Page 59 of Counter Attack

The news lightened the dark cloud hanging over Nathan enough that he actually dialed Alexis this time. When she answered, he said, “Good morning, Chief Deputy Stone. How’s it going over at the sheriff’s office?”

“I know you said there’d be paperwork, Mr. Police Chief, but this much?”

He glanced over his own stack of paperwork. “It’s the part of the job I don’t like, so I try to get it out of the way by noon.” He checked his watch. Twelve ten. “Not having too much luck today.”

“Me either.” Her huff came through the phone. “It looks like no one has touched the paperwork around here since my grandfather’s heart attack ... maybe even the week before. It’ll take me days to work through this mess, and I have other things to do—like catch a murderer.”

“Remember how to eat the el—”

“This isn’t an elephant.”

He held the phone away from his ear. “Are we a bit touchy this morning, or technically, this afternoon?”

“I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault. Gramps must have beenreally unwell to let everything slide like he did.” Seconds ticked off. “And that scares me.”

“I know, Alexis, but he seemed more like himself last night.”

“You’re right. Did you get your window replaced?”

“The glass company is working on it.” Nathan glanced at the stack of papers waiting for his signature. “Can Marge help with any of your paperwork?”

“She already has.” Alexis sighed. “Look, I have less than an hour to make headway on this mess before Harvey and Mark arrive for an afternoon briefing on Gina Norman’s murder.”

“Sure. Maybe we can talk later?”

“Perfect.”

Nathan had no sooner ended the call than his cell phone rang. Alexis. “Forget something?”

“Yeah. Do you want to sit in on the briefing?”

“Definitely. Do you mind if I bring my sergeant?”

“That’s fine. The CSI team will be here as well. We’re meeting at one, so give me half an hour to address administrative issues.” She paused a second. “I’m assuming we’re keeping what went down at the field house last night quiet.”

“Yes.” Which reminded him, he needed to speak to Kayla—he thought she was supposed to come in at noon. And he needed to check with J.R.

“I figured you would. See you at one thirty.”

He called Jared and informed him of the meeting. His sergeant was at the Corner Diner eating lunch and said he’d meet him at the jail. Then Nathan skimmed through the papers on his desk, taking care of the ones that only needed his signature. He paused at a request for overtime pay for his sergeant. Nathan barely had enough funds to cover the monthly payroll. He would talk to him either before or after the briefing about using comp time instead of overtime pay.

Five minutes before he was supposed to be at the briefing,Nathan borrowed a patrol car and drove slowly through Pearl Springs. It was a pretty town laid out on a square around the courthouse. He noted the checker players had moved inside at Jamison Hardware. Not surprising with the fifty-degree temp. Until spring they would congregate around the potbelly stove at the hardware store instead of the court square. On the next block he returned a wave from Mrs. Fields on her afternoon walk as she waited at the only stoplight in town.

The town might be missing the amenities Alexis was looking for, but it had so much more to offer. In a town the size of Pearl Springs, it didn’t take long for others to know when someone was hurting and respond. Didn’t matter whether the family lived in town or out in the country. Alexis wasn’t going to find that kind of community in a big city. Or theability to drive almost anywhere in town in two minutes, including the distance from the police station to the sheriff’s department.

Jared pulled into a parking spot beside Nathan, and a cold breeze nipped at Nathan as he waited for his sergeant on the sidewalk. “Everything good at Pete’s?”

He patted his stomach. “A little too good.”

Nathan eyed Jared. The body armor he wore didn’t hide the fat inching over his belt. Of all his officers, his sergeant was the one he had to keep after about exercising. “Don’t forget the agility tests are coming up in January.”

He groaned. “It’s not fair having those so soon after the holidays.”

Maybe not, but it gave his officers incentive to stay in shape since they all spent too many hours in a patrol vehicle. “That’s why you may want to cut back on those cinnamon rolls and hamburgers the Corner Diner is famous for—unless you want to put in extra time at the gym.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Oh,” Nathan said, remembering Jared’s pay request. “Are you interested in comp time instead of overtime pay?”

---