11
As Dillon approached the station, Maud shoved through the main doors and stomped her way across the parking lot. Dillon thought she looked like a drill sergeant on a tear. “Where on earth have you been?”
“Walking.”
“Howdareyou slink off when there’s work to do!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s no excuse!” She waved one hand back at the station. “Disappearing today of all days! When the pile of official documents on your desk is a foot high!”
“Mydesk?”
She ignored his question. “Half my exhausted force has been out searching for your sorry hide!” She took hold of his sleeve and stomped back toward the entrance, dragging him along. “Can you or can you not understand a set of books?”
“Can.” On definite ground. At least on that point.
“And you understand bureaucratic red tape?”
“Different question, same answer.”
“So maybe Christmas won’t miss us after all.” A stray shaft of weak sunlight illuminated the glass portals as Maud pushed them open and declared, “The wayward lad has returned.”
Ryan grinned at his confused state. “Guess we can call off the dogs.”
Maud led him to the desk directly in front of hers. “Dillon, sit.”
The desk was now piled with documents, folders, a tray of receipts, scrawled notes, and a desktop computer. “What is all this?”
“What does it look like?”
He opened the top folder, studied the spreadsheets, said, “A half-finished mess.”
“Sounds like we’ve found our man,” Ryan said. “Maybe you should deputize him.”
“Can’t hurt,” Maud agreed. “Raise your right hand. Do you swear to uphold the law, behave yourself, get this work done on time, and not break Olivia’s heart again?”
“What kind of oath is that?”
“Say yes,” Maud declared. “That’s an order.”
“Okay, yes. But I didn’t—”
“You just hush with that.” For once, Maud’s ire became very real indeed. “Olivia’s mother was one of my dearest lifelong friends. I helped her pack for the move to Phoenix. Your running away broke two beautiful hearts that day.”
Dillon had no idea what to say.
Ryan offered a remarkably soft, “That was then and this is now.”
Maud stood, hands on hips, glaring.
Ryan said, “Tell our new deputy what we’re facing here.” When Maud remained silent, she went on. “The state is offering us disaster-relief funding. Us, as in, the town and police and fire and emergency services. The problem is, nobody knows how to handle these forms.”
Maud said, “Everybody is stretched impossibly thin. Even if we weren’t, I doubt we could complete these on time.”
“Maud is the best we have at red tape,” Ryan said. “And she’s overwhelmed. Just like the rest of us.”
Dillon asked, “What’s the due date?”
