Page 6 of JoyRide

“Doesn’t matter, dear. Just pick one and make it your own. Tammy too. I worked years here with a completely empty squad room. Only me here at the front desk and the other four desks empty. It’s exciting for me to actually have more company in here—besides Max and Sarge and recently… Ted.”

“Billy is going to take over my office,” said Travis. “He’s going to do all of my paperwork and hand it over to you, Molly, on time. If I’m lucky, I won’t need a desk.”

Tammy giggled. “I’ll take this desk next to Molly. I guess this is what it’s like to be at school. Can’t hardly remember. I only went until I was ten.”

I rolled my eyes at that one. Even though I ran away and missed a lot of school, I went longer than ten fuckin years old.

Travis was right there next to Tammy when she said the thing about school, and he started yakking to her about filling out reports to distract her.

Filling out reports was something he rarely did because he hated paperwork. I did it for him and now Billy was going to do it.

I caught the tail end of the conversation. “Get Harlan to show you how to fill out the reports and then Billy will look them over and sign them before he passes them to Molly.”

“Copy that, Sheriff,” said Tammy, and winked at me.

Yeah, this was going to be fun.

“Okay, it’s time,” said Travis. “Swearing in time. Everybody into the office for the swearing in of the new deputies. Big ceremony.”

We all crowded into the small private office that belonged to Travis, because he was the official county sheriff, but he was giving the office to Billy.

Billy would be more comfortable in the office sitting in the big swivel chair than sitting at a squad desk. Travis was like that.

He reached into the bottom drawer and pulled out an old bible. “Who’s going first?”

“Ladies first,” said Billy.

“Raise your right hand, Tammy,” said Travis. “Do you solemnly swear to support and defend the law as prescribed by the State of Montana… To perform your duty as assigned to you to the best of your ability…, so help you God?”

“I do.”

Travis pinned a star on Tammy’s uniform and didn’t hand her a gun because she already had her own—provided by her step-mama.

“Welcome to the staff of the Coyote Creek Sheriff’s office, Deputy Tamara Bristol.”

Tammy beamed a big smile. “Thank you, Sheriff.”

Then it was my turn, and I repeated the same basic stuff and Travis pinned a star on my shirt.

“Welcome to the staff of the Coyote Creek Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Harlan Bristol.”

He shook my hand and I said, “Thank you, Sherriff.”

Travis still went by Sheriff Frost, his fake name in Montana for reasons of his own, but me and Tammy just got adopted and Travis’s real surname wasBristoland he wanted us to use our real name.

Molly wiped tears from her eyes. “That was so touching, Travis. We haven’t had a swearing-in ceremony for so long, and we’ve never had a full staff here for as long as I’ve been here. Travis has been responsible for bringing a lot of changesto Coyote Creek in general and to this office in particular. I’m honored to be part of the Coyote Creek Sheriff’s Office team.”

“Let’s have a coffee to celebrate,” said Billy, “and all of you can go sit in the break room and give me back my new office.”

Travis laughed. “You’d better get started on your paperwork, Undersheriff Johnson.”

Tammy and I took our coffee out to Molly’s desk so Tammy could talk to her about looking for my brother Virgil.

“Molly, we’re keeping this a secret for now, but Harlan wants to look for his brother, Virgil. He’s sixteen years old and Harlan ain’t seen him since a social worker took him away from the foster home they were living in twelve years ago.”

“Oh, my. I’m so sorry, Harlan. Does Travis know about this?”

“No. Me and Tammy are going to look for him first. We may not be able to find him, and I don’t want to upset Travis. He has enough to worry about.”

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