[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
so it was wet too, but again, she didn t care. Then she rooted through his dresser until she found a T-shirt and pulled it on, along with a pair of drawstring gym shorts. Finally, she stumbled over to Zach s bed and crawled in, inhaling deeply when her face burrowed into the pillow. Even through the residual smoke clinging to her nostrils, she could detect Zach s scent. She hugged his pillow close as she drifted off to sleep. * * * * About forty minutes after Zach returned to the office, a call came in from one of the deputies out looking for the Benedict and Hendricks boys. Sure enough, not only had they still been out joyriding, they d also been drinking and had a half-full bag of marijuana with them as well as floor mats full of ash. And in the bed of the pickup, the deputies found an empty can of kerosene and bits of fresh horse manure. Both boys had been brought in and processed. The next day, Laney s neighbor would be asked to pick them out of a lineup, adding even more to the case against them. Mick Wilding had been woken up by an angry mayor and was already trying to explain the benefits of a plea bargain, which would include therapy and anger management sessions, as well as a little time at a juvenile facility. Since both boys were almost seventeen, Zach requested they be tried as adults, but he knew that would be set aside in the bargaining. That was fine. All he cared was that the fires stopped, Parker and Jacob were cleared, and most importantly, that Laney was safe. Under questioning, they d explained a little more about their motives. When they d seen suspicion fall on Jacob and Parker, their petty vengeance had escalated, until they d lost all sense of right or wrong. With their girlfriends cheering them on, they d soon moved on to trying to one up each other to impress the ladies and maybe get Parker and Jake out of school for good. The girls had sung completely, and their charges of impeding an investigation and attempted fraud would probably be bargained down to some community service. Both of them had looked and seemed terrified, so he thought they d learned their lesson. Apparently, the mailbox fires had just been a prank, since they were angry at the principal. Dawn was tinting the eastern skyline a pale shade of purple when he finally got into his car and headed home. It was weird to have to knock on his own side door, but he d given his keys to Matthews, who d parked the cruiser prominently in the street. Even though he d spoken to her when the boys were brought in, she d offered to stay with the witness until he got home, which relieved his mind. Morning, boss. After checking his identity through the glass, she opened the door and let him in. I have to say, these last few hours were pretty light duty. She went upstairs, showered and I haven t heard a peep since. I never got a glimpse of a black pickup, so I don t think they even did a drive-by. Thanks. Zach tried valiantly not to yawn, but failed. Goodnight, Matthews. I owe you one. She grinned. I ll take that marker. Never know when you ll need a last-minute shift change. Good night, sir. If you don t mind my saying so, you look like hell. I never mind the truth, Deputy. He held the door as she walked away with a mocking salute that turned into a friendly wave. His people had really pulled together tonight, especially since this was a team he hadn t worked with before. It was kind of a shock how easily he d assumed the mantle of command. He hadn t even gotten any grief from the judge when he d called for the warrant. On his way up the stairs, he came to the realization that he was going to accept the job of senior deputy, despite his earlier misgivings. While he didn t think he wanted to be the permanent sheriff just yet, he did want the job eventually, when his dad was ready to retire. According to the doctors, Walt should be back at work in a couple months, so he d want his desk back. In the senior deputy position, though, Zach would be able to lighten the sheriff s load, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |