Absaroka Prison Blues

Chapter 1

Story begins where the Season 4 Finale ended at Walt's cabin. Enough time has elapsed, that the unavoidable confrontation between Walt the mystery intruder has ended and emergency services have arrived.

The paramedics perform their duties with the detached control so common among first responders. Another first responder, a blonde wearing a badge and a smirk displays a decidedly less detached and less controlled manner. As she speaks, her loathing is evident.

"So, I'm here. Am I running this thing or are you? I just need to know exactly what the boundaries are."

"Vic, you can take my statement."

"And hers?"

"Sure."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Sheriff."

"That so?"

"Well you know, we detectives, we ask a lot of questions."

Why is Vic here? I specifically told Ruby to send Ferg, that Vic was off duty and was not to be bothered.

"So if I were to question yourself and your, uh, matronly friend? Or woman friend? What do you older people call it these days? Courting? Going steady? "

"Vic."

"Did she get pinned? Like you gave her your pin. You know. Like you stuck it to her."

"Vic." I know my tone is ineffective. I'm not passive by nature. This must be shock. Or perhaps I've reached that point where my bucket of crazy is full.

"If I'm asking the questions than I'll be the one hearing, you know your personal life stuff."

"Please Vic." Two words. Maybe I'm getting my grit back.

"And didn't you just get done telling me not three hours ago that your personal life is none of my business? Not that I would want to hear all the nitty gritty details of your SENIOR CITIZEN F**k Fest!"

What can I say? She's right. "Vic. Let's move on."

Did that sound like I wanted her to move on from lamenting our lost connection? Is that what I'm saying? If my words sounded like a reprimand she's not showing it. Why does she insist on trying to bait me?

"Guess you could say this is a classic case of coitus interruptus. "

I'm not about to reward her antics with a reaction. I didn't in the alley and I won't now.

"You know Walt that's Latin for an interruption in unlawful and/or distasteful sex acts."

"It is Latin and I think you know that's not what it means, Vic."

It's not so complicated, as far as, crime scenes go. I've worked enough over years to know many are larger, messier, and more taxing.

This isn't even the worse crime aborted in my home this year.

I wonder how many people have more than one home intrusion in the same year, or same month, for that matter. Maybe there's a support group for people like me. There must be a lot of good, honest, hard working folks who end up in vortex of continuous destruction. Through no fault of their own, of course. Destruction, that's a little over the top. Destruction would be preferred to whatever this is. Destruction suggests the calamity has ended.

This just doesn't seem to end.

Vic's questioning hasn't ended.

"…and your zipper is down. Can you tell me why it is exactly that in the time after you shot the alleged intruder and before paramedics arrived, you didn't zip up your jeans? Or were you just trying to preserve the evidence?"

The sound of tires on gravel interrupts Vic's rant. Another guest for the party. Boy Howdy.