.
"Where you been, Ben?"
Ben stepped into the sheriff's station to find Lucas leaning back in the deputy's chair, feet propped up on his desk.
"Had to take a call," Ben replied, carefully removing his hat and hanging it up on the coat rack near the door.
"Oh, yeah?" Lucas swung his legs off Ben's desk and leaned forward in the chair. "What kind of call? Some sort of disturbance? At the Huntley house, maybe?"
Ben shot Floyd a "thanks a lot" look, but the other deputy was too busy concentrating on a phone call to notice. "Neighbor thought she saw a prowler," Ben told Lucas and shrugged. "Didn't see any reason to bother you with it."
"Well, maybe you should've looked a little harder." Lucas stood. "I believe I've said more than once that anything goes on at that house, I want to know about it. That didn't happen now, did it?"
"Floyd told you," Ben said, gesturing at the other deputy.
"You know that's not what I mean." Lucas looked closely at Ben and the odd way in which he was holding his head up. "Ronilyn back home? You have a run-in with her?"
"Sheriff?"
"What?" Lucas snapped at Floyd.
Floyd covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "It's the mayor. Says he can't make your meetin' tonight."
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Oh, he can't, can he? Put it through to my office, Floyd." He started to turn, then stopped and pointed at Ben. "Don't go runnin' out on any more calls. I'm not through with you."
Ben walked around the counter to his desk and sighed.
Lucas shut his office door and picked up the telephone. "Howdy, Mayor, what's the good word? Understand you have some sort of schedulin' snafu."
"Yeah, uh, something's come up, Lucas," Mayor Quimby said. "I'm afraid we're gonna have to cancel our meetin' tonight."
Lucas sighed. "You've been puttin' me off way too much, Yer Honor. A person's liable to take offense at that."
"I don't mean any offense, Lucas," the mayor assured him. "I...I just can't tonight."
"Well, Mayor, I can't either." Lucas twirled the phone cord with his fingers. "Can't support you for re-election, that is."
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.
"I don't feel it'd be right to support a man who uses the word "can't" in his vocabulary. I've got a duty to the citizens of Trinity and I just don't think that kind of man should be their leader. If I'd known how weak you were..."
"Look here, Lucas, you've got no call to talk to me like that."
"No call?" Lucas leaned forward. "Oh, really? Who came to me three years ago with that sob story 'bout bein' down in the polls and needin' help in gettin' re-elected? I didn't cancel meetin' after meetin' with you, did I?"
Silence.
"Well?" Lucas demanded.
"No."
"Darn right. Now I expect the same courtesy in return. I suggest you rearrange your schedule and find time for our meetin'," Lucas said, "'cause it's gonna take place tonight - one way or the other." With that, he hung up the phone.
"Where you been, Ben?"
Ben stepped into the sheriff's station to find Lucas leaning back in the deputy's chair, feet propped up on his desk.
"Had to take a call," Ben replied, carefully removing his hat and hanging it up on the coat rack near the door.
"Oh, yeah?" Lucas swung his legs off Ben's desk and leaned forward in the chair. "What kind of call? Some sort of disturbance? At the Huntley house, maybe?"
Ben shot Floyd a "thanks a lot" look, but the other deputy was too busy concentrating on a phone call to notice. "Neighbor thought she saw a prowler," Ben told Lucas and shrugged. "Didn't see any reason to bother you with it."
"Well, maybe you should've looked a little harder." Lucas stood. "I believe I've said more than once that anything goes on at that house, I want to know about it. That didn't happen now, did it?"
"Floyd told you," Ben said, gesturing at the other deputy.
"You know that's not what I mean." Lucas looked closely at Ben and the odd way in which he was holding his head up. "Ronilyn back home? You have a run-in with her?"
"Sheriff?"
"What?" Lucas snapped at Floyd.
Floyd covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "It's the mayor. Says he can't make your meetin' tonight."
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Oh, he can't, can he? Put it through to my office, Floyd." He started to turn, then stopped and pointed at Ben. "Don't go runnin' out on any more calls. I'm not through with you."
Ben walked around the counter to his desk and sighed.
Lucas shut his office door and picked up the telephone. "Howdy, Mayor, what's the good word? Understand you have some sort of schedulin' snafu."
"Yeah, uh, something's come up, Lucas," Mayor Quimby said. "I'm afraid we're gonna have to cancel our meetin' tonight."
Lucas sighed. "You've been puttin' me off way too much, Yer Honor. A person's liable to take offense at that."
"I don't mean any offense, Lucas," the mayor assured him. "I...I just can't tonight."
"Well, Mayor, I can't either." Lucas twirled the phone cord with his fingers. "Can't support you for re-election, that is."
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.
"I don't feel it'd be right to support a man who uses the word "can't" in his vocabulary. I've got a duty to the citizens of Trinity and I just don't think that kind of man should be their leader. If I'd known how weak you were..."
"Look here, Lucas, you've got no call to talk to me like that."
"No call?" Lucas leaned forward. "Oh, really? Who came to me three years ago with that sob story 'bout bein' down in the polls and needin' help in gettin' re-elected? I didn't cancel meetin' after meetin' with you, did I?"
Silence.
"Well?" Lucas demanded.
"No."
"Darn right. Now I expect the same courtesy in return. I suggest you rearrange your schedule and find time for our meetin'," Lucas said, "'cause it's gonna take place tonight - one way or the other." With that, he hung up the phone.