Chapter Twelve
The call came just as Colt was leaving his parents’ house. By the time he got to Old Glory, a man was being taken out of the bar on a stretcher. Another was being checked out by a paramedic. Broken bottles and shattered glassware littered the floor, and a couple of stools had been knocked over. Boden stood behind the bar looking angrier than Colt had ever seen him.
Two of Colt’s officers acknowledged him with nods and resumed interviewing their witnesses. Colt didn’t recognize either of the culprits, which probably meant they were out-of-towners.
“What happened?” he asked Boden.
“Destination wedding up at one of the resorts. The groom and best man decided to get their drink on early. Turns out the best man’s been boffing the bride-to-be and decides after three Jacks it’s time to confess. At least that’s my interpretation of what went down. I only caught snippets before the shit began to fly.”
“Who went out on the stretcher?”
“I believe that would be the best man.”
Colt glanced around, taking better stock of the damage. “You got insurance?”
“I do, but there’s a heavy deductible, which I expect the wedding assholes to pay.”
“We’ll see what we can do.” He walked over to Dutch, who’d been on patrol with Glory Junction PD since Colt had been a boy, and pulled him aside. “Boden says it was a groom and best-man situation. Is that consistent with what you’re getting?”
“Yeah,” Dutch said, and snickered. “Apparently the wedding’s off.”
Colt stayed a while to make sure everything was done by the book. Weddings were the resorts’ bread and butter in the off-season. The last thing he needed was the mayor giving him hell about how the department handled a bar room brawl. He told Dutch and Bobby George, another veteran officer, to have their reports on his desk by morning in case Pond Scum tried to second-guess him, and then went home.
He found Delaney’s package on the doorstep. It was too late to knock on her door, especially since her lights were out. Colt took the bag inside and headed for the shower to wash off the day’s grime. Afterward, he unwrapped Delaney’s pants and examined the modifications closely before trying them on. Perfect, he thought to himself. If he thought the first pair was superior to anything on the market, these were even better. The woman had mad skills, that’s for sure.
Brains and beauty. Delaney Scott was the full package. And totally out of reach.
He didn’t get a chance the next morning to call and tell her how much he liked the new version of the cargo pants. TJ needed a substitute guide to take a group on a sunrise hike. The seventy-two-year-old former park ranger who usually conducted the nature walks for GA was having a hip replaced and wouldn’t be back until next summer. TJ hadn’t found a sub yet, so Colt was stuck filling in.
“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me,” he barked at TJ over his Bluetooth as he drove to the trailhead. “Why can’t Win or Josh do it? You do know that I have a full-time job, right?”
“Sorry,” TJ said, but didn’t sound sorry at all. “It was an emergency.”
“Didn’t Greta tell you about her hip replacement a month ago? A month’s notice is not an emergency; it’s bad planning. Besides, a nature hike? A freaking nature hike? Give me a break, TJ.”
“What? It’s a nice Zen way to start your day. You know, stopping to smell the roses.”
“I’m saluting you right now with my middle finger.” Colt hung up.
By the time he made it into the office he was thirty minutes late and in desperate need of a shower.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Carrie Jo said as he came in the door.
“Don’t start with me.” He scowled.
“Heard about the fight at Old Glory. What do you think the bride’s doing today?”
“Don’t know, don’t care. Any messages?”
“Nope. You want coffee?”
“I’m not going to Tart Me Up, Carrie Jo!”
“My, my, aren’t we testy today?” She stood up and kissed him on the cheek, then wrinkled her nose. “Eww, you need a bath. I’ll go to Tart Me Up. I suggest you head to the locker room. You have an extra uniform in your office?”
“I’ll get it.” He grabbed the dry-cleaning bag from his closet and marched to the shower.
Twenty minutes later, he emerged feeling human again. Colt fired up his computer and quickly scanned Dutch’s and Bobby’s reports.