Getting close to…

     Dillon and Evie were sitting on a little hill beside a dirt road, watching the lumber mill. It was a peaceful day. 

     “Do you think we should have tried to keep the baby?” He finally asked, staring at the ground. 

     “What do you think?”

     He pulled at a piece of road side straw. “Sometimes I think it would be amazin’ bein’ a parent. But the overall fear that I will be the kind of parents mine were, freezes me in my tracks.”

     “Havin’ a girl would be the worst.” Evie smiled. “I still have flash backs of my mom lordin’ over me tellin’ me that ‘you’re not pretty enough. Sit up straight. Beauty is pain. If you eat dessert every night with dinner, you’ll get fat as a hog and no man will want you’. I can see me spewin’ that filth. All it does is destroy your self esteem. And create hard feelings toward that parent.  Life is so fragile.”

     She scooted closer to him, angling her body toward his, wrapping her arms around his knee. “Are you okay?”

     “Since the box,” he paused. How was he gonna say this? “I’ve been dreamin’. The same type of dream. I’m in my uniform and a child and I are walkin’ hand in hand up the driveway. The child has on a backpack so I assume he just got off the bus.”

     “A boy?” Evie asked sweetly. 

     “I think so.”

     “Is this why you’ve been wakin’ with a start some nights?”

     He was a little stunned, ‘she felt that’? “Yeah.”

     “Is a child something you want?”

     He looked at her face for a long moment. “I think I’m just feelin’ my age.”

     “Pray about it.” 

     “I thought,”

     She gently continued, “if this is a path God wants us to walk down, I will need for you not to live at work. Even though I work from home, it’s not fair that everything be on my shoulders. I understand that you have a stressful job with massive amounts of responsibility. Your priorities will have to shift in a major way.”

     She was right on all counts. “Pray,” he smiled, then sighed, “I did something I wasn’t supposed to do. ‘Cause of the comment you made, I asked Patty to do a DNA test on the baby.”

     “Deek was the dad,” Evie answered.

     “Yelp, I will end up deputizing you yet.” He sighed then smiled.

     “So Calvin found out he wasn’t the father, discovered who the real father was and did a little private justice?”

     “That is how it appears on the surface.”

     “Where is the mom?”

     “I’m guessing Coal Town. We have been camped out at her mother’s and her grandma’s, hoping she will surface.”

     “Why not go to Coal Town if you think that’s where she’s at?”

     “That is very complicated.” He sighed, “you have such insights on this, do you feel like you know who has been harassing you?”

     “It’s not Doug.” She answered flatly. 

     “Then who?”

     “I haven’t worked that out yet.”

     “Haven’t been here in a while. Sometimes I just come here and sit. Think. Close my eyes and listen to the sounds of the mill.” He smiled a sad smile, “have even fallen asleep.” He trailed his thumb across her cheek, “To answer your question, I’m okay, happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”

     She was about to speak, when the ground shook violently. Her gut reaction was the squeeze his knee tighter. “What?”

     Off to his left, thick black smoke boiled up. It looked like an angry monster against the peace of the bright blue sky. 

     Dillon hissed, “Coal Town.” They ran to his truck as he drove at a high rate of speed toward Coal Town. Panicked voices flowed from the c.b. He picked up the receiver, telling the dispatcher he was on his way. 

     To get to Coal Town, you had to drive across a bridge.  Once across, the bridge was surrounded by shrubs and litter. Overflowing trash cans covered with graffiti. The smell was overwhelming. 

     Dillon slammed the truck to a stop, slightly out of the way. More help would be arriving as he told the dispatcher what he saw. “Send in the calvary.”

     Coal Town had once been a busy hub for the largest mine in Sunshine Valley. At its height, it had employed thousands of people. Many lived right here. They lived in company housing. Saw the company doctor. Got paid with script issued by the company. And shopped in the company store. It was a separate economy all on its own.

     Over time as the mine stopped producing. The old timers called it ‘dried up’. People moved away. Many to big cities like Detroit to work in the car plants. They would come home driving their big shiny trucks. Some waggin’ boats to show off to their families. Some, like Dillon’s dad, couldn’t make it. Came home with his tail between his legs and crawled into a bottle. His dad never made it to Coal Town. But his mom did. 

     When Dillon came to Coal Town, he never made it past where his truck was parked. This disaster was going to force him back into the belly of the beast. The image of his mother flashed across his mind as people started limping from the smoke. Some carting wounded people. Others, holding hurting body parts on their own frames. 

     Dillon and Evie started helping those they could with what they had. He knew better than to run head long into the smoke. He would only be creating one more victim. 

The box

     Evie was walkin’ round the department (outside), stretchin’ her legs. Dillon had called and asked her if she cared to come get him. It had been a grueling day. After the ditch incident, it worried him that he would hurt himself. Or worse, someone else. Sadly it was almost midnight and he was just gettin’ everything wrapped up. 

     As Evie circled back behind the building, a baby started screaming. It took her completely by surprise. The noise was coming from a weird box that was next to a none-descript door. She had passed it before but didn’t pay it much attention. 

     She questioned herself if she should open the box, hovering over it. Suddenly, it stopped. She convinced herself, it was all in her head. 

     Dillon opened the door for her with a baby in his arms.  Evie gasped, “where did it come from?”

     “Out of the box. Want to hold him?”

     “Why was there a baby in that box?”

     Dillon slid the baby into her cradled arms.  “He had a note pinned to the little chest of his shirt, ‘I’ve destroyed too many lives. I will not destroy another one’. The box is a Safe Haven box. There’s one at the hospital. One at each fire station. Honestly, I never thought anyone would use this one. Mothers in crisis who are unable to care for their newborns can anonymously surrender an infant.”

     “This is heartbreaking.”

     “But if someone adopts and loves him. Isn’t he better off?” 

     Evie walked around, cooing to the now silent baby. “It’s sad that the mother felt so desperate. That had to be gut wrenching.”

     “At the same time, it took tremendous courage.”

     Tiny came out from the back, with the mouth piece of her headset bent over her head. “I thought I heard an alarm. Someone really used it.” Evie held the baby out to her. “Oh no. Children hate me.” She looked back and forth between Evie and Dillon. “Are you gonna keep him?”

     Evie and Dillon just stared at each other, she spoke first. “Is that even an option?”

     “I don’t know what the process is once we take him to the hospital. I’ve not had this happen before. I assume he will go into the foster care system.”

     As Evie and Dillon drove to the hospital, she asked, “you said you didn’t think anyone would use the baby box at the sheriff’s department?” He moaned an acknowledgment, while holding the baby as she drove. “Do you think it could be connected to Deek?” Dillon was stunned by the comment. When he didn’t speak, she continued, “all the deputies know about that box. As I’m sure their families. Is someone trying to tell you something?”

     “I may have to deputize you yet.”

The funeral

     Evie’s heart skipped a beat as she stepped into the bedroom, Dillon had on a very nice uniform. She collected herself, “does that uniform have a name?”

     Dillon gave her a sad smile. “Not formally. We have our tactical uniforms that we wear every day. And our dress uniforms for such occasions.” She held up the jacket for him. As he slid his arms in, he spoke, “I realize this is askin’ a lot.” He paused. “As much as you can,” He held her hands. Playing with her fingers. “I need you today Evie.”

     She held his face, “I will be as close as I can get to you.”

     The minute they got to the funeral home, they saw Banks being bombarded by the press. As they approached the steps, Banks spoke, “this is not the place for your questions.”

     A woman chimed over the crowd, “why so much police prescents? Feeling guilty?”

     As Dillon held the door open for Evie, Banks took a breath to open his mouth but Dillon pulled him inside before he could speak. 

     When they got back home after the service, Evie walked past the bathroom door, going to the bedroom to change. She saw Dillon’s shoes. There he sat, in the floor, behind the door. When she touched him, he fell apart. She wrapped her arms around him and would be right beside him, as long as he needed her to be. 

     A week later, Dillon was settin’ at the kitchen table, there were papers and receipts all over the place. 

     “Need help?” She sat with him, coffee in hand. 

     He looked at her for a long moment. “I wouldn’t know where to start.”

     “What ja doin’?”

     “Deek didn’t have any insurance. I’m figuring out how much everything cost. We did the ‘in leu of flowers’ but still came up short. I need to prove that none of my deputies got paid for that. It was all voluntary. No department funds were used. Show where the money came from. And publish it in the paper.”

     “You really do run a transparent office.”

     “We do our best to. It’s important to me that we are good stewards of government money. It belongs to the people of Sunshine Valley.”

     “Was that an officers burial you gave Deek?”

     “It was.”

      “And the press is screamin’ you did it for show because your deputy killed him?”

     He gave a heavy sigh, “Sunshine Sue being the loudest.”

     

     “How short are you?”

     “$1,500.00.”

     “I’ll do a private donation.”

     “You don’t have to do that.”

     “I know. This is important to you. And you are important to me.”

     He kissed the top of her hand. “Thank you.”

Round 2

Contains language some readers may find offensive.

     Bradley, Dillon, and Clint took turns (in teams) questioning Calvin. At first, they got nothing. He just sat in his chair and rocked. They took a break for lunch before deciding to try again. 

     “Round 2,” Clint smirked as he and Dillon walked into the interview room. Calvin was already there with a legal aid lawyer. 

     “Savannah,” Dillon nodded. 

     “Calvin,” Dillon started. “Have you been told that Deek is dead?”

      Through gritted teeth he moaned, “no. Filthy bastard.”

     Clint asked, “please confirm that the morning of the 25th, myself and Deputy Bradley met with you, under the direction of Dr. Stidham, you were put on leave?”

     “Bastards!” He screamed. He tried to shake the chair he was sittin’ in.

     “Please say yes or no,” Savannah encouraged. 

     “Yes, you stupid bitch.”

      Clint continued, “Deputy Bradley and myself escorted you from the property, when we did, you had on street clothes and left in your own car?”

     He just laughed. Savannah gave him a sharp look. “Yes.” He answered.

     “The cruiser you drove to Deek’s, where did you get it?” Dillon asked. 

     “Promised Todd a date with my sister if he looked the other way when I drove it off.” 

     “And the uniform?” 

      “You really do have shit for brains.” He laughed, screamed, then answered, “Halloween costume. Stupid.” He started rocking again. 

     “What were you doing at Deek’s place?” Dillon asked. 

     The acidic smell of urine flooded the room. Calvin started laughing and bouncing in his seat. “Meetin’ over. I pissed myself.”

     “Savannah,” Dillon looked at her. She shrugged.

     “Ah hell nah. It’s in-human makin’ me sit in my own piss.”

     “Maybe you should have asked for a break.” Clint spoke. 

     “I wanted to beat some sense into the reject. Make him stop messin’ with my girl.”

     “I had heard you were having relationship troubles. Care to tell us about those?” Clint asked. 

     Calvin passed gas. It was toxic. The three adults in the room covered their noses but continued the conversation. “You know what’s next,” he howled.

     “Tell us about your relationship. How was Deek messin’ with your girl?” Dillon asked. 

      Calvin tried to make a come hither stare at Savannah, “tell me something? Are all you women just alike? Cheatin’, no good, useless, pussies? I mean that’s all you’re good at right? Just a piece of ass?” He took a deep breath. “I want a male lawyer. A man. Someone with a dick. Not a pussy.”

     Dillon ended the interview with the flick of his wrist. A deputy came in and took Calvin away. Followed by the janitor. “I’m sorry about that Savannah.” Dillon apologized.

     “Thank you sheriff. But I’ve been called worse by better men.”