Sitting at his desk, Sheriff Rome scribbled on a ledger pad until his hand started to cramp. When he dropped the pen to massage it, his office phone rang.
“Hello? Wayne, yes. I was just jotting down some notes, trying to make sure I don’t forget anything important.” The sheriff spent the next twenty-two minutes recounting events from eight years prior. Once he finished and had answered all Wayne’s questions, he thanked him again for his help and ended the call.
He stood to stretch his legs and noticed his Gatlinburg mug was empty. “Coffee.”
Leaving his office, he headed to the break room, passing the deputies’ desks and the front door along the way. The door swung open behind him, and the sheriff turned around to greet a young man with a backpack. “Can I help you?”
“Someone just stole my bike.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Sheriff Rome nodded to the only occupied desk. “Deputy Harris over there can help you.”
“Cool. Hey, do you have a bathroom I could use first?”
The sheriff continued in the direction he was heading. “Follow me. What’s your name, son?”
The young man replied, “Phineas.”
Phineas entered the single-toilet bathroom and locked the door. He let the backpack slide off his shoulders and pulled a cardboard box from inside. He opened box flaps and emptied a live rat onto the floor beside the sink.
Seconds later Phineas rushed from the bathroom and found the sheriff in the break room. Laboring his breaths, he pointed in mock panic. “Dude, there’s a big rat in your bathroom!”
The sheriff lowered the coffee mug from his lips. “What? Are you kidding?”
“Seriously! I know what I saw. Rats creep me out.”
The sheriff sighed. “It’s okay. We’ll get it.”
Phineas followed the sheriff back into the main room. “Harris, bring your wastebasket. We have a rat in the bathroom.”
Without questioning the find, the deputy removed the plastic lining from his metal wastebasket and joined the sheriff. As they headed to the bathroom, Phineas heard the sheriff say, “First birds and now rats. We’re running a zoo.”
Once they were out of sight, Phineas raced to Sheriff Rome’s office. He pulled a listening device from his pocket and scanned the room for the best place to plant it. He opted for the framed Tennessee Medal of Honor hanging on the wall. After securing it, he darted for the front door and ran from the building.