Page 10 of Inside Silence
Savvy puts her hand on my shoulder and leans her face close to mine.
“I’m so sorry about that. Are you okay?”
I grunt, unable to form any words…and it has little to do with the condition of my throat.
Chapter 4
Savvy
* * *
“Not an animal, Daddy.”
My father shoves a hand under his hat and scratches his head.
When I got here, Phil directed me to the barn, where I found my father making repairs to a hole in one of the pens. Apparently Angus, my father’s Houdini goat, tried to make a break for it again. It’s an ongoing battle between man and beast, with Angus holding a firm upper hoof over my dad, who seems to be a constant step behind.
I sought my father’s counsel after waiting all afternoon for Buck to send me his official coroner’s report.
He performed the autopsy as soon as we got the body to the morgue. I was there, which was not exactly the way I’d envisioned spending my Saturday morning, but if there was any chance of foul play, I wanted to know right away. Unfortunately, Buck wasn’t talking during the autopsy and said he wasn’t willing to draw any conclusions until he had a chance to study his findings.
I had no choice but to return to the station, where I walked in on Sanchuk trying to choke out Nate Gaines.
What a mess.
The sheriff’s department is housed on the ground level of an old building on Main Street, which dates back to the early nineteenth century. There are offices up on the second floor but most of them are now empty, except for a lawyer’s office. The place is in need of major repairs, which the county commission has informed us are not in the budget. So, we’re doing patchwork every time something breaks, which is often. That’s why most of the upstairs offices now sit empty. The broken pipe is just the last on a long list of problems.
The tense situation in the kitchen was quickly resolved when Brenda explained to Deputy Sanchuk, she had called Nate Gaines in to do the repairs, so he had a legitimate reason for being there. Of course, that did not solve the issue that is Jeff Sanchuk. His reaction was way over the top and it’s not the first time I’ve had to caution him on his hair-trigger temper.
The man has been a thorn in my side since well before I was sworn in as sheriff, but it hasn’t improved since. In large part because he had eyes on my job, but even more so because he’s a misogynistic son of a bitch—who doesn’t believe women should be in the workplace—let alone in law enforcement—and definitely not in a role of authority. On top of that, he has a narrow view of a black-and-white world that does not allow for any flexibility or compassion toward his fellow man.
The only reason he is still with the department is because in 2003, he took a bullet for my father when someone pulled a gun during a bar brawl they were trying to break up. Sanchuk saw the gun, managed to shove Dad out of the way, and ended up getting shot in the arm. Just a flesh wound, but it was enough for my father to feel perpetually indebted to him, despite his godawful attitude on the job.
My father’s asked me to let him stay ’til his retirement, but I can’t wait for Sanchuk to make that decision. Not after today. If Nate wanted, he could file assault charges on the deputy and that would put the department in a difficult position.
I don’t need the added stress, definitely not now that it turns out I have a murder to solve.
“Murder?”
I nod at my father. “Looks like it. I’ve called in the WSP for more comprehensive forensic support.”
“Good. Who’s the victim?”
“We think it’s Franklin Wyatt, a forty-three-year-old bank manager from Coeur d’Alene on a fishing trip. He rented one of the Sterling’s cabins on the north side of the lake. Apparently, he went for a hike around the lake yesterday afternoon and hasn’t been seen since.”
“And you’re sure it wasn’t an animal attack?” he asks again.
“Our county coroner is convinced it wasn’t,” I reiterate. “But he’s called Tom Richter to have a look at the body as well.”
Richter is the medical examiner for a neighboring county Buck has called before when he wanted a second opinion. Since we may be dealing with a possible crime, I had no objections when he suggested it in this case.
Dad nods his approval.
“We’ll know for sure once Tom has a look at the body,” I add.
“And when is that?”
“They’ll try for tomorrow. The body was picked up this afternoon already.”
