Sunshine Valley

Tell me about the voice 

     Sheriff Pace was lying on his stomach on a bluff overlooking Coal Town peering through a telephoto lens. He knew the DEA had 2 agents in Coal Town but he had no idea who they were. 

     He hated this community being called ‘Coal Town’. Everyone goes through bad stuff from time to time. Coal Town collected the bad. The ugly. The desperate. Not just from Sunshine Valley. People from all over the U.S. had been arrested coming and going.

     Twice a month, he and Bradley would take turns watching Coal Town. A fear lived in him that they would have to bring another officer in on the watch. Since inflation had gone through the roof, the population of Coal Town seemed to be growing. 

     He wouldn’t allow his deputies to raid Coal Town. If the state or the feds wanted to, more power to’em. His deputies would get people coming in and out of this community.  He wasn’t naive enough to think that all the bad would stay contained. It did spill out. But at least here, people had access to water and shelter. He was adamant that they be supplied with clean needles, narcan, blankets (when the weather turned). 

Social workers, volunteers, church ministers were free to visit anytime they liked. 

     His dad had been a raging alcoholic. Looking back on it, his mom may have suffered from postpartum depression. Not having money for doctors, because his dad drank it up, his mom turned to whatever she could find. The last time he stepped foot beyond the community boundary; this 24 year old, newly minted sheriff went to retrieve his mother’s body. No one knew she had passed. His father was so drunk, he had no clue she was dead. 

     His phone vibrated in his pocket. “Sheriff Pace.” It was Sheriff Milo. Dillon let out a long sigh, “he’s out?”

     “No. No. Oh, no.” Milo apologized. “No. I’m calling on a personal matter. Dillon let his breath out. Relieved Greenroll was still behind bars.  “I’m calling to ask,” he cleared his throat. “The lady that answered the phone, what can you tell me about her?”

     Dillon thought for a minute, Margaret? “About all I know is that she’s a widow. Her husband’s been dead about 2 years.”

     Milo laughed, “that’s all I need to know. Thanks.” And hung up. 

     Dillon laughed to himself, you go girl. 

Sunshine Valley