Page 51 of Hidden Fears
“Are you there, Sheriff?”he asks with a chuckle, knowing I’m listening.
“Yes,” I bark.
“Good. So the problem’s solved?”
“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Great!”he exclaims happily.“Brad is a good boy. Give him a chance.”
He hangs up, leaving me with a sense of dread. Brad is not a good boy; Brad is a menace. When he was sixteen, he was in a hit and run, injuring someone. When he was seventeen, he turned a little handsy at a party, and someone reported him. Multiple traffic violations, speeding tickets… the list goes on. And now the mayor wants me to give him power by giving him a badge?
It’s going to be a fuckin’ disaster, but there’s nothing I can do unless I want the old story to resurface. And that’s precisely why I hate anything out of order.
Squeezing my lips shut, I trudge out of my office. Leila is sitting at the table and chatting with Jennica, well, Jennica is chatting—complaining about me, most likely—while Leila’s listening with an understanding smile. Dudley Jr. is at the same desk he was at when I came in, looking too smug and far too comfortable.
I walk to him and say, “You’re on probation.”
Jennica’s chatter quiets down.
He lifts his face from the screen. “Probation? But my fath—”
“Probation,” I repeat firmly. “You got it?”
He swallows and nods.
“What? I don’t hear you.”
He jumps to his feet, pulling on the edge of his shirt. “Yes, sir.”
“Good.” I nod. “Jennica will give you a uniform.”
“I will?” she chimes in, and I send her a stern stare. “I will,” she agrees easily.
“What about my badge?” Brad dares to ask.
“If you pass probation,” I stare straight into his eyes, “you’ll get the badge. Got it?”
“Yes,” he replies, then adds, “Sir,” in a hurry.
“Come back tomorrow at seven-thirty.”
“Seven-thirty?” he repeats, sounding scandalized.
I glare at him. “Yes.”
“Seven-thirty it is.” He jumps to his feet and hurries away. Before he reaches the door, he stops, realizing he forgot something, and heads back to Jennica’s table. “What about my uniform?”
Jennica passes him her business card. “Email me your shoe and clothing sizes.”
“Thanks.” He takes the card and quickly leaves.
I walk to the coffee station, feeling two sets of eyes staring at the back of my head. I add sugar into my cup, and the stares are still there. I stir it and still don’t think anyone’s blinked once. When my coffee is done, I take a big sip and turn around. Sure thing, two sets of widened eyes stare back at me.
“I mean, I know I asked to hire someone, but Brad Dudley?” Jennica whistles and puts her hands behind her back, rocking in her chair.
“I must agree, Ken. That seems…” Leila trails off, looking in the direction Brad just disappeared, “a bit weird.”
“I owe his father. He collected.”
