Ch. 25: put on
"I'm serious, Vic. I want you to go talk to the judge this morning about an order."
Vic stood leaning on the counter with a cup of coffee in her hand. If she were being completely honest, she hadn't heard everything he said. She did hear the last part. That was mainly because he gave her a look when he said it and the volume of his voice ticked up slightly. Vic lowered her mug and considered him.
"Sure."
She was tired. She hadn't slept well. She had a low grade headache. Dealing with all of this bullshit wasn't helping her out any. As a matter of fact, it was the majority of her problem. Walt sighed, obviously displeased by her answer and the lack of commitment.
"Stop by on your way to work."
She blinked her way fully back into the moment.
"What time is his hearing?"
"First case after lunch. You know he's gonna walk."
"Yeah."
Walt watched her for a moment before he turned away and glanced around the kitchen.
"Want some breakfast."
Vic shook her head and continued to drink her coffee at a steady, distracted pace.
"No."
He didn't look at all happy by that answer either. He didn't argue with her about it, though. He wasn't stupid and he knew her too well. Pushing her when she was in a mood would only make it worse. It was an argument that wasn't worth having. Not over breakfast.
He reached up and ran his hand over the back of his neck. She recognized the move. It was a thing he did when he was nervous or didn't know what to say in a situation. Much like smoothing down his hair even when there was no reason to.
"I need to finish getting ready."
She nodded and set her now empty mug in the sink. It wouldn't take him long. He was already wearing his jeans and a snap front shirt. All he lacked were the finishing touches. The small details that gave him his typical Walt appearance. Tucked in shirt with his belt secured by its distinctive metal buckle. His boots. His hat. The holster that held his Colt. The rifle that he often carried with him.
There was very little change or dimension when it came to his appearance. He leaned on the same look nearly every day and it worked for him. She certainly associated those things with the man that he was. The Sheriff that he was. It was easy to think of it as his uniform. Sure, on occasion he would wear a different color shirt. Something that was newer with stiffer material that hadn't been washed enough yet. His boots needed to be replaced periodically. Although, he always replaced his battered pair with an identical new pair. Say what you will about his avoiding change. The man knew what he liked and it worked for him.
For a brief moment, she wondered what would change when his retirement was finalized. That day was rapidly approaching. The invisible finish line rushing at them now that all the pieces were in place. Would he dress the same? Sometimes when the weather was warm and he was off, he simply wore t-shirts. It was a good look for him. He wouldn't need the holster on his side anymore. Or the rifle. Not the way that he did now. It opened up a host of questions.
She knew that he would be the same man. Fundamentally at least. The foundation of who he was would never change. He was battled tested and life hardened in that respect. It was the more common aspects of his life that would change. And hers. They wouldn't work together anymore. She wouldn't work for him. That experience would be gone from the office.
For some reason, she hadn't really thought about how much this would impact her just yet. Not really. Not below the surface. She saw him nearly every day, all day for some time now. Even when she was married she saw Walt more than she saw Sean. Not that they were together all the time. But, it was close.
What kind of shift would that cause in their personal relationship?
How would it alter her professionally?
"You alright?"
Vic raised her eyes from where she was slowly pulling on her right boot to find Walt watching her. He looked complete now. Every detail in place just like it always was. Vic cleared her throat and shoved her foot all the way into the boot.
"Yeah. Just…lost in thought I guess."
His expression registered doubt at her insistence. Vic stood up and started to slip on her own holster. His brow was furrowed with thought and worry. Next on her belt went her badge and her cuffs. She arranged them as she walked across his living room.
"Yeah. I'm…going."
She gestured at the door. Walt watched her with a level of intensity that made her want to get out of his sight. Walt dipped his chin towards his chest.
"By the courthouse."
She sighed.
He wasn't letting up on that line of thought.
"Yes. By the courthouse."
It felt like the path of least resistance. She was overly thrilled with the idea of a protective order. She was a cop after all. She was the one who protected others. She should be able to protect herself as well. She understood, though. It was more of a legal protection than anything else. It offered them options were Derek Gilbert to make his presence felt in her life again.
The kid wouldn't care. Neither would his family. They didn't recognize the authority of the government over them. But, that didn't matter. What mattered to Walt was that it would give him a path to locking Gilbert back up if he came around again.
He looked as her like he was trying to decide if she was actually going to do it. Some part of him appeared to be satisfied as she grabbed her keys, her laptop bag, and turned the doorknob.
"I'll see you at work."
xxx
"You can't be serious."
He was angry. Getting angrier by the minute. Vic sat in his office with the same sullen, slightly detached look she wore earlier in the morning at his cabin. It bothered him. There wasn't very much he could do about it unfortunately. Vic was her own person. It was one of the things that he respected the most about her. It could also be immensely frustrating.
"I am."
Walt leaned forward, his arms on his desk.
"He wouldn't give you the order?"
"Nope. He seems to think that my past experience is making me overreact. And, that a trained police officer shouldn't need protection from a…a kid."
"A warped kid."
His temples started throbbing when Vic told him the judge wouldn't grant her an order. His point of view was that the young man hadn't actually presented her with any physical threat. With the age of Derek Gilbert combined with the lack of evidence that he meant her any harm, the judge refuted the idea that she needed a legal piece of paper. It didn't help that allegations had already been lobbed at the department and Walt. It didn't matter that he had been cleared. The judge was deeply concerned about the image of the town as well as his own personal image.
Walt heaved out a breath and tapped his fingers on the wooden surface of his desk.
"You taking him to court since he doesn't have a lawyer?"
Walt shook his head.
"Zach. He's meeting the public defender at the courthouse. Probably best for me to stay away as much as possible."
"Yeah."
She stood up and her eyes dropped away from his.
"Cady and I are going out to run some radar and see how many days we can ruin."
It was an attempt at humor. Her heart wasn't in it. He could see that without any help. He was glad she would be out of the office. By the time she got back, Gilbert would be gone. He liked to think this experience might rattle the kid and scare him off. Knowing where he came from, Walt highly doubted that theory.
"Okay."
She turned and left his office. He watched her say something to Cady. His daughter stood up and they both disappeared from his view. A moment later, the door opened and closed. That left him, Ruby, and Zach in the office. Derek Gilbert in the cell.
Walt leaned back in his chair with a sigh and wondered when this would be all over. He would be out of office soon. That would vastly limit what he could do when a threat like this one arose. He needed to take care of this before that happened.
Walt stood up, left his office, and approached the cell. Retrieving the key, he unlocked it. Gilbert stood up. Walt opened the door and gestured for him.
"Come with me."
Back in his office, with the door closed, he motioned to a chair.
"Sit."
Gilbert did as he was told with a look of defiance on his face. Walt walked over to his desk and leaned on it.
"Where are you living these days?"
Gilbert shrugged. Walt wasn't deterred.
"I've been out to your old place. I know it's abandoned. I also know that Chance wasn't a man who lacked a backup plan. I'm willing to bet, he had a place all set up for this."
Another shrug.
"Just so you know, I'm gonna start checking around. I'll figure it out. You can't own land anonymously around here. Everything is a matter of public record. And, I know you're close enough to go to that trailer park as often as you did. That narrows it down."
"You can't harass us. We're free people."
"Yeah. Sure. You're free until you're not."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that when I find out where you are, I'll be watching. Watching and waiting for you to break a law. When you do, I'll haul you back in here."
"You can't threaten me like this."
The kid liked that idea. Clung to it.
"It's not a threat. It's police work. I suspect you of a crime. As long as I'm not breaking any laws or crossing any lines, there's no law against surveillance. I know the law. Your uncle knew the law. Let's see how well you do."
He turned his attention away from Derek.
"Zach!"
His newest deputy opened the door.
"What's up?"
Walt turned his eyes back to Derek.
"Take Derek and let him get cleaned up. Then, take him to the courthouse."
Zach nodded.
"Sure thing, Sheriff."
He motioned at Derek.
"Come on."
Derek stood up slowly, his eyes staying on Walt until he followed Zach from the office.
Walt huffed.
He needed to find out where these people were staying now. It was obviously somewhere in the area. They hadn't gone away. They simply adopted a lower profile. He might need to call in a few favors to grease the wheels. He didn't necessarily have time to do this the methodical way.
Maybe he wouldn't need to.
xxx
"That kid in jail…he was involved in…what happened to you?"
Cady didn't know the whole story. That much was obvious.
"Yes. He was Chance Gilbert's nephew. Walt shot and killed his father. His mother is…a crazy bitch. He uh…he's the one who hit Sean with the bat."
She saw Cady wince at the very idea. It was the reaction she expected. It was one of the reasons she didn't like talking about. The way people looked at her. The way they treated her. Like she was made of glass and would break. It was annoying. If she were going to shatter, it would've happened already.
It did almost happen.
Cady didn't know about that either.
Only Walt knew about the night she drove with no clear destination in mind. The night that all the clatter in her mind came to a head and her search for peace took a desperate, dangerous turn. Thinking about it now was akin to watching a movie. It was hard to believe it was her own personal experience. She could picture it in her head. She knew that it was her. It was just hard to reconcile her mind frame then with where she was now. A valid argument could be made that she wasn't much better off.
She was.
She knew it.
Walt knew it.
Whether or not he wanted to admit it, he was part of the reason. Walt liked to push the theory that she saved herself. That she was strong enough to resist the temptation to put a bullet in her own head and end all of this. In her reality, that wasn't true. As far as she could tell, the only thing that kept her from pulling the trigger was the thought of creating more hurt for him. More pain. It would be a selfish thing to do.
Even now, it was hard to see beyond that point of view when she thought back about it. Thankfully, she was no longer in that frame of mind. The guilt was still there. She reckoned it always would be. But, the pain was different. Duller, sometimes even absent for a while.
"Wow."
That was the only reply that Cady could muster. No surprise there. The level of violence could be hard to digest Even for her. Even now.
"Yeah."
There was a beat of quiet that felt somewhat weighted down. When Cady spoke again, she knew why.
"So…you're living with dad?"
Vic looked her way.
"Did Walt tell you that?"
"Not exactly. He told me that you moved your RV to his place. I just…connected the dots."
"Wrong dots. It's temporary."
"Really?"
Cady sounded skeptical.
"It's just until we figure this out."
"Then, you'll go back to the trailer park?"
Cady seemed confused by the idea. Not bothered by it.
"I…haven't gotten that far. I don't even know how long this is going to take."
"I'm…not trying to pry. I just thought…you know."
She knew.
"You're…staying with dad?"
It was interesting how altering one word could completely change the context of a sentence.
"Yes."
Cady nodded.
"I'm glad."
For some reason, that surprised her.
"Really?"
"Yes. If these people are planning something, I feel better knowing that you're not on your own. Does that surprise you?"
"Yes. You weren't exactly a fan of all this when you found out."
Cady looked across the front seat of the truck.
"That was a knee jerk reaction. I'm sorry about that. I don't think I ever really apologized for it."
Vic shrugged.
"No need to apologize. You're entitled to your feelings."
"I know. They weren't really my feelings, though. It was just…"
She paused.
"…on the surface, you don't seem like you would work. You're so different. But, the more I see you together, the more I get it. You've…been a good influence on him."
In spite of her dark mood and her shitty morning, that voiced thought brought a smile out a Vic. And, a laugh. Cady smiled.
"What?"
Vic shook her head in clear amusement.
"I've never been called a good influence before. I've been called a bad one plenty of times."
"Guess this is a new day."
Vic breathed out another laugh.
"Could be."
Cady grew serious.
"I mean it, though. I've noticed a change in him since you've been together."
Vic's desire to get into a deep conversation with Cady about her relationship with Walt was non-existent. Still, she appreciated the words. It was certainly a turnaround from the dread Cady created when Walt first told her.
"We're…both working on ourselves."
That was all she offered up. It was vague, but true, comment. They were working on being better versions of themselves. Some days, they were more successful than others. Some days, they simply sucked at it. That was the nature of progress as far she knew. She wished her family would make a similar observation. She had changed vastly during her time in Wyoming. A great deal of it had come in the last year with a concentration over the past few months. She liked to think that most of the changes were positive in nature. Walt seemed to think so.
"You should call my dad and tell him that."
Cady tossed her another look.
"Not a fan?"
"Nope."
She got a sympathetic look.
"He'll come around."
She wanted to believe that. She knew her father too well. He was not a man who was easily swayed. Nor was he a man who changed his mind very often. He was strong in his conviction that Walt was not the man for her. That he was using her. Taking advantage. In a way, it was insulting to her intelligence and ability to judge people and their character.
"Maybe."
She opted to flip the conversation.
"How are you feeling about the election?"
Cady took a breath now that she was the topic.
"Since no one else has joined in, I'm feeling pretty good about my chances."
Vic smiled.
"What about after?"
"Scared. Nervous. A little sick on my stomach."
"Sounds about right. You know…Walt wouldn't have suggested this if he didn't think you were capable."
Cady smiled wistfully.
"My father has always had more confidence in my abilities than me."
"Maybe he just sees some potential that you don't."
Cady exhaled.
"I just hope I don't fall on my face."
Vic grinned, familiar with that desire.
"Don't worry about it. We won't let you embarrass us."
It earned the relieved laugh she was aiming for.
"Good to know."
"In all seriousness, you've got Ruby. She's been running that place forever and she won't steer you wrong."
"I know. Ruby is a Godsend to that office."
Silence descended over them momentarily.
"Is Zach still okay with all of this?"
"He seems to be. I hope it stays that way."
"Just…keep an open line of communication. It's not an easy thing. Even if you think you're perfectly okay with it. And Zach. There will come a day when you will have to be his boss. Really be his boss. That's…where this gets tricky."
"Is that experience talking?"
"Yes, it is. It's an entirely different thing when you have to go home with that person."
Cady nodded slowly.
"Well, we're taking our time. So…if it turns out to be a problem for him…"
Her voice trailed off and Vic didn't pursue it.
There was no reason to.
xxx
"What were you doing holed up in your office all day?"
Vic sat down beside him om the couch. Pulling her feet up, she tucked them underneath her and leaned her arm on the back of the couch where his head was already resting. He turned his head so that he was looking at her.
"Working."
"I didn't think you had that much work anymore."
He was telling her the truth. He was working. He just didn't want to elaborate on exactly what he was working on. He didn't want her involved in this any more than she already was. He certainly wasn't looking to be accused of obsessing. He'd heard that one before.
The day felt like a disappointment and a failure. He was exactly right in his prediction. Derek Gilbert was out of his jail cell and another cog in a system that was likely to fail them. What he neglected to think was that Vic wouldn't be able to get a protective order. He was still fuming internally from that one. She didn't talk much about when she got back to the office with Cady in the afternoon.
He heard her ask Zach, who confirmed her suspicions. After that, he heard her talking to Cady. That was followed by mostly quiet. She never came knocking on his door. No one did. He spent the afternoon left to his own devices.
There were those who would argue that wasn't a good thing.
Now that they were at home, he was still adjusting to that idea, he didn't really want to talk about work. At least, not from his end.
"I still have things to do."
That was all he said on the subject. He wondered if she would push any more down that road. Push into territory he wanted left undiscovered for the time being.
He didn't want her to know he spent the day on and off the phone with the FBI and U.S. Marshals trying to drum up some interest in what the separatists Derek Gilbert called his family might be up to. Unfortunately, the response was much the same as before just after Vic killed Chance. The rest of his people weren't considered a threat of any kind. Not at a federal jurisdiction.
He really didn't care if they were actually guilty of anything. Or, if any charges were thrown their way. All he really wanted was to know where they were. How close? Just the fact that he was willing to involved the feds was a sign of how much he wanted the information. He wasn't exactly known for agency cooperation.
Late in the afternoon, he pulled his last card. If this one failed him, there weren't any other routes to take. Not that he could see right now.
He called Agent Vance.
Vance was one of the more tolerable federal agents that he ever dealt with. He didn't condescend the way others did about the size and scope of his department here in Wyoming. The man was genuinely intrigued, maybe even impressed, with how they operated and what information they were able to come up with.
He wouldn't go so far as to say he trusted the man. But, it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask.
Vance seemed reluctant, telling Walt he was on a case and it didn't involve these people. Walt wasn't one to give in easily. He finally convinced Vance to try and see if he could locate any records on where they might be now.
That was all he wanted was what he insisted.
It was the truth and Vance believed him.
But, there would be no information tonight. Such things took time. He would know more tomorrow. At that point, he would talk to Vic about it. Keeping her fully in the dark wasn't his intention. He simply didn't want to get her hopes up, or get her rattled. There was no guarantee this would pan out. He doubted Vance was willing to deal with this for very long. Especially if there were more pressing matters the man was dealing with.
There just wasn't any reason to get into it tonight. The previous night seemed stressful enough for her. He wanted her to feel safe here with him. As though she could really relax and get some rest. Bringing up all of that would prevent his good intentions.
"I talked to Cady about the election today."
There was the shift he needed.
"How's she feeling?"
"Pretty good considering she's unopposed."
Walt smiled a little.
"I ran unopposed the first time. It does alleviate some of the pressure. It's certainly easier to run a campaign when no one is slinging mud at you."
His thoughts started drifting to Branch, but he refused to give in. The past has no place here.
"She's afraid of disappointing you."
"She said that?"
"Not in so many words. But…I'm somewhat of an expert on difficult father-daughter relationships."
She shifted from where she was sitting and leaned into him. Walt lifted his arm and placed it around her once she was settled into his side. The feeling warmed him instantaneously in ways he couldn't describe.
He liked having her here. He just wished the circumstances were better.
"Have you talked to your dad?"
"No."
He sighed. She must have felt it.
"Don't worry about it. If he hasn't disowned me by now, he won't do it over this."
Walt wished he found find the levity in the situation. Instead, he felt like he was the root of many of her problems. He was the reason her father was angry with her. He was the reason she got mixed up with Chance Gilbert in the first place. He was the reason she hadn't felt like she could come to him about her pregnancy.
That conversation had been beaten to death. There was no reason to bring it up. She would only argue with him. He felt her inhale and release a breath. She felt somewhat relaxed now. Less tense than earlier.
"You should call him."
"Mmm."
That was all she said. He felt her take another deep breath and she yawned. Walt stretched his head down and gave her a look.
"Sleepy?"
"Getting there."
She slowly unfolded herself from him and stood up.
"I'm going to bed."
He nodded and rose.
"Sounds like a plan."
He was halfway to the bedroom when his phone rang. Walt stopped, turned, and answered the phone. Vic reappeared in the doorway, having the same thought he did. That it might be work.
"Hello."
"Sheriff, it's Zach."
"What's going on?"
"I'm at the office and uh…you should probably come down here."
"What's wrong?"
"Someone threw a rock through the window and uh…you should just come and see this for yourself."