Page 15 of What She Saw
There was a lot Taggart didn’t know about this event.
“You started, what, last week?” Colton asked.
When Taggart had run the military police department, he’d had more control. You walked onto his base, and he owned you. But out here in the civilian world, he had more restrictions and less authority. His inexperience in this world now felt like a weakness. But he never let anyone get a whiff of his doubts.
“I’ve been in policing for twenty-seven years. Soldiers and civilians aren’t that different.”
“I bet the soldiers are tougher. They all carry guns, right?”
“People are people.”
“What can I do to erase your worries, Sheriff Taggart?” Colton asked. “I don’t like seeing you so troubled.”
“Cancel the festival.”
Colton laughed. “In too deep now. What else can I do?”
“Make sure that security shows, control your perimeter, and keep the lights on after sunset.”
“All top of my list, Sheriff Taggart.” Colton clasped his hands together. “I appreciate your concern.”
Colton had all the right answers. Slick, smooth, and pursued by trouble. “My deputy and I’ll be on-site an hour before the gates open.”
“Terrific. You’re amazing.” A truck driver honked his horn, catching Colton’s attention. When he looked past Taggart toward the stage, his smile faded a fraction. “Duty calls.”
“Sure, don’t let me stop you.”
“It’s going to be fine.” Colton pointed at him.
Colton’s easy smile vanished. He was no longer the salesman, and his expression turned direct. The driver jabbed his finger toward the stage, and Colton followed him toward the platform as another vendor hoisted more lights to the metal framework above.
“Sheriff!”
Taggart turned toward the woman’s voice and spotted Patty headed in his direction. His blood pressure eased. “Patty.”
She brushed a strand of hair off her forehead as she smiled. “Ready for the big festival?”
Something about her had a way of softening his mood. “Ready or not, it’s happening.”
She scrunched up her face in a mock frown. “You sound so negative. It’s going to be great.”
More tension melted from his muscles. “That so?”
“It is so,” she said. “I’ve already made fifty bucks making burgers for the work crews. That’s going to buy a lot of diapers.”
“How old is your baby?”
“She’ll be a year this summer. Cutting a tooth and already walking. She’ll run the world one day. You have kids?”
“No. Never been married.”
“Never too late.”
He laughed. “Too set in my ways.”
The second gal working the tent called out to Patty, drawing her attention. “Be right there.” She turned back around and smiled at Taggart.
“Looks like you have help.”
