“That’s not for you to determine,” said Paul.
Sullivan closed his notebook but did not turn off the recorder. “Oh, absolutely. You’re right. I have her statement. And whether or not Mr. Doe is a tweaker or a camping enthusiast is something for the police to determine. Just a suggestion, but you’ll probably want to corroborate what Ms. Masters reported about John Doe tripping over the cane.” He stood, thanked Paul for the coffee and both of them for their cooperation. “I’ll be in touch.”
5
Ramsey appearedat the city building the following afternoon and took the stairs down to the police station. There was a smattering of applause as she walked in, which she would have ignored except the men kept calling out to her.
“Way to go, Ramsey,” Ron Ozimek said, putting his feet up on an open file drawer. “The DTF shut down your man’s meth lab early this morning.”
The DTF was the drug task force made up of city cops, county deputies, and a few men from the state police.
“I hadn’t heard that, Oz,” said Ramsey. “But you know, I thought he was planning a camping weekend.”
“Uh-huh.” Karl had his tongue firmly in cheek. “So we understand. Still, you be more careful. Those camping enthusiasts are a breed apart.”
Buddy nodded sagely. “Yeah. A half-breed apart.”
Oz pointed a finger at him. “Not sure you can say half-breed. You gotta watch yourself. Could be on the list of things you can’t say when we have company.”
“What? Half-breed? Are you telling me incest is off the table? Because that’s what I was meaning. Thought you were smart enough, Oz, to get the context.” Buddy jerked his chin at Ramsey. “You got it, didn’t you? Was it out of line?”
Ramsey held up a hand, palm out. “Not my conversation, Buddy. I’m looking for—”
Chief Bailey opened the door to his office, crooked a finger at Ramsey, and said, “Officer Day’s in here.” He stepped aside to let her pass. It was not strictly necessary because he was a slightly built man, and she could have slipped sideways through the opening without even brushing him, but he was also an old school gentleman and conduct was important to him. He was on the point of closing the door when he stopped, looked directly at Buddy, and gave him the stink eye. “Half-breed’s off the table, Buddy. Doesn’t matter the context.” Then he disappeared inside his office, shutting the door with an audible click.
Bailey was still smiling to himself as he lowered himself into the chair behind his desk. “He’s going to be scratching his head for days, wondering how I heard that.” He leaned forward, reached for the heavy black desk phone, and turned off the intercom button. “I can only remind him so many times to watch what buttons he’s pressing on his phone. He doesn’t get it. There are things I just don’t wantto know.”
Ramsey nodded, smiled in return. She liked the chief. Out of uniform he was unassuming, everyone’s kindly grandfather. If he stood overlong near the entrance to Southridge, people thought he was a greeter, and he never minded that they did. In uniform, his narrow frame did not prevent him from wearing the mantel of authority. He commanded respect. It was more effective at managing his men than wielding power.
Bailey set his forearms on his desk and folded his hands. He spoke to Ramsey. “I’ve looked over the transcript of your recorded statement. It all seems in order. Buddy took it out to the store this morning when we got another call. Seemed convenient to do it that way. Paul signed, but that’s when we learned you had the day off.”
“Yes.”
“May I ask if it was scheduled that way or a consequence of your actions yesterday?”
“A consequence,” she told him. “But he hasn’t fired me. Just a day off for me to think about what I’m never going to do again. It was fair since he doesn’t really believe me.”
“Good thing we do, then.” He looked to Sullivan Day for confirmation.
“Yes, sir.”
Bailey nodded. “Blood tests at the hospital confirmed methamphetamine in his system. The doctor thought he’d probably been awake for better than seventy-two hours. John Doe, whose name turns out to be John Dolan, started talking out of his head. You heard Oz tell you about the bust.”
“I did. That’s good for you, for the community.”
“It is. You’re clear, right? No more following citizens with a buggy full of camping gear, especially when it contains half a dozen propane tanks. Call dispatch next time. You know the number? I can write it down for you.”
“Nine-one-one,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.
“Good. Now that was my lecture as chief of police. You want to hear the fatherly version?”
“If it’s all the same, I’d like to pass.”
Chief Bailey released a long breath. “All right, but just so you know, it ends with grounding you and no TV for a month.” He winked at her. “My daughters were a handful.”
Now Ramsey did smile, once more at ease. “Is that the statement?” she asked, pointing to the document on the desk in front of Sullivan Day.
Bailey nodded. “Go on, Sully. Give it to her.”
