“Well, I wasn’t expecting someone to sneak up on me. I was just trying to see whether I was at the right house, that this was the vehicle I saw earlier, when I noticed you inside.”
“And now you know it was. Why are you sneaking around up here in a truck that I know darn well isn’t yours? What do you want, Collier? I told you not to try to get me to go back. And I’m sure as hell not going to beg the mayor to rehire me. I’m done.” Beau handed him back his gun.
Collier holstered it. “I borrowed a vehicle I impounded yesterday from one of the town’s resident drunks. I didn’t want you to recognize me when I followed you.”
Beau swore.
“And what I want,” Collier continued, “the first thing at least, is for you to call me Chris. We’re no longer boss and employee. It would be nice not to be called by my last name anymore.”
“That’s why you came here? To complain that I should be less formal?”
“No, but you gave me an opening. So I took it. Beau.”
“Don’t press your luck. Collier.”
Collier cleared his throat. “Right. Not ready for first names. Okay, Chief. I mean, um—”
“Dawson works. What do you want?”
“If you’re absolutely positive you’re not going to be the chief anymore, my coming here is a moot point. But I was going to tell you that as soon as I got back in the station they held the vote. Want to know the result?”
“The result doesn’t matter.”
Collier crossed his arms. “You’re not the least bit curious?”
Beau was about to lie, but he sighed instead. “I’ll probably regret asking. What was the vote?”
“Us officers didn’t get to cast a ballot. And the voting was anonymous—just folded slips of paper in a cup. Then the mayor’s assistant counted them out. Boss, it was twelve to one in favor of keeping you on as the chief. And we both know who the one was.”
“The mayor.”
“Yep. It’s all about the money to him, specifically the Jericho family’s lawsuit, not what’s right or wrong. Anyway, there’s no reason for you to worry about begging the mayor for your job back. Just rescind your resignation. The town council will support you a hundred percent. Heck, after this little coup attempt the mayor will be lucky if he doesn’t get thrown out of office.”
“I’m not coming back.”
Collier’s smile faded. “I don’t understand. You love being chief. And you’re good at it. Obviously everyone who matters—everyone besides the mayor—agrees.”
“Not the Jerichos. And not Tanya, either, I’d guess. Since she’s a minor, she’s not officially part of her parents’ lawsuit. But I can’t imagine them stirring all of this up if she wasn’t okay with it.”
“They’re acting based on emotion. They don’t understand how investigations work, how we have to follow the evidence, and if there isn’t any, we’re at a dead end. It’s not your fault that—”
“It is my fault, Collier. I’m the one who put an end to the search for Tanya. If I hadn’t, if I’d pushed a little harder, we might have gotten one more tip, one more lead that would have helped us find her. The case went cold, and we moved on based on my decision.”
“There’s not a law enforcement person in this county who could legitimately fault the decision you made. We spent months trying to find her. The mayor himself pressured you to stop long before we did even though he seems to have forgotten that. I specifically remember him saying you were wasting resources. If anyone should be fired or quit, it’s him. Come back, Chief. We need you. Not that inexperienced joke the mayor’s talking about potentially hiring.”
“He’s already got a replacement lined up?”
Collier sighed. “He declared me as acting chief, for now. But he said he wants the new official chief to be someone who knows our procedures already, someone who can step right into the job and keep things going smoothly.” He pressed a hand to his heart, as if in physical pain. “He’s planning to track down and offer the job to that narcissistic loser, Kevin Sumner.”
Beau stared at him in surprise, wondering if he could have possibly heard him correctly. “Sumner? The officer who worked for us two years ago for a whole three months before I fired him for incompetence? That Kevin Sumner?”
“One and the same. Apparently some tiny department a few counties over, an even smaller department than ours, was desperate for warm bodies to fill their seats and hired him. I can’t imagine they aren’t regretting that decision. He’s likely been put on notice and is on a mandatory improvement plan, one step away from being fired just like what happened here. If the town council approves the offer, the mayor will extend it. And we both know Sumner will jump at the chance to boss around everyone who used to tell him what to do. You have to come back. I can’t work for that idiot. I’ll either be fired for insubordination or will come under suspicion after Sumner goes mysteriously missing.”
Beau leaned back against the Jeep. “I’m sorry. I truly am. But I can’t go back. Not now. I’ve already got another job.”
Collier’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s impossible. You just resigned an hour ago, if that. Wait. Is that what you’ve been doing during your administrative leave? Interviewing for other jobs? You planned all along to ditch us?”
The hurt in his former officer’s eyes had Beau regretting even telling him. “Not at all. I spent my time reexamining my life, considering what I wanted to do going forward. Even if there hadn’t been a vote, I’d likely have quit. If nothing else, my resignation helps the Jerichos feel better. And I’m not fit for dutyright now, regardless. I’m not the confident man I was before everything happened with Tanya and the Phantom. I doubt myself every damn day, every decision I make. That’s not the kind of man who should be leading others.”
