“No accounting for luck.”As the résumé described, when Mike had finished his first tour with the Marines, he’d started college on the GI bill, and got his degree in criminal justice while working LAPD.
The chief read awhile. Then he lifted his eyes again. “What’s your mission here?”
“Here? In your office or in Virgin River?”
“Okay, my office.”
“I just want to say hello. I’m going around to the departments. If the meter reads No Help Wanted, I’m not signing that contract. If the local cops think they can stand having a guy like me helping out in Virgin River, I might go with it, see what I can do.”
“A guy like you?”
“Ex-cop,” he said. “I know at least as many ex-cops as cops. I realize most of us come with a lot of baggage, a lot of stories. I used to get real bored with ’em, real tired of all the drama. And here I am—one of them. With drama. With a big story.” He shrugged. “I’m checking out how that goes over. It’s only fair. To you guys.”
“This department doesn’t have any presence in Virgin River….”
“There’s always the chance a problem in Virgin River could connect to your town, your department—in which case I’d like to think there’s someone I could talk to over here.”
The chief seemed to think a moment. He almost smiled. “And the disability?”
“I’m as close to a hundred percent as a guy can get. It was mainly the shoulder,” he said, working it a little bit. “It’s all good. I can shoot straight, angle just fine. I’ve got a left arm that’s getting better all the time.”
“But you’re taking the comp, the disability.”
“Damn straight,” Mike said with a nod. “I paid into it forfifteen years and it wasn’t the first time a weapon was fired my way. I’m just a working guy. But you know, I’m so damn lucky—the head works, the brain seems okay. I’d like you to know something—if I’d had a chance to talk my way out of that shooting, I might have tried, but it wasn’t like that.” He nodded toward the paperwork. “There’s a report available, if you want it. I was kind of… I was ambushed. That’s all. It was a jump into a gang, and picking off the sergeant was a coup. So… That’s it. I thought I’d come up here and—”
“You could get a good job with a résumé like this. There are lots of places—private industry, corrections, small departments…”
“Yeah, thanks,” he said, chuckling. “That’s nice, I appreciate it. Go ahead and call some folks for references. There are lots of names on that résumé there—and you can get all the numbers of people not on the résumé. If I can help out in Virgin River, great. If it’s a problem—I got a lot of fish to catch.”
“How much can there be to do in Virgin River?” Andersen asked.
“Hopefully, not a lot,” Mike answered. He nodded toward the pictures on the credenza. “Beautiful family,” he said. “Good-looking dog,” he added.
“She’s yours,” the chief said. Then he smiled. “The dog.”
It was Mike’s turn to smile. “You wouldn’t give away that dog,” he returned.
“Nah, but I might trade her for enough dirt to fill the holes in the yard. Try me.”
Mike laughed and stuck out his hand, which Andersen shook. “Thanks, Chief. Enjoyed it.” He gave a nod, the chief gave a nod and Mike left.
To be met with some suspicion and reluctance was not unexpected, but it didn’t make the experience very inviting. Mike was damn glad he wasn’t looking for work. He had to fight himself to keep from being a little insulted; he was a decorated police officer from a big…no, huge department. But he reminded himself this was their turf. He was an interloper.
Despite the fact it was intimidating and difficult, he visited the Eureka department, the sheriff’s department, Garberville police, Grace Valley, a few other small towns that had local police, sometimes just one or two cops. The initial reaction was always the same.
The chief read awhile. Then he lifted his eyes again. “What’s your mission here?”
“Here? In your office or in Virgin River?”
“Okay, my office.”
“I just want to say hello. I’m going around to the departments. If the meter reads No Help Wanted, I’m not signing that contract. If the local cops think they can stand having a guy like me helping out in Virgin River, I might go with it, see what I can do.”
“A guy like you?”
“Ex-cop,” he said. “I know at least as many ex-cops as cops. I realize most of us come with a lot of baggage, a lot of stories. I used to get real bored with ’em, real tired of all the drama. And here I am—one of them. With drama. With a big story.” He shrugged. “I’m checking out how that goes over. It’s only fair. To you guys.”
“This department doesn’t have any presence in Virgin River….”
“There’s always the chance a problem in Virgin River could connect to your town, your department—in which case I’d like to think there’s someone I could talk to over here.”
The chief seemed to think a moment. He almost smiled. “And the disability?”
“I’m as close to a hundred percent as a guy can get. It was mainly the shoulder,” he said, working it a little bit. “It’s all good. I can shoot straight, angle just fine. I’ve got a left arm that’s getting better all the time.”
“But you’re taking the comp, the disability.”
“Damn straight,” Mike said with a nod. “I paid into it forfifteen years and it wasn’t the first time a weapon was fired my way. I’m just a working guy. But you know, I’m so damn lucky—the head works, the brain seems okay. I’d like you to know something—if I’d had a chance to talk my way out of that shooting, I might have tried, but it wasn’t like that.” He nodded toward the paperwork. “There’s a report available, if you want it. I was kind of… I was ambushed. That’s all. It was a jump into a gang, and picking off the sergeant was a coup. So… That’s it. I thought I’d come up here and—”
“You could get a good job with a résumé like this. There are lots of places—private industry, corrections, small departments…”
“Yeah, thanks,” he said, chuckling. “That’s nice, I appreciate it. Go ahead and call some folks for references. There are lots of names on that résumé there—and you can get all the numbers of people not on the résumé. If I can help out in Virgin River, great. If it’s a problem—I got a lot of fish to catch.”
“How much can there be to do in Virgin River?” Andersen asked.
“Hopefully, not a lot,” Mike answered. He nodded toward the pictures on the credenza. “Beautiful family,” he said. “Good-looking dog,” he added.
“She’s yours,” the chief said. Then he smiled. “The dog.”
It was Mike’s turn to smile. “You wouldn’t give away that dog,” he returned.
“Nah, but I might trade her for enough dirt to fill the holes in the yard. Try me.”
Mike laughed and stuck out his hand, which Andersen shook. “Thanks, Chief. Enjoyed it.” He gave a nod, the chief gave a nod and Mike left.
To be met with some suspicion and reluctance was not unexpected, but it didn’t make the experience very inviting. Mike was damn glad he wasn’t looking for work. He had to fight himself to keep from being a little insulted; he was a decorated police officer from a big…no, huge department. But he reminded himself this was their turf. He was an interloper.
Despite the fact it was intimidating and difficult, he visited the Eureka department, the sheriff’s department, Garberville police, Grace Valley, a few other small towns that had local police, sometimes just one or two cops. The initial reaction was always the same.
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