wasn’t sure if Tony was looking forward to the meeting because he needed someone to yell at, or if that was just a general statement he made all the time. Ray smiled and followed Tony through the door and down the hall.
They entered Tony’s office. It was obviously a power office—must’ve been the size of a small house. There was a large desk along one wall and an impressive conference table in the opposite corner. All in all, it looked more like a CEO’s office than a public servant’s.
“Nice office.”
“Yeah. Actually it’s a little embarrassing. You know me, Ray—I’m a simple guy with pretty basic tastes. That wasn’t the case with my predecessor. He had a huge ego and not a lot of smarts. By all accounts he was a good politician, just not much of a worker bee. He held office for more than two years before he resigned to take a promotion to a federal position—and during that time he did almost nothing. But he sure liked nice things, and I’ve benefited from his excessive tastes. If I really wanted to make a statement, I’d sue him on behalf of the state for all of the money he wasted. But you have to pick your fights and he would be a tough one.”
“Well, maybe you could sublet?”
Tony laughed.
“I always loved your sense of humor, Ray. Now, tell me, why were you using my name as authority to arrest the local sheriff?”
“Just trying to help you out any way I can.”
This got some more chuckles, but the eyes didn’t seem to smile.
“You know that deal worked out and nobody is going to say anything, including me. On the other hand, if Martinez hadn’t been so obviously guilty, your actions could’ve put us in some hot water.”
“Look, Tony, I know I shouldn’t have handled it that way. I just had too many loose ends—I needed Martinez in jail so he didn’t kill me or anyone else. I knew I was taking a big risk because at that point I still didn’t have everything nailed down, but I also knew Martinez had to be part of what was happening. I know I’m no longer a sheriff and have no authority to act the way I did, but those were some pretty strange circumstances with the FBI being involved and a rogue FBI agent killing people and threatening to put me in jail. I did what I did because I thought it was the right thing—but it wasn’t the most appropriate, and there’s no question that I should have figured a better way of handling it rather than using your name.”
“Well damn, Ray, I thought it was brilliant. I’m just messin’ with you—it was brilliant. Who even knows what power or authority an AG has—nobody, that’s who. Most of the time I’m not sure what I can and can’t do. It was the perfect ploy. When I heard what you had said, I thought it was hysterical.”
“I’m glad you aren’t mad Tony. I wasn’t going to let any harm come to you. If it had gone bad—obviously it was just me bullshitting some folks.”
“And that’s why I asked you here today. I know you’ve started a private investigation business, and I know a little bit about your partners. But most importantly, I know you, Ray. You have that unique ability to do the right thing even when it’s not obvious what that is—and I also know you’re honest. That’s why I want to hire your firm as a contractor to help me and my office get better control over the county sheriffs. You’ve seen it yourself. We have some people who are just out of control. Last session the legislature changed some administrative duties, and now the AG’s office has a degree of authority over the county sheriffs. They’re elected officials, but they don’t and never have had carte blanche to do whatever in the hell they want—although some of them may think so. I don’t have the resources to look at all thirty-three counties in the state. I want to use you and your team to do a little spying and research to help me pinpoint where there’s good and where there’s bad. Do you think that’d be something you’d be interested in pursuing?”
“Absolutely, Tony. That would get us excited. From a personal point of view I can tell you that most, maybe seventy percent, of the sheriffs are hardworking, honest law enforcement professionals. Some are more lazy than others; some are smarter than others, but by far the majority are trying to do their best—and they’re the ones who will be the most pleased you’re doing something about the others. The bad ones are often very bad. They abuse everything. Sierra County isn’t a good example of much of anything when it comes to the sheriff’s department, with two of the sheriffs in jail. But let me tell you the next sheriff, a deputy named Clayton, is as good as they come. So right there, with all of the bad, was a guy ready to step up and make things better. I think that can be true in many of the troubled counties. I’d be very pleased to work with you on that, Tony.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear, Ray. We’ll set you up on a retainer and then put together a contract for professional services at an hourly rate plus expenses. I hope this works for both of us—I think we can do some good.”
They continued to discuss the details—but it was obvious both men were excited about the possibilities. Ray left and was headed back to T or C. He was so excited about the news, he stopped to call the office—and got the voice mail. He called the storeroom phone at Big Jack’s—and got the voice mail. They sure needed Sue to be part of this business—they needed to stay connected. He called Big Jack’s number—and got Chester. Chester wasn’t sure where everyone had gone. Ray thanked him and said just let them know he’d be back that evening. Ray got back in the Jeep and headed south.
It was early evening by the time Ray made it back to T or C. He went by the vet’s and found there was still someone in the office. They’d waited on Ray because they knew he was picking up Happy. Small towns could be a real pain in the rear, but they could also sure be friendly. Happy was very pleased to see him. Ray gave him a good rub and took him out to the Jeep. He seemed less limber than when he’d brought him in, but Ray figured that was right since he hadn’t gotten much exercise. They headed to the cabin. As Ray pulled in he was surprised to see Sue’s car and a truck he didn’t recognize. Ray parked and helped Happy get down. Happy then limped off toward his favorite spot in the yard. Sue came out onto the porch.
“Ray, it’s about time you got back. Why didn’t you call?”
Rather than trying to explain how irritating that question was, Ray just grinned.
“Didn’t stop except for gas. But here I am—whose truck?”
“It’s Tyee—he bought a truck. Come in, Big Jack is here too.”
Ray gave Sue a hug and went in. He greeted everyone—told Tyee he wanted to hear the truck story in just a minute. He got Happy food and water and settled him down in the center of the room—his favorite spot. Ray grabbed a beer and settled himself.
“Man, that’s a long drive in one day. Now, tell me the truck story.”
“Can’t bum rides forever off of White Man—Indian must be free to roam.”
The room gave Tyee some laughter.
Ray told them about his meeting with the AG. Everyone was very excited. Sue even squealed a little.
“This is a big deal guys. The combined fees from the AG and FBI makes us a very viable business and we haven’t even officially started. I think we’re having some good luck. A toast to Pacheco and Chino, PIs.”
Everyone took a sip of whatever they were drinking.
“Hey, maybe that should be Pacheco, Parker, and Chino, PIs—what do you think, Jack?”
“Well, not sure about that, but why not Pacheco, Lewis, and Chino—right, Sue?”
Sue looked embarrassed. She didn’t want to have this conversation.
“I think we’re all important to the success of our business. The name doesn’t matter that much. But we need Sue as much as anyone. This is no doubt the wrong time and the wrong place, but I can’t help it—this has been on my mind for hours. I have struggled with this issue about what is right and what is wrong—and I
have made up my mind.”
Everyone was looking at Ray, clearly confused. He had changed the mood, and they didn’t know why or what he was talking about.
“Sue, I don’t want you to just live here. I wasn’t honest when I said I wanted you to live here with me—that’s not what it is at all. Sue Lewis, will you marry me?”
Nobody had seen that coming, especially Sue. She looked stunned, not happy. Ray had just dropped a bombshell—not a smart thing to do in front of your buddies, surprise your lady by asking her to marry you.
“I don’t want you to be my roommate, I want you to be my wife.”
Sue ran out the door without saying anything. Ray still didn’t know how he had screwed up. He’d been driving all day and he’d realized that he wasn’t comfortable with Sue just living with him. He knew it was silly, but that’s how it was—he wanted to get married. He wanted her to make the same commitment to him that he wanted to make to her. He had no desire to have an affair or a live-in mistress. Ray was tired of not being married and she was the person he wanted to be with. It started to dawn on Ray that he hadn’t said all of the things he should have said—and it hit him hard when he realized he had just popped the question without any warning and had done it in front of Tyee and Big Jack. It became very clear to Ray that he was one big dumbass son-of-a-bitch. How could he be so smart at some things and so stupid at others?
“Ray, I think you better go find her.” Tyee said this as gently as he could—he really wanted to scream it at Ray. Ray seemed to have shocked himself and now didn’t know what to do.
He ran out the front door. Her car was gone. Oh, crap. What had he done? Then he noticed it was parked down the old road a ways. He started running. Ray got almost to the car and tripped. Mr. Prince Charming took a nasty fall. He hit the rocky ground pretty hard, scraped both hands and bruised his chin. After he stopped moving he sat up. If he hadn’t been such a proud old fart he would’ve started crying. What more could possibly go wrong?
Sue walked up to him. She had obviously been crying.
“Are you okay, Ray?”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what—being the nicest man in the world? Just because you didn’t think about how I would react isn’t bad, Ray. You said what you felt—right there in front of god and everybody. My answer is yes—I would be proud to marry you.”
She fell into his harms and they tumbled over backwards and started laughing—maybe it was a mixture of laughing and crying.
Fishing
They decided they would be married in two weeks. The ceremony would only be for a few people, and it would be at the cabin. When Ray called his son and told him he was getting married, Michael reacted angrily. Ray said it didn’t matter, but Sue knew that it did. Sue had history and family, but she wasn’t inviting anyone who would actually come from that distant world. She would let a few people know from her family, but only if she was sure they wouldn’t attend. She didn’t want anyone from her past to interfere with her joy.
Ray, Tyee, and Big Jack met and decided on the construction plans for the new office and living quarters. The contractor said he could start in a week. They also discussed new security measures for the area around the office building. The plan involved installing cameras along the perimeter of the property.
Big Jack and Chester had established a working relationship that had Chester doing everything and Big Jack supervising—surprisingly this seemed agreeable to both parties. Big Jack’s ankle was getting better, and he’d gone on a diet that still seemed to involve large quantities of beer.
“Ray, I know this doesn’t make much sense considering that at some level I’m probably still hiding from some people—but I’ve decided to run for the mayor’s job. Can I count on your endorsement?”
“Hell yes, you can. I think this is great Jack. We need to get Tyee going on putting together a campaign strategy. When’s the election?”
“They haven’t picked the date yet, but it’ll be at least six months so we have plenty of time. You know, I don’t want to get to sentimental here, but this is the first time I’ve felt like I belonged somewhere.”
“I know the feeling, Big Jack.”
Ray wondered if it was wise for Big Jack to run for the mayor’s position. On the other hand, the risks seemed small. The FBI had done what they said and provided Jack Parker with all of the necessary documents to establish his new identity. It was very unlikely that anyone was even looking for the long gone Philip.
Tyee was meeting Ray at Big Jack’s today to go over some last minute pointers before the big fishing tournament on the weekend. The El Paso paper even ran a story in the sports section about the Elephant Butte fishing event. They were predicting large crowds. Ray was still very unsure why he was doing this—so much had changed since he’d agreed. He now had a construction project to oversee and a wedding to plan. Of course, he knew all of that was just an excuse. What really bothered him was that he didn’t want to be embarrassed—by catching no fish at all.
Big Jack had given Ray a cap and vest for the event. As Ray’s sponsor, the cap and vest had Big Jack’s store’s name “Jack’s Bait, Boats, and Beer” plastered all over. It was gaudy—maybe even ugly—but very visible. Big Jack was the organizer of the fishing tournament and no doubt there was some kind of conflict of interest in also being a sponsor, but Ray was pretty sure no one would care.
As the weekend drew closer, experienced-looking fishermen started to show up at Big Jack’s store to register. Big Jack said it looked like they were going to have their largest number of contestants ever. That made Big Jack happy and Ray nervous.
Sue had advised Ray to turn off his macho competitive nature and just enjoy himself. What possible difference could it make if he won or not—or if he even caught a fish? Ray knew she was right, but the male competitive juices were hard to control.
“Ray, I have some lures I want to show you. Based on the temperature reports for this weekend, I was thinking we might try something a little different.”
“Tyee, why don’t I give you the cap and vest and you fish. Nobody will have to know it’s not me. You like to fish, so it’ll be fun for you, right?”
“This is getting a little tiresome, Ray. Why are you so nervous?”
“I really don’t know. But all of these guys showing up—have you seen them? There was one guy yesterday who must have had twenty sponsors all over his boat and his vest—looked like a NASCAR driver.”
“Trust me, Ray—these guys don’t know any more than we do—and if you’ll listen to me and do what I say, you’ll have the edge. Those are the same guys I beat three years in a row, remember?”
Ray grudgingly shut up and listened to what Tyee was trying to tell him.
There had been several election events scheduled for the week, but after Martinez was arrested he was officially removed from the ballot so Deputy Clayton was running unopposed. Turnout didn’t matter any longer—he would soon be the sheriff of Sierra County. Everyone seemed pleased. Even most of the Mayor’s old supporters were now claiming that they’d been in favor of Clayton all along.
After the mayor resigned he more or less disappeared. He put his house on the market and most people believed he had gone to Las Cruces to stay with his brother, a chili farmer in Hatch. Ray suspected that the mayor wouldn’t be back—he had trampled on too many people with his mayoral power and had few real friends.
The opening day of the tournament was a cloudless, beautiful morning. Ray was still nervous but with all of the badgering by Sue and Tyee, he’d decided he would just enjoy the experience and stop worrying about embarrassing himself. Once he relaxed, he started to mingle more with the experienced fishermen. This was an interesting group, from full time pros to amateurs whose real jobs included a judge, a couple of doctors, and several schoolteachers. Ray started to enjoy their company and realized he’d been silly to have been so nervous. Almost immediately, people were giving him advice and tips—while it was technically a competi
tion, for most of the participants it was just fun.
Ray’s first day wasn’t a disaster. While he didn’t catch anything to keep, following Tyee’s directions of releasing anything that wasn’t large enough to be considered for the trophy, he did catch fish. He started to wonder if Tyee was right to have Ray going only for the largest fish caught, but he stuck with the plan.
Also according to Tyee’s instructions, he stayed in one place. This didn’t seem right to Ray. He thought it made more sense to move around and look for that perfect spot. Tyee had said no to that. He had to stay in one place—there were plenty of fish all over the lake, so moving would just waste time and fuel. Tyee had become very bossy in the last few days before the tournament.
“Tyee, I did exactly what you told me to do today, and I don’t have a fish.”
They were sitting on Ray’s cabin porch enjoying a beer.
“You’re doing fine, Ray. Just keep doing the same thing tomorrow. You may not catch the biggest fish—remember no matter what anybody says, there is an element of luck involved—but on the other hand, you may. If you do it the way you want to it’ll feel busy but you’ll lessen your chances of winning.”
“I don’t remember you being so smug before.”
“Probably you weren’t listening.”
Sue came out and put in her two cents.
“Boys, please don’t fight—it upsets the womenfolk.”
They laughed and said they sure the hell didn’t want to upset the womenfolk.
Happy had noticeably improved over the last few days. The swelling was gone and he was walking normally. He was out in the yard chasing imaginary critters of some sort.
