I was sitting at my desk with my head in my hands when Holly buzzed me. “Sheriff, the Coroner released Ben Tracy’s body.”
Oh boy! Let the games begin! “Great. Where’s he going?”
“Liberty Tracy requested that he be sent to the Delong funeral home.”
“Well that’s an interesting choice...right downtown. Wouldn’t be far from the family home thought... “Thanks Holly.”
“Everything okay boss? You sound like you’re down.”
“Yeah. I just have a lot to think about.”
“Well, you know where to find me...” Holly was a friend of mine on the force long before I stepped into the role of Sheriff and she became my right hand in the office.
“I know and I appreciate it. Thanks. I just got some stuff I’ve got to mull over, is all.”
“Okay then.”
“Can you try and get Mrs. Tracy on the phone or, if you can’t reach her, the funeral director at Delong? We need to know when the funeral is, if she’s actually having one for him. I want undercover officers there to survey the crowd.”
“I’m on it.”
“Thanks Holly.”
It turned out, Liberty Tracy was having a short viewing and then a brief memorial service for Ben Tracy at the Delong parlor on Saturday. There would be no extended calling hours and no graveside service. That made my departments’ job a little easier. We only had to watch the funeral home and only for a short period of time.
After coordinating with Joe Treadway and one of my detectives to be on hand, undercover, outside and at the memorial service, I called it a day. My head was throbbing. I just wanted to go home and relax but I knew, deep down, I’d have to have a serious conversation with my family and also one with Dana.
###
I stopped at the station and chatted with Kris for a few minutes but she was busy and she couldn’t really talk in any sort of confidential, just between us, kind of way. I gave up trying for the moment and headed down the street to the house.
To my incredible surprise, I walked in to witness a scene of total domestic bliss. Dana was sitting at the kitchen table cutting vegetables for a salad. Meanwhile, Beth was pulling something that smelled wonderful out of the oven and Cole was sitting at the end of the table doing homework.
Dana looked up at me and smiled. Beth said, “Hi Aunt Mel! We made dinner!”
“I see that. Now tell me what you did with Beth and Cole!”
“Ha ha! You’re so funny.”
“So anyway, what is that I smell?”
“Grandma Rossi’s secret recipe lasagna,” Dana said and then winked in a conspiratorial sort of way while Beth beamed.
“Well let’s eat then!”
“Aunt Mel, we can’t eat it yet! Aunt Dana says it has to stand for about 15 minutes now so it will set.”
“Aunt Dana?” I eyeballed Beth, my mind spinning, but it was Dana who answered.
“It seems your family is raising some very polite children who insist on calling me Miss Rossi. I was beginning to feel like my mother. ‘Aunt Dana’ seemed like a good compromise.”
I looked at Dana, eyebrows raised, “I guess! So let me ask, where did we come up with all of the fixings to make lasagna?”
“Simple,” Cole piped up, “We showed Dana...er, Aunt Dana how to get to the grocery store we always go to in Zanesville since the store here didn’t have everything she said we needed.”
I was terrified of the answer but I had to ask, “Who drove?”
“Well I did, silly! My car’s parked right outside where, I suspect you’ve had it parked for some time?”
“Um, well, yeah. I had it moved here a couple of days after the bust, once it looked like you were going to be in the hospital for a while. You had it parked a couple of blocks from the station. Really though, should you be driving?”
“Mel, I’m fine to drive. I don’t really need my left leg for that and I only take the pain medicine at night now and not always then. The kids helped in the store and with getting everything into the house.”
“I see.”
“You’re mad?”
“No, no. Just concerned is all.”
“I appreciate that but I’ve got to keep up with my therapy and I’ve got to start getting around. I’m going to be...to be expected to go back to work soon.” She looked away from me.
“How soon?”
“We’ll talk after dinner.”
“I suppose that means I better not get used to come home to dinner and finished homework?”
She smiled and shrugged.
“It’s okay. Quite frankly, I need to talk to you too; you and Kris.”
“What about us?” Cole whined.
“Don’t worry about it kiddo; it’s adult stuff.”
“I’m almost an adult you know! In a couple of weeks I’ll be old enough to get my learner’s permit.”
“That’s what scared me about you guys all going into town today! I thought you might have conned your...ahem...Aunt Dana here into letting you drive!”
###
“Dana, that was wonderful,” Kris said as she pushed away her plate. I got up and rinsed it for her.
“I can’t take all of the credit. I gave the instructions; Beth did most of the work.”
“Who knew she’d be able to do that! She won’t spend two minutes in the kitchen with me. Maybe you could give her some lessons?”
“Oh no, no! I’m no expert. I have a few dishes that I do well and that’s it. I’ve always worked crazy hours or on the road. I’ve never really had a lot of time to spend in the kitchen myself.”
“I hate to interrupt this little chat but, speaking of work, would you mind filling me in, please?” I walked over to the table and sat back down with the two of them.
Dana looked from me to Kris and back. “I got a call this morning. Barring any unexpected complications with my leg, I’m to report to the Columbus office on Monday morning at 8:00 AM sharp.”
“Are you up to that?”
“I think so and, really, the longer I’m away from work, the worse things get with my last case. Defendants are trying to plead out, attorneys are filing motions...it’s just becoming a big mess. I need to get in there and contribute to the case for Customs before we lose everything we worked so hard for...that I personally worked so hard for, for months.”
Kris said, “Dana you know we’ll do whatever we can to support you. Let us know; whatever you need.”
“Hey! Those were my lines!” I looked at my twin and grinned.
“Well, I was speaking friend to friend but I do think that there’s something here that you two aren’t telling me?” Her tone was questioning but supportive.
I swallowed. “Dana and I...we...I...” I shook my head. “I don’t even know where to start.” I looked to Dana for help.
“You go on over there. I enjoy watching you struggle for words once in a while!”
“Gee, thanks!”
We all laughed and the tension was released. I turned to my sister, “Kris, while Dana was working her case here in the area, we had to work together a lot. We kinda...sorta..fell for each other.” I let that sink in for a second. When I saw that Kris didn’t look shocked or displeased, I continued, “We talked about maybe dating after the case but, well, she works on the road...did work on the road...” I didn’t know where else to go with my little speech.
Kris laughed. “I suspected as much. I see the way you two look at each other. I knew it was just a matter of time for you to finally find a woman you wanted to get serious with.” She looked at Dana, “I guess there’s something reasonably good that came out of getting shot after all, isn’t there. You’re off the road for a little while, at least.” She smacked Dana lightly on the arm.
“True that!” Dana smiled at me with a wicked sort of grin. She turned again to Kris, “Your sister and I would like to spend a little time together and get to know each other. Please understand, we don’t want to make you or the kids uncomfortable in any way. We’ll behave here and we’ll be very discreet, no matter what.”
“We will?”
Dana gave me the evil eye.
“That’s right. Of course we will.” I was just bursting at the seams that Dana and I were on the same page without really having talked about it... Al least, we’re on the same page right now, until I hit them with my news....
I cleared my throat. “Before we go getting all warm and fuzzy I guess I should talk with both of you about something too,” I waved my hand toward them both, “something that could affect all of this.” I must have sounded pretty serious because they both gave me their full attention.
“I had a conversation with one of our county commissioners today, Todd Bell.” Kris feigned a cringe. She knew who I was talking about. “He’s asked me, on behalf of the Commissioners, to formally run for Sheriff in a special election to be held in August.”
“What? Why?” Kris looked genuinely puzzled. Dana was just listening. I briefly sketched the situation for the two of them.
“Are you going to do it?” Kris asked. I could see the same question in Dana’s eyes.
“I don’t know. That’s why I wanted to talk to you two.” I looked at Kris, “You know how much I love being out there on the street, in the mix.”
She nodded.
“I won’t get to do as much of that as the ‘actual’ Sheriff. There’s a lot of paperwork, and budgeting, politics and so forth that go with being ‘the man’, so to speak.”
“And who’s doing all of that stuff now?” Dana finally asked.
“Well, me...sort of.” I kind of let the political stuff slide most of the time and I do a little bit more leg work than I probably should instead.”
Dana shrugged and held her palms up, “Why can’t you just keep doing things the way you’re doing them now then? Everything’s running okay, right?”
I sat back in my chair. “I guess I really hadn’t thought about it that way but I suppose I could. It would be my department for real after all...if I were elected, that is.”
“Why the hell wouldn’t you be elected?” Kris looked at me like I had said something crazy.
I shook my head and held out both hands toward Dana but I continued to look at my sister. Kris stared at me, not understanding.
“Kris, news flash! I’m gay.”
“Well duh!”
I tipped my head toward Dana again, “We’ve just told you we want to date and see where it goes. That’s probably not going to fly with the voters of Muskingum County!”
Kris blew out a breath. “Ah.” I could see the wheels turning in her head for a minute. “Well, personally, I’d vote for you. Dad will too. Mom...who the hell knows, but that has everything to do with you being a cop in the first place and not anything to do with you being gay...”
“Be serious!”
“I am being serious! Mel, considering the total lack of qualification of your opponent, I don’t think you being gay is going to be the issue with the voters – not if we make sure they know what a bad choice he’d be for the county and what a great job you’re already doing.”
“We?”
“Yes, we.”
“So, you’re saying you think I should run?”
“Absolutely! Look at it this way: you run and you win then you get to do pretty much what you’re doing now but officially. If you don’t run then you get a good for nothing boss who you’re going to want to kill. You pick!”
I looked intently at Dana and she stared right back at me but said nothing. Finally, not able to bear not knowing what she was thinking, I asked, “How do you feel about this?”
“Mel, I think you should do it. You’re good at what you do. Anybody with sense can see that. You need to decide what’s most important to you: time on the street or your sanity and the safety of the county.”
Kris smiled. “The lady has a point!”
“And what about us Dana?”
“We take it easy...” she started to say but, after noticing my look, “or not”.
I picked up her hand and held it. “I want there to be an ‘us’. The election’s just over two months away. I feel like I’ve already waited weeks!”
“Okay then. We’ll go ahead with enjoying life and you’ll run for Sheriff.” She paused and looked me in the eye. “If that’s what you want to do, I support that.”
“Well it’s settled then! Now, how are you going to tell mom?” Kris was the one with the sadistic smile now.
I slumped down in my chair, “I don’t even know what to do about that.”
“Oh, I know.” She grinned again. “Dad stopped for gas today. You can tell her Sunday at family fun day.”
I groaned.
“Family fun day?” It was Dana’s turn to be puzzled.
In unison, Kris and I said, “There’s nothing fun about family fun day!”