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“You the folks from Fort Collins looking to identify the body?” The hat lifted as a deep voice spoke. The man beneath had pale skin highlighted by ruddy cheeks. His nearly black, hard eyes scanned the car as he leaned close enough to the window that Vera pulled back.
The spice of his aftershave crawled up her nose, its sharp notes stinging as they went. It was invasive, like him.
“How’d you know who we were?” Teddi asked, leaning forward enough to be able to rest her chin on Vera’s shoulder.
The Sheriff sucked a tooth loudly, eyes squinting as he looked each one of them over again. “Not a lot of people just wander into Sylen. Or maybe you hadn’t noticed.”
Vera instantly hated the way his too large mouth smeared into a cocky smile. She’d met a hundred men like him. Too confident, given too much power, so sure of themselves, left too long unchecked. He wreaked of ill-placed authority like a second layer of aftershave.
Sensing this could go one of two ways with a single comment, she pushed down her instinct on the kind of man he was and slipped into the version of her she knew would fit best. Professional, clear-cut, get-the-job-done-Vera. “Well then I guess we’re lucky you found us. Since you have no street signs here, would you be able to point us towards the morgue? We’ve got an appointment as I’m sure you know, Sheriff… ” she looked at the brass bar above the pocket on his breast. “Malis.”
Vera met his roaming gaze as his fingers drummed above her head. They watched one another, the air a bubble waiting to pop upon his reaction.
He slapped the roof and barked a laugh. A loud, sharp note. Vera had to force herself not to jump.
“Of course! Got to give you the proper Sylen welcome. Even if it is under such unfortunate circumstances.” He rested his hand above his heart like he was saying the pledge of allegiance, his thick pinky hitting the Sheriff’s badge. His bottom lip pushed out and it reminded Vera of a child. It felt more like mocking than genuine empathy, setting her teeth on edge. “Come on, I’ll take you into town so you can make your appointment with our coroner.” Another smack against the metal roof and he turned back to his cruiser.
No one moved a muscle. Vera’s eyes tracked him in the side mirror but her chest hadn’t risen. Sheriff Malis gave them one last pointed look beneath his hat before getting in his vehicle and pulling back onto the road.
“Why didn’t you just tell him you’re FBI?” Ximena asked as she watched him pull out in front of them. Swallowing the bile in her throat at the sense of what kind of man Sheriff Malis may be, Vera followed.
“I don’t have my badge and he would probably take it as me trying to encroach on his investigation.” The taste of the lie made her swallow hard. Her badge and service weapon were confiscated when she was pulled from duty.
“Why don’t you have your badge?” Of course Teddi noticed the faint edge in her tone, sensing there may be more to the story. She’d always been able to hear more than Vera said and see more than she’d meant to show. It was why she was who she was. A people-reader, a charmer. Damn good at her job as a PI, if Vera had to guess.
Realizing she wasn’t getting an answer, Teddi leaned back in her seat. The haze of the fog didn’t allow them to keep much distance between them and Sheriff Malis’ glowing red taillights. Without using a blinker, he turned left off the main road quickly. Only with the window down was Vera able to see that what looked like a one-way ticket to a collision with a tree was actually another road.
Slapping her hands on her thighs, Ximena looked at both women incredulously. “Isn’t anyone going to talk about how creepy he was? And how he showed up out of nowhere like he was waiting for us? And why was he acting like it’s weird to have visitors? Or that viewing a body is a normal thing?” Her voice pitched higher with each question. Teddi laughed. It was tight and forced.
“Small town cop with nothing to do but pull people over for petty traffic citations, I’m sure. We’re probably the first people he’s gotten to mess with all week.” Teddi squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Mimi. It’s like Vera said, it’ll all be fine.” Glancing at the rearview again, Vera and Teddi shared another look.
Another blind turn around the invading woods and the road opened up to two lanes, splitting like branches of a tree. Signs of life finally emerged as he drove them into what appeared to be the center of town. The lanes split around a large public square, the flat cement-like space was decorated with only a wooden structure shaped similar to a hitching post.
A string of businesses were dotted along the road. A diner, a minute grocery store and a barber shop took up the space along the edge of the road. Vera noticed the few faces along the sidewalks and in shop windows, each one staring back at their presence in surprise. The lanes came together again as a few more low-profile buildings decorated the sides of the road. It seemed well-maintained but aged, as if more funding was spent on upkeep rather than building new.
Every inch that wasn’t taken over by asphalt or man-made structures had the blackened fingers of the woodland poking through, trying to reach into the barely unoccupied spaces. It reminded her of the story of the tree that swallowed up a bicycle that had been left leaning on it. It didn’t care what was in its way, it would push on.
Following the Sheriff’s blinker, a large white sign read ‘Sylen Sheriff Department’ in blue letters outside a small building. The sign appeared to be freshly cleaned, the dark hedges around it neatly trimmed.
“I guess this is us,” Vera remarked as she pulled into one of only five parking spots.
Unfurling his large body from his vehicle, Sheriff Malis stood in front of their car, hands on his hips as he waited. The wide brim of his hat failed to hide his thinly-veiled patience.
As Vera reached for the handle, Ximena’s hand whipped out, latching onto her wrist. “I don’t think I can do this.” Eyes full of unshed tears, she began to tremble.
She dealt with hundreds of victims. Ones who experienced violent crime, families of victims, informants and bystanders. She interviewed and intervened more times than she could count. The way a heavy tear rolled down her sister’s face turned a different kind of pain in her chest. Her best friend, her confidant, her closest family, she never thought she’d live to see her as a victim too.
Vera grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. “I know you’re scared, Mimi.” She wiped away another tear. “That’s completely normal. We’re about to answer a question no one should ever have to ask. But I promise you, we’ll deal with it together.” She took in a shaky breath, knowing what she needed to say and how much it meant to Ximena who hired and trusted her ex to help her when she couldn’t. “Side by side, Teddi and I are with you. Whatever happens in there, we’ll take care of it together.”
Sheriff Malis hollered something inaudible, tapping on the hood.
Another unsteady breath and Ximena squeezed her eyes shut. “Ok.” Her whispered confirmation was all they needed. They trailed after the Sheriff into the squat building. As promised, Teddi stood on Ximena’s left, Vera on her right, hands interlocked. The warm air of the station enveloped them as they entered an empty reception area.
“Excuse me.” A Deputy pushed past them out the door, forcing them to separate. Chin tucked, Vera could make out little more than brown hair beneath his tan hat. She watched him hurry to a cruiser at the far end of the lot without looking back.
Another deputy sporting an auburn high and tight sat at the reception desk, a toothpick between his yellowed teeth. Long lines of wrinkles were etched across his high forehead as if his brows were perpetually reaching for his hairline. He looked them over like a dog assessing strangers in its house. She offered a polite nod he didn’t return before turning back to his cell phone.
“The morgue at the back is small but it does the trick.” The Sheriff described it as if it was a house tour, his demeanor proud as his hand waved across the station. “We’ll let you get a look at his face and determine whether or not you know the identity of the victim. Quick and painless.” Ximena squeezed Vera’s hand hard enough to make her bones ache.
