Chapter Seven

“You’d better stay in and rest today,” Ron told Joe on Wednesday morning.

“No, I want to go out and work. There’s a lot to do. As soon as we feed, I’ll start cleaning stalls.”

“But you’re in really bad pain,” Melia said urgently. “And you still can’t open that one eye very far.”

Joe forced a smile. “I may hurt a little, but I will hurt whether I’m inside resting or outside working. I can see okay. Don’t worry about me.”

“It’s quite cold today,” Ron warned.

“Hey, will you guys quit trying to get me to be lazy? I lay around in the jail enough to last me a long time. You let me stay here last night, and you didn’t even charge me rent.” Joe forced a painful grin. “So the least I can do is go out and take care of the chores.” With that, he put on a heavy coat, a hat, and some insulated leather gloves.

“If you’re going out now, so am I,” Melia said stubbornly. She also began putting on warm work clothes.

Yes, it was cold, and yes, he was hurting, but Joe relished the work. He was so glad to be out of jail, at least for a while, that the last thing he wanted to do was lie around indoors. He and Melia worked pretty much side by side for the next three hours. To Joe’s amazement, he hardly considered the pain when he was busy. He did notice the pretty girl he was working with. If only . . . But he forced useless thoughts from his mind and concentrated on enjoying the work and the sweet companionship.

Deputy Bo Buckley had stewed over the events in Joe’s house all night long. Detective Merianos was being a real jerk over the whole thing, refusing to look at the possibility that someone else may have been the killer, not Joe. All he wanted was publicity. It was causing a lot of trouble for Joe for no honest reason.

Bo met Deputy Grizzel at eleven o’clock in the parking lot of the sheriff’s office. “You really don’t have to stick your neck out, Jim,” Bo said. “I can do this alone. After all, it’s my cousin who’s being hurt by Merianos’s bad attitude, arrogance, and sloppy police work.”

“I want to do this, Bo,” Jim said. “I love my job, and I love this department. Sheriff Hermock needs to know that a very serious case is being intentionally mishandled. I just can’t figure out why Merianos is being so lazy about this case.”

“He has a suspect, and he has some evidence that points to Joe. He made the papers, the radio, and TV. That’s what he cares about. He isn’t inclined to consider any other suspects. And you are right about him being lazy. It would require a lot of effort on his part to look for the real killer. So anyway, if you’re sure, we’ll go in together. The sheriff’s truck is here, so I suppose he’s in his office now. Let’s do this. I may be out of a job in a little while, but I can’t stand by and see such a blatant miscarriage of justice taking place and not do anything about it.”

Sheriff Pete Hermock was a tall, dark-complexioned man in his midfifties. He’d been an officer for over thirty years, sheriff for ten. He welcomed Bo and Jim into his office, closed the door, and said, “Okay, men, what seems to be bothering the two of you?”

“I know you told me that I was not to be involved in my cousin’s case, but I was dispatched to his house shortly after he was released on bail from the jail yesterday,” Bo began.

“I take it there was a problem,” the sheriff said as he leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk.

“You can say that again,” Bo said. “And it’s a big one.”

Before he could go on, Sheriff Hermock said, “Deputy Grizzel, were you sent there too?”

“Yes, and so was Detective Merianos, and that’s what we need to talk to you about,” Jim responded.

The sheriff looked both of them in the eyes. “Okay, gentlemen, tell me about it. I’m all ears.”

Bo did exactly that. Jim added a little from time to time. The sheriff did not look pleased. A frown creased his face, and he narrowed his eyes. Bo was afraid he would be in trouble, but he had made up his mind to report what he perceived as serious misconduct. He would not back down now. “Sheriff,” he said, “I recorded what we just told you about. I would like you to hear it so you’ll know we aren’t lying. What you do about it after that is up to you.”

“Okay, let’s hear it,” the sheriff said. Bo pulled out his cell phone and began to play the recording. The sheriff’s face looked grim as he listened. His dark-brown eyes burned with anger, and he kept running a hand through his thick black hair. The recording ended. Bo put the phone back in his pocket without another word.

For a full minute, silence filled the sheriff’s office. Finally, the sheriff spoke, his voice slow and deliberate. “I won’t stand for it,” he said. He picked up his phone and buzzed his secretary. “Locate Detective Merianos and tell him to come to my office right now.”

“Well, I guess Jim and I should be going,” Bo said. “I’m sorry about all this.”

“Stay put, men,” Sheriff Hermock said. “I want you to be here to hear what Will has to say about his actions. The contents of that recording are extremely serious, and I’m not going to allow that kind of thing to occur in any investigation conducted by officers of my department. Will had better have a very good explanation for why he acted like he did.”

Joe and Melia went in the house for lunch, which she fixed while he sat on the sofa and took it easy. He had offered to help her, but she’d said, “Nope, you are going to rest for a while. And I mean it, Joe. I can finish the rest of the work outside this afternoon. You look awful. You shouldn’t do any more work today.”

Joe not only looked awful, he felt awful now that he was no longer working and moving around. Ron sided with his granddaughter, and that was that. Ron was the boss. So Joe rested and visited with Ron while Melia worked in the kitchen. He had to smile as he heard her singing softly while she worked.

She was something else, and he was a stupid jerk. Why he had ever starting smoking pot seemed a mystery to him now. All it had done was cause him a lot of trouble. He wished he’d never met Emil Eifler. But he hadn’t wished him dead. Nor could he imagine who had killed him, unless someone else owed him even more money than Joe did, and Emil had threatened him if he didn’t pay. Of course, that was only a guess.

“Joe, we’re going to help you get through this,” Ron said. “You’re a good man, and I don’t want to lose your help. If I need to, I’ll go talk to the sheriff about Detective Merianos. He needs to know that Merianos has shut his eyes to the truth.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Joe said. “It could cause trouble for my cousin, and he’s a good guy. It’s my fault that I’m in trouble. I should never have let Emil talk me into using pot. I knew better. But I did it anyway, and now I’ve got to pay the price.”

“Not with a murder conviction you don’t,” Ron said grimly.

“Hey, you guys, lunch is ready,” Melia called from the kitchen, interrupting further discussion. They both went in and joined her. “Let’s make a deal,” she continued. “No talking about trouble while we have lunch.” She tried to show that she meant it, but she could not suppress a smile. Joe couldn’t believe how cute she was when she tried to sound firm.

“You needed to see me?” Detective Merianos asked as he stepped into Sheriff Hermock’s office. Then he looked at Bo and Jim. “What are these guys doing here? Don’t they have to work?”

A third chair had been placed in front of the sheriff’s desk, right next to where Bo was seated. The sheriff pointed to it. “Sit down, Will. You have some explaining to do.”

Will’s face grew dark, and anger shot from his eyes, but he sat down. “If these two guys have been making up lies about what happened yesterday at the killer’s home, then I’ll explain what really happened.”

“I think I know what happened,” the sheriff said. “But I’d like to hear your version.”

He heard it, and it did not even resemble the recording Bo had taken. “And that is exactly what happened,” Will concluded. “Bo’s cousin is trouble. That’s not my fault. And anyway, you told Bo to stay out of my investigation. He’s lying for Joe. It’s that simple.”

“Really?” the sheriff said. “Bo, get out your cell phone and play what you recorded.”

Bo retrieved it from his pocket, and then at the sheriff’s direction, he started the recording.

“What’s this crap?” Detective Merianos asked angrily.

“Be quiet and listen,” the sheriff ordered.

Will listened, but it wasn’t quietly. He kept interrupting, and the sheriff kept telling him to be quiet. Finally, the recording ended.

“Now, tell me what really happened, Detective,” the sheriff said.

“These guys are troublemakers,” Will said with a red face. “Can’t you see that? They’re protecting Bo’s cousin.”

“I’m afraid that your own words, the ones Deputy Buckley recorded, tell the true story. Will, you are off this case as of this moment, and you are no longer a detective. You will go on patrol in the patrol division in Bo’s place. Bo, I am promoting you to detective. Joe may be your cousin, but I am going to trust you to make sure this case is handled properly from this point on. It’s up to you now. Deputy Grizzel, since you had the guts to come in here and support Bo, you will be temporarily assigned to assist him. I’ll have the patrol commander make what adjustments he needs to. When the case is over, you can go back to your regular patrol duties.”

Merianos cursed. “This is stupid, Sheriff. You can’t do this. I’m an experienced investigator.”

“It sure doesn’t appear that way to me. I am the sheriff, and I can do this. And if you don’t like it, you can submit your resignation. Which will it be? You can either go back into the patrol division or quit.”

Will stood up, shook a finger at the sheriff, and said, “I won’t quit, and you will find out you made a bad mistake believing these jerks.”

“My mistake was in trusting you, Will. Give me everything you have on the Emil Eifler murder, and then take the rest of the day off. You will take orders from the patrol commander in the morning. Be here at eight sharp in uniform and ready to go on patrol.”

Bo released his breath after Will had stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He didn’t even realize he’d been holding it. Tension seeped from his shoulders.

“You two go to work,” Sheriff Hermock said. “This is not the first time I’ve received a negative report about Will, but it is the worst. I appreciate both of you for coming forward with what he was doing. And Bo, keep me updated on your investigation.”

Emil’s killer, in yet another disguise, had observed Deputy Buckley talking to the young deputy who had been at Joe’s house the night before. Then he’d watched them go inside the sheriff’s department building. He waited patiently and after a while, Detective Merianos showed up as well. He was inside for a long while. Buckley and the young deputy left before Merianos did. And when Merianos finally left, the killer could see through his binoculars that the detective was extremely angry. What had happened? Whatever it was, he had a feeling it was not good for him. Merianos had been doing the investigation the way he’d hoped he would. He needed to take further action. Joe could not be allowed to get off. There had to be a way to make the murder charge stick.

Joe had helped Melia finish the essential chores on the farm, insisting that he felt better when he was working than when he was sitting around. Finally, he said he was ready to go back to his house and see if there was anything else he could do there.

“Melia, you go with him,” Ron said. “The house cleaning here can wait. I want you to keep an eye on Joe. I don’t want him to overdo it. Although I believe he probably already has, haven’t you, Joe?”

“I’m fine,” Joe said, although he knew that was not quite true.

“I’ll bet Rosina and Karmen have his house in pretty good shape,” Melia said. “I doubt there’s much to do. You have a good sister, Joe.”

“Yes, I do, and it’s time I start listening to her. She may be younger than me, but since she joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she has become an amazing person,” Joe admitted. “I’ve seen a really big change in her. She’s been trying to get me to go to church with her, but I’ve been stubborn. Now I regret it.”

“I guess you know that I’m a member of the Church too,” Melia said. “You can go with Grandpa and me on Sunday.”

“I’d like to, but right now, I’m not a very popular person. I would be an embarrassment to you.”

“Never!” Melia said firmly. “Come on, Herc. Let’s go.”

Herc jumped in the back of Joe’s old truck. Joe took a moment to pet him with Melia giving a few friendly strokes. Then Joe opened the door to Ron’s truck for Melia to get in. She smiled at him. “You are a real gentleman, Joe. Thank you. I’ll follow you to your house and help for a while if there is anything to do.”

Joe was surprised to see Bo’s police vehicle pull up to his house just as he and Melia were approaching it. He had that other deputy with him, the one who had been at the house the night before and had sided with Bo when Bo got angry with Detective Merianos.

He pulled up and stopped in his driveway and helped Melia out of the truck. Bo and the other deputy waited for him at the front door. “Hi, Joe. How are you, Melia?” Bo said. “Do you mind if we join you two inside?”

“Let me put Herc in the backyard first,” Joe said. He called Herc, and the pretty collie jumped out of the back of his truck.

“Is it okay if I put Two Face back there with him?” Bo asked. “We may be a few minutes.”

“That would be great,” Joe said. He patted his dog’s head for a moment, and when Two Face joined them, he opened the gate to the backyard to let both dogs enter.

“How are you feeling this afternoon, Joe?” Bo asked.

“He says he’s fine, but he really isn’t,” Melia answered feistily before Joe could. “He worked part of the morning and again for a little while after lunch.”

“I’m okay,” Joe responded, giving Melia a fond smile. “So what are you guys up to?”

“You remember Deputy Jim Grizzel from last night?” Bo said.

“I didn’t remember his name.”

Jim grinned. “Just think grizzly bear. Then you’ll remember my name.”

“Let’s get in so we’re out of the cold, and then I’ll tell you what we’re doing,” Bo said.

Joe unlocked the door, and they trooped in. To Joe and Melia’s amazement, the old ruined sofa was gone. A different sofa, clearly not new but in good shape, was sitting where the old one had been. “How did this happen?” Joe asked, looking at Bo with wide eyes and spread-out hands.

“Your sister has a key, remember?” Bo said with a grin. “She and Karmen borrowed my personal pickup truck this morning and went to the thrift shop. Rosina’s roommate helped too. They took your old sofa, your ruined mattress, your TV, and the broken kitchen chairs to the landfill and got this sofa for you, and some other stuff.”

Melia walked into the kitchen. A moment later, she came back into the living room with a smile as wide as a river. “Joe, you have dishes and some nice kitchen chairs. Like I thought, things are pretty well cleaned up.”

Joe shook his head. “They shouldn’t have done that. I don’t deserve it.”

“Joe, Rosina loves you. So do I, for that matter,” Bo said. “You do deserve to be treated right. Let’s look in the bedroom and bathroom too. I suspect they have things looking better in there as well.”

“I still don’t know why you and Deputy Grizzel are here,” Joe said without moving from where he stood in the kitchen.

“Call me Jim,” the young deputy said.

“Let’s see what else the girls have been up to, and then Jim and I have some good news for you. Not great news but good news, I think,” Bo said.

Things were pretty much put right throughout the house, and even though it was used stuff, such as a used mattress and a small TV, Rosina and Karmen had replaced most of what needed replacing. There were even a few groceries in the refrigerator and cupboards. “I don’t know what to say,” Joe said, fighting back tears. “I’ve got to find a way to pay Rosina back.”

“When you see Rosina, you can say thank you,” Bo said. “As for paying her back, you can work that out with her. Now, let’s go sit down, and we’ll tell you what Jim and I are up to.”