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Dean had already considered this possibility. He’d confess his sins and ask for forgiveness from the good father. There’d be no way he’d bear witness against him in court. “Nope.”
“It seems to me all they can actually charge you with is resisting arrest and assault on a police officer. You could get five years for assaulting a police officer in the performance of their duties.” Stone leaned back in his chair. “They’ve defined the assault—in the statement it doesn’t mention that you knocked her over. It says an openhanded slap and you dispute that, but if knocking her down is under their definition of resisting arrest and you plead guilty, you may walk or get a month, maybe two.” He sighed. “The magistrate’s list is open. You’ll get bail this afternoon, if we can push this through now. Plead guilty and, worse case, you do a month in county.”
Thinking, Dean stared at his hands. “And if the DA believes the cops? I get five years, right?”
“That’s why you pay me the big bucks.” James Stone smiled at him. “We’ll do an interview, but allow me to do most of the talking. I’ll shoot their charges down in flames.”
Sixteen
The morning had turned into a whirlwind of a day for Jenna. After locking up Errol Dean and contacting the only available lawyer in town, James Stone, to represent him, she went over her list of charges and waited to interview her prisoner. To Jenna’s surprise, Mayor Rockford walked into the office and went straight to her desk. “Can I help you, Mayor Rockford?”
“You sure can.” He gave her a skeptical look. Walters
had obviously called him about finding a replacement. “Stand up, Deputy Alton. It seems I have little choice but to swear you in as Black Rock Falls acting sheriff—it’s only temporary. We’ll see who the townsfolk decide on at the election.”
Being sworn in was surreal. Convinced she’d wake up soon and find herself still on the flight to Black Rock Falls, Jenna took the badge he offered her and stared at it in disbelief. “Thank you. I won’t let you down.”
“You can be assured I’ll be watching you very closely.” Mayor Rockford frowned. “Maybe the townsfolk will come to you to complain instead of me for a change.”
At least, I’ll do something. Jenna lifted her chin and took in the measure of the man. There was something about him she didn’t like. She had that gnawing in her gut that told her something about his overzealous charm wasn’t quite right. Pushing down her rising doubt, she nodded. “I’ll be sure to listen and deal with any problems that arise. I don’t particularly like the lenient spousal abuse laws you have, and I’ll be using whatever powers I have at my disposal to make sure women and any men who are being abused are protected.”
“Well, the majority decides in this town. If you want my advice, leave it until after the election. You don’t want to turn the folks against you. People in Black Rock Falls don’t like change.” Rockford gave her a nod of dismissal and glided out the office on a cloud of cologne.
Trying to keep her mind on the task at hand, Jenna swore in Jake Rowley and had Walters organize his uniforms and weapon. She walked out to speak to Maggie on the front counter. “Where is the sheriff’s office? Is there a room set aside here or do we all work at these desks?”
“The sheriff’s office is that door over there.” Maggie’s eyes dropped to the counter. “No one has been in there since the sheriff died. His wife came and took his nameplate from the door, seeing she’d paid for it herself.” She lifted her gaze. “I have the keys right here.” She opened a drawer, took out a bunch of keys and handed them to her.
“Okay, thanks.” Jenna smiled. “Can you order a nameplate that just says sheriff for me, please?”
“Right away.” Maggie smiled and her eyes lit up. “It’s sure good having you in town, Jenna.”
Smiling, Jenna headed for the door. “I’ll get at it. Give me a call when Mr. Stone allows me to interview the prisoner.”
The office smelled of stale air heavy with the odor of musky male sweat. Not the kind from a freshly showered hardworking male, but sour like an unwashed sock. She pinched her nose and flung open the windows. A cool breeze rushed inside, bringing with it the scent of pine trees with a hint of freshly baked bread. She stood for a moment, taking in the panoramic vista before her. The sheriff’s department sat on the highest point of Main, to the south she could see all the way down Main to the park and even make out the sign over Aunt Betty’s Café. To the north, Main turned into Stanton and bordered Stanton Forest, a boundless sea of pine trees that ended at the foot of a mountain range of black granite bearing the name of the town and county. Blue skies stretched out without a cloud in sight and in the distance two eagles soared, gliding around in circles on a thermal current. It was as if she’d stepped into a dream, for nothing before this had ever looked so beautiful.
With reluctance, she turned back to the messy office. It could be nice again with a good cleaning. The room held a whiteboard, a good wide desk, chairs, and a computer that could probably do with an update. Filing cabinets stood to one side and under the window was a small kitchenette. A refrigerator under a benchtop, a sink, a coffeemaker with a line of green mold floating on top, and a pile of dirty cups and plates. Along one wall was a closet and a gun locker displaying a good selection of weapons: pistols, rifles, and shotguns.
She checked out the mess on the table and found nothing of interest. Newspapers and scribbled notes she tossed into the trash. She found a daybook inside the desk drawer and flipped through it finding nothing of great interest at all. Missing dogs, traffic violations, and reports of sales of stolen Native American artifacts at the last rodeo, but it seemed the previous sheriff had done nothing to apprehend the culprits.
She heard a sound at the door and turned to see Maggie. “Has Mr. Stone finished?”
“Yeah, he said you can speak to his client now.” Maggie peered around the room. “It’s a bit of a mess. The old sheriff didn’t like the cleaners coming in. He preferred it lived in, so he said.”
Jenna wrinkled her nose. “What’s the chance of getting a crew in to clean this place up? I can’t work in here and I won’t have time to fix it up myself.” She glanced back at the room. “I don’t have a problem paying for it myself, if necessary.”
“You won’t have to do that. I’ll send the bill to the town council as usual.” Maggie smiled. “I’ll get at it now.” She headed back to her desk.
After discovering Rowley was well versed in Montana law, she pulled up her files on police procedure and sat him down before her laptop. “While we have some downtime, familiarize yourself with the procedure for various crime scenes and situations. Learn how to Mirandize a suspect, take statements, process a crime scene, and collect evidence. You’ll need to know when to arrest someone and when to take them in for questioning.”
“I’m a fast learner and I know most of this stuff. I’ve always wanted to be a deputy.” He glanced at the screen. “Can I copy the files onto a thumb drive to study at home?”
Welcoming his enthusiasm, she smiled. “Sure. You’ll learn along the way too, riding out with me every day. As soon as I’m settled, we’ll take in the practice range and find a place where I can train you. Taking down a suspect is a little different than martial arts, although you handled yourself real good today.”
“We can use my dojo. There are times when the hall is free, and I only have to ask.” Rowley grinned. “I help out there by teaching some of the kids, so I get perks.”
Jenna laughed. “Sounds good to me.” She snatched up a statement book from the desk and headed for the cells, stopping at Deputy Walters’ desk. “It’s time to interview Errol Dean. I’m going to make darn sure he can’t worm his way out of the charges.”
Seventeen
