“Speaking of jail time.” Bobbie squared her shoulders. “Let’s go talk to Chief Ildavorg and get the whole story of what they did fifteen years ago. Maybe we can find some charges from back then that will still stick, today.”
Buck had a different thought. “Or perhaps Tex will find out that the pair are currently doing something that’s not so above-board, and that will be new ammunition to see them incarcerated,” he suggested.
Buck wouldn’t hold out hope that anypettycrimes would be punished sufficiently, because a lot of small-time criminals—of which the pair no doubt were—recieved a fine and a slap on the wrist these days.
Huh.Maybe the restraining orderwouldbe a good thing to put in place.
They’d talk about that with Mason and the chief.
“Okay. Let’s go.” Buck put a hand on Bobbie’s slim waist, and it felt right. Perfect. He tamped down a groan. If he was lucky, he’d get to spend the rest of his life touching her like this.
Once inside the station, the person manning the desk greeted them, and having been told to expect them, the group was immediately led back to Chief Ildavorg’s office.
Mason and the chief were already there, and both stood up to shake hands.
“Bobbie. Buck,” the chief greeted. “It’s good of you to come. And this is…?” He took in Tex’s measure, and obviously liked what he saw, because his welcoming smile didn’t falter.
“John Keegan,” Tex stuck out his hand to first the chief, then Mason. “But they call me Tex. Hello again, Mase,” he acknowledged.
“Hey, Tex,” Mason acknowledged.
“Why don’t we have a seat,” the chief suggested, and once they all found chairs, he urged that they get started. “First, I have news. We located the puppy mill where your dogs came from, and the perpetrators have been taken into custody and shut down. All their remaining dogs have been safely brought to no-kill shelters, so hopefully they’ll all be rehomed, successfully.”
Buck was extremely happy about that, and he could tell Bobbie was, too.
The chief continued. “And on another note, the one most concerning us today, Mason has found that your brothers donothave a license to distribute alcohol.”
Bobbie groaned, but the kindly man reassured her. “Not your fault, Bobbie. And don’t worry. I’ll take care of the legalities. Now,” he said, folding his hands over his slight, middle-aged belly. “I’ll tell my side of things from fifteen years ago, then Buck will give his version of what happened that night. We’ll wrap up with Bobbie’s recollection of events, which should give us a pretty good, all-around picture.”
“Do you mind if I record this?” Tex asked. To clarify, he explained. “Buck has asked for my help in doing a detailed search on the two brothers. I’m kind of known for my expertise in digging up dirt that might otherwise remain buried.”
“I don’t mind at all,” the chief agreed. “Anything that will help Bobbie and see those two out of her life, will be welcomed.”
Tex pulled out his phone and tapped on it a few times before laying it on the desk in front of him and nodding.
The chief sat back behind his desk to begin his story.
“For me, it started when I got an early morning call from Ed Jerlins. He said someone had broken into his hardware store and ransacked the place the night before. He hadn’t left any money in the register, so no cash had been stolen, but the place was a mess, and he wasn’t sure if anything was missing.
“I went down with a couple of my officers, and we did a thorough investigation. What we found under overturned shelves was a baseball cap with the Vo Tech logo on it. The name Sothard was written on the tag inside.”
He sighed. “I’ve been friends with the Sothards for years, so I knew the only one of their clan attending the Vo Tech at the time was Buck. That he’d do something like that, didn’t make any sense to me, and I immediately suspected that someone had it out for him and wanted to frame him with a crime. But before I could dig deeper into that theory, Bobbie called the station. Someone had scuttled her racing sailboat.”
Buck remembered all this so well, but it wasn’t his turn to speak yet. It was difficult not jumping in and defend himself, even these many years later, but he managed to stay quiet.
The chief continued. “What we found, once we had her boat raised, was deliberately executed damage. Two brand new crowbars had been used to stove in the hull and the deck of her vessel. It didn’t take much digging to find out they were the brand that the hardware store sold, and therefore had a high likelihood of having been stolen in the break-in.” The chief sighed. “Once Ed did an inventory, that suspicion was confirmed.
“We had Buck brought in, because…protocol and all. He was not only distraught, but he denied having any part in either crime. I believed him. The circumstantial evidence however…” Chief Ildavorg shook his head. “Between his father and me, and with Ed Jerlins agreement, we were able to give Buck a choice.Get locked up, then bailed out to await trial where hopefully the truth would come out, or enlist in a branch of the military—his choice—to satisfy his time owed by serving his country.”
The chief regarded Buck with fondness, and not a small bit or regret. “You agreed, but then you did us one better.” He turned back to Bobbie and Tex. “He not only decided to enlist, he offered up all the money he’d squirreled away for years; the funds that were supposed to takehimto college, to pay for the damages to Ed and Bobbie’s properties.
“Ed’s bill was small. It was mostly a matter of setting things straight in his shop, but in the end, Buck cut Bobbie a check for just over fifty thousand dollars.”
Tex whistled. Even for an adult, that amount was nothing to sneeze at.
“Money which never made it into my hands,” Bobbie interjected bitterly.
The chief looked unsettled. “Which we alljustfound out, which galls me, no end. Understand, it wasn’t my say as to who got the funds. I had no choice but to give it to your brothers,” he said. “You were a minor for a few more months, and they approached me with papers that gave them full custody of you, as per your parents’ wishes before they disappeared. The pair promised they’d make the money available to you to do as you pleased, as soon as you turned eighteen, and that’s where I failed you. I should have looked into why you didn’t immediately buy a new boat later that year,orhead off to college as you’d made clear was your wish. I dropped the ball and assumed you’d simply made other plans. I’m so sorry.” The chief’s age momentarily showed on his lined face.
