Ch. 2
"Hey, Vic?"
Vic glanced up from her laptop.
"Hmm?"
"I've got a guy coming in for an interview today. Could you keep an eye out? Ruby has a dentist appointment and she won't be in for a bit."
Vic nodded and her eyes returned to the screen of her computer.
"Sure."
Cady smiled and vanished into her office.
Vic had no idea how much time had passed before she heard the door to the office open. She glanced up expecting to see Ferg. Instead, she was greeted with the sight of a young man, who didn't appear to be much more than a boy. He was average height and slight build. He was the kind of person you wouldn't particularly remember. His hair was blond and his eyes were blue. They were a very light blue. Lighter than Walt's. He gave her a very unsure smile.
"Hello."
"Hey, can I help you?"
"I have an appointment with the Sheriff."
"Right. Hang on a minute."
Vic rose and stuck her head in Cady's office.
"Your kid is here."
Cady, who was on the phone, nodded her head and held up a finger. Vic returned to where the young man was still standing and looking around the office.
"She'll be out in just a minute."
He nodded and continued his taking in of his surroundings. A minute later, Cady emerged.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. You can come this way."
She glanced at Vic.
"Vic, could you sit in on this one?"
Vic nodded and rose, trailing them into the office. The young man sat opposite the desk. Vic took a seat next to him and turned so she could see him well.
"I'm Sheriff Longmire and this is Deputy Moretti."
He smiled.
"Micah Davis. Nice to meet you."
His tone was neutral and polite. His body language was mostly relaxed. He didn't seem uncomfortable, which was unusual.
Cady held up a sheet of paper.
"Your resume seems to be in order but you don't have any law enforcement experience."
He shook his head.
"No, ma'am. The ad said no experience was necessary."
"That's correct. I was just asking."
He smiled again.
"I've done mostly manual labor. I was homeschool and my mother was big on chores. I'm not afraid of a hard day's work."
"Can you drive?"
The question came from Vic.
"Yes, ma'am. I've been driving since I was 14."
He met her gaze and held it for a long moment before returning his attention to Cady.
"Do you have firearms experience, Micah?"
He nodded.
"I hunt. I'm good with a rifle but I've also used handguns."
Cady ran her eyes over the paperwork in front of her, nodding as she went. She lifted her gaze to his.
"Do you have any problems with shooting at people or pulling a gun on someone? That's not something we like to have to do but it's occasionally necessary."
He was quiet for a moment before he spoke.
"Thankfully, Sheriff, I've never been in that position. I think, though, I could if it were to defend myself or someone else."
Vic was impressed with his answers. He sounded like he had anticipated the type of questions that would be asked.
Cady glanced at her.
"Would you take Micah to the shooting range and see how well he does?"
"Sure."
He smiled, knowing he had made a good impression. He thanked Cady for her time and followed Vic to her truck. Once they were on the road, he turned his blue eyes at her.
"May I ask how long you been a police officer."
Vic smiled to herself.
"A long time."
"You're not from here. You have an accent."
She nodded her head.
"Yeah, I'm originally from Philadelphia."
He smiled.
"Wow, I've never been out of Wyoming."
"Seriously?"
"It's the truth."
"Make it a point, kid. There's a whole world outside of this state to see."
"You're married, huh."
She glanced at her hand on the steering wheel. She was wearing her wedding band today since she had just been in the office. The sun was glinting off the gold.
"Yeah."
"How long you been married?"
Vic turned her face towards him and then back to the road.
"No offense but I don't particularly like discussing my personal life with people I don't know."
"No offense taken. I guess you have to be careful in your job. Always someone out to get you."
"That's mostly in the movies."
She pulled into the gun range and he followed her. Vic had brought an assortment of weapons from the station. He was very proficient with rifles. He was a little off with the handguns but still solid. He clearly knew how to correctly handle weapons. Most of their candidates did not have that particular skill. She was continually surprised by the odd assortment they got when they tried to hire people.
When they returned to the station, he said good bye and left. Cady joined Vic at her desk.
"What do you think?"
Vic leaned back in her chair.
"I think he's the best so far. He's young, though."
"So was Ferg when dad hired him."
"True. He was pretty good on the range. He could use some tuning up but it wasn't bad at all."
Cady's eyes drifted to the window.
"Let's see if his background check comes back clean. If it does, he may be our guy."
Vic's desk phone rang. Cady wandered back into her office.
"Hello?"
"Deputy, this is John…Bryant."
"Oh, right. What can I do for you?"
"The mayor is hoping that we can set up a time to meet and discuss a few things coming up we would like the sheriff's department to be involved in."
"Okay. When are you free?"
"The question is, when are you free? How's an hour. I can order us in some lunch."
"Okay. An hour is doable."
xxx
He had ordered from the Busy Bee. He offered Vic a charming smile.
"You're not a vegetarian are you?"
"No."
She sat down at the small table in his office and he extended a wrapped sandwich.
"Ham okay?"
She took it along with an offered bottle of water.
"Sure."
"I don't suppose your husband told you I met him the other night. Quite awkwardly, I might add."
"Yeah, he did."
"I apologize. I didn't realize that you were married."
"It's okay."
She washed down a bite with a swallow of water, wondering when he would get to business.
"I understand your husband is the former Sheriff here."
"Yes."
"You worked for him?"
Vic finished off the sandwich and the last of her water.
"Mr. Bryant…"
"John, please."
She kept going.
"I thought we were here to discuss official business and not my marriage."
He smiled.
"I'm sorry. I'm just curious by nature. I've been gone for a long time and I don't know a lot of the people who are here now. The first thing the mayor would like to do is start an outreach program at the school. Maybe have different people be mentors. I'm sure you know Durant has had a drug problem arise in the past few years."
"Yes."
"Would someone from your department be willing to represent? The mayor would like to involve all the city and county departments, if possible."
"I'm sure we can work something out."
"Do you have kids in school?"
Vic shook her head.
"Not in school, no."
"A young one then?"
Something about his prodding was rubbing her the wrong way. She tilted her head.
"Yeah."
He got the hint and moved away from the topic.
"Just let me know who will be volunteering from the department. I've also got to speak with the fire department about that."
He extended a folder.
"Here are a few other joint ventures we would like to invite your department to be a part of. Maybe get with Sheriff Longmire and let me know what you think. I included my card with my cell number."
Vic took it and nodded.
"Sure."
"Maybe we can get together for dinner and discuss it in a week or so."
Vic narrowed her eyes.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"A working dinner, Deputy."
"Or we could just meet here or at the sheriff's office."
"Right."
Vic stood up.
"Thank you for lunch but I've got to get back."
He rose.
"Of course. Thank you for coming."
Vic was happy to be outside in the sunlight and away from his smile. It came off as the smile of a salesman. Vic rolled her eyes at the thought of him and headed back to the station.
xxx
"He actually asked you out?"
Walt paused in his wood chopping. Setting the ax down carefully, Walt folded his arms across his chest.
"Well, he said working dinner."
"Right."
Vic smiled.
"That's what I said."
His jaw was set and she could see he didn't see the humor in the situation.
"Walt, don't get bent out of shape."
"It wouldn't bother you if some woman was hitting on me?"
She smiled.
"Women do hit on you. You just don't realize it. And, no, it doesn't bother me because I know you won't do anything."
He ran a hand over the stubble on his jaw.
"This seems to be little more than just that, Vic. He seems persistent."
She dismissed the idea with an eye roll.
"I can handle him, Walt."
She glanced at the porch where Jude sat playing with a truck, oblivious.
"I promised him I would play."
She took a step away and he sighed, hefting the ax to his shoulder.
"I'm almost done."
Vic walked over and sat on the porch steps with her son. He handed her a spare car and she smiled at this enthusiasm. Her eyes lingered on Walt bringing down the ax and the wood splitting perfectly. Surely, he didn't think she would cheat on him. Vic shook the thoughts from her head and returned her attention to the car in her hand.
xxx
Walt sat on the porch in the dark. His eyes were trained unseeingly into the distance. He heard the flutter of wings and rose. Approaching the porch rail, his eyes peered into the darkness. Walt had left the ax blade first in his chopping block. A large owl sat on the handle peering at him. He leaned his arms on the rail and watched it for a long moment. The door behind him opened. He glanced to see Vic approaching him. When he turned back around, the bird was gone.
"What are you looking at?"
His gaze lingered but he shrugged, an uneasy feeling settling over him.
"Nothing really."
She stood beside him.
"Jude asleep?"
"Yeah. Out like a light."
He smiled a little.
"He played hard today."
She was quiet and he knew there was something she wanted to say, so he waited.
"You're mad."
He shook his head.
"I'm not mad, Vic."
"You are mad."
"Not at you."
"But you're taking it out on me. You were quiet at dinner."
He looked down.
"I trust you."
"Do you?"
He bobbed his head slightly.
"Yeah. I do."
"Then why does this bother you? It's not the first time someone has hit on me."
"Seems different."
"Why? Omar still does it."
"That's Omar."
He heard her sigh next to him. He could feel the frustration rolling off of her in waves.
"Do you ever regret marrying me?"
"Where the fuck did that come from?"
He shrugged.
"Sometimes I just wonder if…you could have any man you want. A younger, more successful man who could offer you more."
"Jesus, Walt, what is wrong with you?"
He shook his head.
"Nothing. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"But you did, so you've thought about this."
He felt her hand slide around his arm. He finally turned his head towards her. He could read the hurt in her eyes.
"I love you, Vic."
She tugged on his arm.
"I know. Come to bed with me. I'm off tomorrow. Maybe we can sleep a little late."
He smiled a little.
"Doubt that. Your son wants to ride."
"He's your son when he does that."
"Right."
xxx
"Mommy, wake!"
Vic opened her eyes and moaned.
"No, mommy sleep."
She could feel him crawling over the bed. Walt's side was empty. Vic rolled onto her back. Jude came to rest near her shoulder, his hair brushing her face.
"Mommy, daddy up."
She groaned again.
"Good for daddy."
She could smell bacon and her stomach grumbled.
"Daddy cooking?"
He smiled and nodded.
On cue, Walt appeared in the doorway.
"You're up."
"I am now thanks to him."
Walt smiled.
"I told you."
Vic rolled her eyes.
She pushed at Jude.
"Alright, little man, up."
He sprang off the bed and vanished through the doorway. Vic rolled off the bed and dressed quickly in jeans and a t-shirt before following. By the time she entered the kitchen, Walt had already prepared plates for them all. He had set her out a cup of coffee and one for himself along with milk for Jude.
The two year old gobbled up the food in front of him and talked about horses. Vic glanced across the table.
"You're quiet. Something wrong?"
Walt shook his head. The truth was he had seen another owl that morning while cooking. He wasn't sure what it meant but it didn't give him a good feeling. He wanted to tell her but he wasn't sure how she would take their significance.
"Nope. Just listening to him. Figure to take him out on the horse after breakfast."
Vic nodded.
"Okay. I'm gonna run into town. We're low on some things."
He nodded in return and finished up his breakfast. Walt rose and began clearing the table.
"Why don't you let me clean and you go take Jude. He's so excited."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I got this."
He gave her a smile and rounded up Jude. Vic made quick work of the dishes and drove her duty truck into Durant. Her first stop was the station. Ruby looked at her in surprise.
"Vic, why are you here on your day off?"
"Hey, Ruby. Is Cady here?"
"Yes."
Vic smiled and tapped on the door before opening it.
Cady smiled at her.
"Aren't you off today?"
"Yeah, but I need to talk to you."
Cady's face grew serious.
"Something wrong?"
"Kind of. I need you to put Ferg in charge of this stuff with John Bryant."
Cady looked confused.
"Is something wrong?"
Vic looked around and nodded.
"Yeah, he's blatantly hitting on me."
Cady leaned back in her chair.
"Does he know you're married?"
"Yes. He's met your dad."
"Does dad know?"
"Yes, and he's really not happy about it. I mean…normally I would just tell him to fuck off but he works for the mayor so…"
Cady smiled.
"Good call. I will ask Ferg to deal with him."
"Thank you, Cady."
"No problem."
xxx
"You didn't have to do that."
Vic leaned forward next to him on the couch.
"Yeah, I think I did."
She paused and looked at her feet.
"I never made Sean my priority when we were married. I put the job first. He did the same. I think that's where things started to go wrong early on and it got worse from there. Understand?"
He nodded, his eyes settling on her.
"Yep, I do. There's uh…something I want to tell you."
"Okay."
He could hear nerves in her voice as he started to tell her about the owls going all the way back. He plowed through, watching her expression change as he went on about how it had stopped and now he was seeing them again. Her brow creased together in a frown.
"And you think this is some kind of bad omen?"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm not sure. I just get a bad feeling about it."
She sighed.
"You sound like Henry."
He smiled a little but grew serious.
"I don't want to keep things from you, Vic."
"Is this why you've been so…moody?"
"I guess."
She was quiet for a minute.
"I'm glad you told me. How was your ride today?"
She hoped a change in conversation would lighten the mood.
"Good. He's a natural, I think."
"Well, he gets that from you."
A smile crossed his face. It still overwhelmed him sometimes that they had made a person who was a mixture of them both. He relished in seeing Vic in their son as much as he did himself. It warmed him in a way he not experienced in a long time. Not since Cady was a girl.
"I was thinking about getting another horse."
"Don't you think he's a little young for his own horse?"
"It would be for us all. We could all ride together. I know it's not your favorite but Jude would love it."
"Yeah, he would. Make sure it's a calm one. And not too big."
Walt chuckled.
"Sure."
xxx
She ignored the call when it came into her cell phone. She wasn't sure where he had gotten her number. She knew Ferg had spoken to him and Bryant knew the younger deputy was his new contact. She half expected him to leave a message but he didn't. Nor did he send a text. She hoped that would be the end of it and he would get the point.
The background check on Micah Davis came back clean and Cady decided to hire him on a probationary basis. Each time he came in, had the same quiet nature. There was something about him that sort of reminded Vic of Walt. She could picture him being similar when he was a young man. Quiet and serious. Vic had been tasked with training him and she didn't mind. He was a polite kid and seemed eager to prove himself worthy of the badge he had been given. He didn't seem to have any qualms about taking orders from women, which was a breath of fresh air.
He didn't talk much about himself but indicated much of his family was gone. He seemed to be alone. Vic chalked it up to the mother in her when she mumbled out an invitation to dinner. He paused and then accepted with obvious hesitance. She offered him a reassuring smile, which he returned with the first genuine smile she had seen from him.
