Chapter Two
Tony had enjoyed a hot meal and conversation with Jack the night before, pleased that the older man had taken his cue to leave anything related to NCIS and his son's situation alone. He had agreed to speak with the mayor and city council about the sheriff's position with no promises made.
Now he was putting on his armor of well-tailored suit, crisp white shirt, and subtly patterned tie. Highly shined shoes set off the appearance of a sober professional. That is, if you didn't look too closely at the socks he was wearing. They had been a gift from Abby, red with tiny white skulls wearing a black bow where the hair would normally be. Tony took one more minute to check himself out in the mirror, a slight nod of approval over the taming of his hair.
Walking into the kitchen, Tony greeted Jack. "Morning. Can I treat you to breakfast over at the diner?"
"Nope, I'm fixing some omelets and coffee for here." He handed Tony a mug. "Don't you look sharp. What's in the folder?"
"My resume. I printed up a dozen, should be enough for everyone who might be there."
Jack looked askance. "You wrote it up that quickly?"
"I've always had one on my computer, ready to go when and if I ever needed it. All I have to do is tweak it occasionally."
After breakfast, Jack walked with Tony to the meeting hall where the mayor and council waited. After introducing everyone, Jack was asked to leave.
Once the door closed, Tony passed out the resume copies. "I thought you gentlemen would like to see some information about my experience and education. Any questions you might have, I'll be glad to answer."
Tony was as comfortable as he could be in the folding chair carefully placed before the dais behind which sat five men. He patiently waited while his resume was read and discussed quietly amongst the Stillwater government.
He still hadn't made his mind up as to whether he wanted to go back to NCIS, even if he was offered the opportunity. Too many things had changed over the years. He could almost pinpoint when it had all gone to hell, shortly after Jethro Gibbs had left to recover his memories and health. They had all been in shock, so Tony had allowed more latitude in their attitudes than perhaps he should have. Then Director Jen Shepard had come up with her special assignments.
"Special Agent DiNozzo."
"Mr. Mayor, I'm no longer with NCIS, so just plain mister. You can call me Tony, if you'd prefer."
"I see." Mayor Dayton referred to the paper he held. "You graduated from Ohio State with a degree in Physical Education, I see. And a Master's in Criminology from American University?"
"Yes, sir. That's correct."
"Thank you for bringing these, Mr. DiNozzo. May I ask why you moved from police department to police department?"
"Of course, Councilman Burnett. I started my career with Peoria as it was the first to respond to my application. I was there for approximately two years before I was contacted by the Philadelphia Police. My captain convinced me that there was more for me to learn there, in a bigger department, and wrote me a glowing recommendation. I can give you his number if you'd like to speak with him."
"I think that might be a good idea." The heavyset man nodded, making a quick note on the resume of the name and number Tony provided.
"I enjoyed my time in Philadelphia, but there were cutbacks and, well, last hired, first fired. Another recommendation from my sergeant helped me move to Baltimore."
"Where you rather rapidly became a detective, I see."
"Mayor Dayton, it was a case of right place at the right time. The Organized Crime division needed someone who could speak Italian fluently and wasn't known by the locals." Tony shrugged.
"Then you resigned after two years to join NCIS?" Councilman Lewis leaned forward to stare at Tony. "Looking for something better? Will we be able to get a good recommendation from that department?"
Tony took a deep breath. He had already decided to come clean on his reasons for leaving. It wasn't like the truth would be hard to find with very little digging. "I think you could. But as to why I left, it was something more complicated than just moving up in the law enforcement food chain. I discovered that my partner was involved in the very criminal activity we were supposed to be stopping. Special Agent Gibbs understood why I couldn't…"
"It's okay, son. I can understand that it would be impossible to stay after a betrayal like that." Lewis sighed. "I was in the Army. Would've had the same reaction if I found out a man I trusted wasn't worthy of that trust."
"I've gotta agree with Carl on that. Worst kind of betrayal." Burnett sat back in his seat. "You stayed quite a while at NCIS. So why leave now?"
"There were reasons. Good reasons, but ones I can't go into. I'm sorry." Tony knew this would be the hardest part. He would never betray Jethro, never.
"I see." A quick glance at the rest of the men seemed to move the conversation on to new matters. "Why would you take a job like this? One could say it is a step down for you."
A soft smile passed over Tony's face. "A step down? I don't think it is. I'm a cop. I love the job, I love the difference I can make in a good person's life. Sometimes, in agencies as large as NCIS, it's easy to become so focused on the crime, on the technical aspects, that you forget the victims and their families, their friends. I don't say that it is simpler in a smaller department, but maybe you're a little closer there to the people you're helping."
Scrubbing at his face, Tony continued. "It has been a tough couple of years. I've lost friends and, to be honest, I've lost myself. When Jack first mentioned this job, I thought it was a crazy idea. But on the drive here, I realized that this might be just the thing I needed to let me be what I am, a cop. A person who can help people directly, who can make a difference whether it is a small one or a large one. I want that. Perhaps I need that." He looked directly into each man's eyes. "I can give you a sheriff who is interested in the safety of this town and its people. I can't be influenced by money or power or personal gain. If you want an honest sheriff, I'm your man." Tony got to his feet.
The mayor nodded, shaking Tony's hand. "If we need to contact you?"
"I'm staying at Jackson Gibbs' place for the time being. You can reach me there."