Author's Note
First let me say thank you for all of the reviews and thank you to the closet readers boosting my views! I would never have imagined there would be such a following on my story. I am excited to bring you more. Today's chapter will be short and sweet. I am going out of town for my birthday and will be gone until 4/5/16. I'm going to the family farm in Missouri so internet may be sparse. I'll try to post some more while I'm gone but if I don't I promise there will be stories all next week. Lack of internet won't keep me from writing! I know there has been some concern of leaving this story open ended. I assure you I would not do that to any of the readers or even myself. I have a thing for closure.
Keep on Reading!
WolfTexas
RING
"OUCCCHHH!" I say aloud even though I am the only one in the office as one of my flies gets stuck in my finger.
RING
I'm the only one in the office tonight. Walt had something to do tonight and left before any of us. Vic seemed to be upset about something and wasn't much company up until she left. Ruby left a few minutes after Vic and I had been sitting here for most of the evening tying flies in anticipation of my next days off. The weather was getting nice and it would be prime for fishing.
RING
I fumble around trying to get the fly off my finger but the phone is ringing and it makes me nervous. I'm in a rush and the fly winds up stuck on my hand.
RING
I answer the phone with the fly still stuck on my hand feeling kind of silly, "Absaroka County Sheriff's Department, this is Deputy Ferguson."
Static. I can hear some noise in the background that sounds like metal clanking and people talking quickly.
"Hello?" I ask starting to get a little worried. It's not like we don't get hang up calls but I like them better when I'm not the only one on call. We are short handed again and I want desperately to make a good deputy but I just don't have the experience to be confident. It's hard to have any confidence at all with Walt being Walt and even Vic, she came from some fancy department in the big city of Philadelphia. I just can't compete with that. I remind myself it's not a competition take a breath and ask again, "Hello? Is anyone there? Can you hear me? Do you need help?".
Click and the line goes dead.
I decide to get this fly off my hand and go over to Ruby's desk to check the caller ID. My phone has a problem with the screen and won't show the whole name but I can get it from Ruby's phone and try to call the number back.
RING
I'm glad I took the extra minute to get the fly off my hand before the phone started ringing again. I'm caught between my desk and Ruby's desk but I decide to keep on the path I'm on and just catch the phone at Ruby's desk so I will at least know who I am talking to or at depending on how this call goes.
RING
"Hello, Absaroka County Sheriff's Office, this is Deputy Ferguson." I give my spill while reading on the caller ID ABSAROKA COUNTY HOSPITAL.
"Deputy Ferguson?" The young female voice states, "I think I need to report an incident, maybe?"
"Ok, can I get your name?" I ask as I shuffle through the things on Ruby's desk to find a pen and some paper I can write on.
"I'm sorry, my name is Ashley and I'm new here, they just told me to call you." Ashley responded.
"So what seems to be the problem? And did you call here just a minute ago?"
"Yes, sorry that was me too. I didn't really know what I should be reporting I mean it was the Sheriff, or at least I thought it was the Sheriff that came and got him."
"Got who?" Ashley is not making this easy.
"Walker Browning"
"What?" I don't allow her time to continue. "When? Who came and got him? How long has he been gone?" I riddle her with questions like bird shot.
"I'm sorry, I'm new here. I didn't know. We just moved here a week ago and I got this job on the night shift at the hospital. He said he was the Sheriff so I didn't think anything about it." Ashley starts crying as she continues "It happened about 20 minutes ago. I walked in Mr. Browning's room to check on him and the Sheriff was taking off his handcuffs. He said he was going to take him. Mr. Browning was stable so I assumed he was taking him to the county lock up or something. I didn't know he wasn't the Sheriff until the other girl on night shift for that hall asked me who he was. She knows the Sheriff, I guess he's in here a lot, and she said that wasn't him, but this guy had a badge and everything!"
"It's ok Ashley," I try to calm her down "I'm on my way down there now. We will look at the cameras and figure out who came in there and got him."
"Thank you." She says as she hangs up.
I hit line two and immediately dial Vic's number. I know I'm going to need some help. She's closer to the hospital than Walt is and I can call him or have her call him on the way. It just keeps ringing and I get her voicemail. She used to be so dependable. She always answered. I used to resent that she always answered because I suspected it was only because she thought it was Walt calling from the office but tonight she doesn't answer at all. I think about her being upset when she left but why wouldn't she answer. I need some help with this. I don't have time to leave a message or call back. I need to get to the hospital and figure out where Walker Browning is headed and with who.
I decide to call Walt from my cell phone on the way to the hospital. I grab my keys and head out the door.
