Ch. 28: That old wind

Aaron Massey was not a big man by any means.

He didn't quite reach six feet in height and he was surprisingly generous in girth. Not all that overweight. It was just that Walt was expecting a more physically imposing man with Chance Gilbert in mind. This man seemed the opposite. At first glance, he seemed the opposite of Chance in every way possible with his medium brown hair and eyes. Nothing at all stood out.

But, Walt knew that appearances could be extremely deceiving and he learned a long time ago not to judge based on appearances. He sure as hell knew better than to underestimate someone based solely off first impressions.

Less than five minutes into the conversation, he understood. Massey spoke with a deep baritone voice that didn't look possible from his outward appearances. It was the type of voice that commanded attention. Immediately. It was the kind of voice that would make him a natural leader if he also possessed the personality to back it up.

He did.

Based on his previous experience with similar people, Walt expected hostility. However, when he and Ferg pulled up in front of a modest house with sprawling acreage behind it, he was taken slightly off guard by how amenable Massey appeared when he appeared in the doorway after they knocked.

His mind immediately told him that it was a façade. A front as Vic would say.

Massey offered his hand when Walt offered up his introduction and Ferg's with a not unpleasant look. It all seemed to play out too easily. That, alone, was enough to trigger alarm bells in Walt's mind.

"Mr. Massey, do you have a few moments?"

Massey nodded, hitching his thumbs into the top of his leather belt.

"Of course. Sheriff. What brings you way out here?"

It was a not so subtle reminder that Walt was out of his jurisdiction.

"We had an incident over in Absaroka County. Someone threw a rock through our office window with a…derogatory term written on a sheet of paper attached."

Massey leaned back on his heels.

"I can assure you it wasn't me."

"I didn't think it was. Chance Gilbert was your…cousin?"

The invocation of that name brought a shadow across Massey's face.

"Yes, he was."

Nothing more. Nothing less.

"And, many of his…followers have moved out here close to you."

Massey held up his hand.

"Sheriff, those are peaceful people as far as I know. Any problem you had with Chance…"

Walt pushed.

"I'm only interested in one person, Mr. Massey. Derek Gilbert. He's been…harassing one of my deputies. He broke into her home a number of times. There's a history with his mother as well. She…assaulted my deputy once. Followed her. Threatened her."

Massey reached up and ran his hand along his clean shaven jaw.

"Would this be the same deputy who shot Chance?"

"Yes."

He shook his head slightly.

"Plenty of bad blood there. I know that Derek was arrested and that Ida bailed him out. That's about the extent of my knowledge on the subject."

Walt didn't believe that.

"Right. So…we were able to pull tape from a security camera near our office and a car pulled up that I've seen before. The man who got out looked…very similar to Derek and we were able to get a tag number from the car. It's registered to you."

"Derek drives one of my old cars. An old sedan. That the one?

"Yep."

"So, you think Derek busted out your office window."

It wasn't a question.

"I do. Is he here?"

Massey shrugged.

"Don't think so."

"Do you know where he is or when he'll be back?"

"Nope. Want me to tell him you stopped by?"

"I want you to tell him the next time I catch him near my office, or anyone who works for me, I'll arrest him and charge him with everything that I can think of. As a matter of fact, you should encourage him to turn himself in because I intend to arrest and charge him with this. That's quite a list of growing charges."

A moment passed between them. Nothing on Massey's face really changed. The man seemed as calm as a lake with no wind.

"If I see him, I'll let him know. But, you need to understand, Sheriff. These people are free to come and go as they please. I don't control or direct anyone. That's…all we want. To live and be left alone. So, I can't promise that I'll see him anytime soon."

Walt shrugged off the comments that featured a clear objective of being off putting.

"Well, you might want make an exception and get that boy under control. Especially if he's driving around in your car committing crimes."

It was a veiled threat that neither one of them pulled into the light. Massey knew what happened to Gilbert. They all did. For the first time, he saw something flash across the otherwise placid features. It vanished in a heartbeat.

"Sure. Sure."

He said it in an overly pleasant, irritating way.

Walt nodded and Ferg and they headed back to the Bronco.

xxx

The short length of time in which Jim Wilkins apparently found out about Walt's visit to Cumberland County was surprising. Either the Cumberland Sheriff had his people keeping their eyes open for Walt, or Massey called Wilkins. Neither thought was at all comforting in Vic's mind.

Wilkins liked to make an entrance. When he opened the door, they all looked up. Well, all being her and Ferg. Ruby was at an appointment and Zach was out running radar. Wilkins sauntered in and looked around. Vic reckoned he was looking for Walt.

Vic leaned back in her chair as Wilkins approached. He used one finger to push up the brim of hat.

"Your boss in?"

Vic gave him a look of mock indignation.

"That's not a very polite greeting."

She smiled at the tail end of the comment and Wilkins squared his shoulder.

"I'm looking for Walt."

He was in a mood. His eyes shifted to Walt's closed office door and she could see him contemplating barging in. So, she stood up. The move effectively blocked his path. His jaw tightened. Ferg stopped writing and watched the exchange.

Vic's head tilted slightly to the side.

"I'll see if he's in."

"You do that."

Vic turned and walked to Walt's door. She opened it and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She kept one hand on the knob and leaned slightly on the door when he looked up.

"You must be really into whatever you're doing. This door isn't soundproof."

"Something wrong?"

"Wilkins is here. And, he's not happy. Shocker."

Walt sighed and stood up. She could see him prepping himself for Wilkins as he came around his desk and she opened the door. Walt went through the door followed by Vic. Wilkins was standing where she left him looking impatient.

"Jim."

Walt's tone was not welcoming. No matter. Wilkins wasn't looking for pleasantries.

"What did I tell you about going into my county, Walt?"

Walt placed his hands on his hips.

"I asked for your assistance and you refused."

"You didn't have any proof."

"Right. Well, now I have camera footage of someone who looks like Derek Gilbert riding in a car that is registered to Aaron Massey outside this office the same night that the window was busted. How is that for evidence?"

"You should have brought it to me."

Vic shrugged.

"You should get your head out of your ass, but here we are."

Wilkins looked by Walt at her.

"Maybe if you were a little friendlier, people wouldn't feel compelled to throw rocks."

"Maybe if you weren't so hell bent on making Walt's life as hard as possible, he would have asked you again. Why should he? All you want is for him to grovel so that you can get some freaky satisfaction out of it."

Wilkins shifted on his feet as he stared at Vic.

"I've had just about enough of you."

She blew out a breath and rolled her eyes. Walt stepped between them.

"Get out."

Wilkins met his eyes before looking back at Vic.

"He's retiring soon. He won't always be here to save you."

Something in Walt shifted and he took a step closer to Wilkins.

"Are you threatening my staff?"

"Just pointing out the facts, Walt. Her mouth is what's got her in this mess in the first place."

Ferg was standing now as the tense standoff between Walt and Wilkins played out.

"What did you hear Ferg?"

Walt kept his eyes on Wilkins.

"Sounds like a threat to me."

Walt nodded slightly.

"Thought so. You should probably get out of my office before you make me do something that I won't regret."

For the first time, Vic could see that Wilkins knew he wasn't going to win this particular battle. He turned to go, stopping only once.

"Stop playing lawman in my county."

Walt gave him a dismissive look.

"Fine. Next time I come, I'll bring the feds and you can do all this posturing with them."

Wilkins huffed.

"You won't call the feds. Everyone knows that Walt Longmire is not a team player."

Walt's took a step towards his office.

"Already did."

Not giving Wilkins anymore of his time, he strode into his office and closed the door hard. Wilkins looked around the room and left.

Vic shook her head once it was quiet again and Ferg sat back down.

"What a dick."

"He's afraid he's going to lose."

Vic looked at Ferg.

"What do you mean?"

He leaned forward in his seat, resting his arms on the desk.

"Ever since the whole Tucker Baggett investigation, his approval ratings have dropped over in Cumberland. There's some noise that he's going to have some competition in the next election and it's not looking good right now."

"Serves him right."

Ferg nodded in agreement.

"Yeah."

The thought was satisfying, but also hinged into the unsettling. A man with nothing left to lose could potentially be a dangerous man. But, she suspected that Jim Wilkins was all talk and bluster.

Time would tell.

xxx

"He wasn't always like this."

Vic looked across the desk at Walt as they sat in his office eating a late lunch.

"Who?"

Vic sipped her iced tea.

"Wilkins."

She made a face.

"Don't tell me he was one of the good guys back in the day."

Walt shook his head as he set down his meatloaf sandwich and wiped his hands on a thin napkin.

"On some level, he was always self-serving. He was a man who wanted power. Likes it. But, he wasn't always this bad. He's…turned into a bitter man. I understand that his wife left him a year or so ago."

"I can't imagine why."

She said it dryly and took another bite of her own sandwich. Walt let his gaze wander towards the window. Wilkins was a little older than him. They were members of the same generation of law enforcement. Once upon a time, being civil hadn't posed such a challenge. It was something he watched over the years. Wilkins became less concerned with the little guys or the outsiders, and more concerned with the large businesses that were able to fund his campaigns and line his pockets.

"He sold out."

Her voice startled him back into the present. She was watching him in that way she did. That way he still wasn't used to. He might not ever be.

"Yep."

That was an accurate way of putting it.

She sighed, the mood suddenly heavy.

"I guess that's a choice we all make at some point. I think…most people start this job with good intentions. A certain set of ideals. But, you and I both know that there's nothing about this job that is black and white. It's all muddled up shades of gray. At some point, we're all faced with a moment where we make a choice about the kind cop we're gonna be."

He knew that she was speaking from experience. Her moment came back in Philadelphia when she was faced with either turning a blind eye to crooked cops or following the law and, in her words, ratting them out. She knew what she was risking and the path that she chose, while the right one, wasn't the easy one. Even though he hadn't known that when he hired her, it was one of the things that he respected the most about her. It told him who she was as a person.

"Lucian never liked him."

The comment broke though the heaviness in the room and Vic snorted.

"Well, I never thought I would say this. But, I agree with Lucian."

He smiled slightly at the memory of his old boss.

His mentor.

His friend.

Lucian gave him a lot of advice over the years. Both when he worked for him and after the old Sheriff retired. He didn't always agree with the old man. He did always respect him and his opinion. As someone who came from a wealthy family and turned his back on it, there was more to Lucian than met the eye.

Walt wouldn't have minded a game of chess with him.

He took a breath and wrapped up the remainder of his lunch, no longer hungry.

"Are you alright?"

She noticed how his demeanor changed. She noticed most things about him. Always had, really.

"Yep. Just…"

He didn't finish the sentence. She knew what he wasn't saying though.

Vic stood up and deposited her own leftovers into the trash, swiping her hands over her jeans. She walked around his desk and put her hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

"I know."

She did. That mattered. He wasn't good at expressing himself. With Vic, he didn't always need to. It was one of the things that made her so different than the other women he knew after Martha passed.

Being understood was important.

Maybe one of the most important things that could occur between two people.

Without thinking about the move, he reached up and placed his hand over hers. Her hand seemed so small and delicate underneath his own. Delicate was not a word that one generally associated with Vic.

They hadn't talked much about his planned treasure hunting expedition. She asked a few details now and then, but it wasn't something they went in depth about all that much. Thinking about Lucian brought it to the forefront of his mind. It really wasn't about the treasure. While he did have a curious mind and thought he could probably solve the mystery, this trip was more about saying goodbye to Lucian. It was about saying goodbye to the part of him that was the Sheriff of Absaroka County. It was about looking for the man that he would be once he no longer held that title.

It was scary as well as exciting.

"It'll be okay, Walt."

For a minute, he wondered if she was actually reading his mind.

"Hmm?"

"You retiring. It'll be okay. You're not defined by this job."

Maybe she was reading his mind.

"I know."

He stood up and her hand slipped from his shoulder and down his back, finally falling away altogether. For a second or two, he missed the warmth that emanated from her palm.

"Do you really?"

There was a hint of doubt in her voice that nearly made him smile.

Turning to her, he looked down into her face.

"Thank you."

Her brow creased.

"For what?"

"Everything."

The comment clearly caught her off guard. He saw the motion of her throat as she swallowed. Then, she took a step back, putting some distance between them.

"I should probably get back to work before we get in trouble."

He breathed a smile.

"Good idea."

She looked at him for just a moment longer and then left his office.

xxx

The rest of the day was quiet. It was somewhat disappointing. None of them really expected Derek Gilbert to walk through the door and turn himself in. On the contrary, it was more likely that once he heard Walt was looking to arrest him again, he would disappear and be near impossible to find. She wasn't afraid of Derek Gilbert. She knew that if he wanted to hurt her, he would have tried already. It was just the unknown that bothered her. The lack of any real developments.

For now, it felt as though they were treading water.

She didn't like it. She knew Walt didn't like it.

"You staying or going?"

She leaned on his doorframe and looked into his office. He hadn't noticed her at first. She stood watching him with his head bent, concentrating on whatever he was working on. He was absorbed.

When she spoke, he looked up with slightly tired eyes.

"Hmm?"

Vic pushed up off the wall and walked into his office.

"Are you staying or are you leaving?"

She repeated the question slowly. Walt looked at the window. It was dark out. Shifting his eyes back to her, he dropped the pen in his hand and leaned back in his chair. He ran his hands over his face before his eyes settled on her and brought her truly into focus.

"Um…I'm gonna finish this up before I go."

Slowly, she nodded.

"Okay. Well, I'm going…"

She gestured.

"Okay. I'll uh…I'll wrap this up."

She shrugged. She didn't need a babysitter.

"Take your time. I'm a big girl."

"Do you want me to pick up something for dinner?"

Vic shook her head. She was already hungry.

"I'll grab something from the Red Pony."

"Okay. I'll see you in a bit."

Vic left his office and collected her keys and her laptop bag.

Outside, she loaded up into her truck and pulled out. The ride to the Red Pony was quiet. She didn't bother to turn on the radio. She just drove in silence, her mind attempting to unreel the events of the last two days.

She parked and walked inside, dodging the few people that were milling about and talking.

Vic was surprised to see Henry working the bar. She would have expected him to be at the casino. But, it was a weeknight and the summer season was ending. Maybe it was slowing down somewhat.

He noticed her almost as soon as she leaned on the bar and offered her a smile.

"Good evening."

She smiled.

"Hey, Henry."

He looked behind her, probably looking for Walt.

"Do you want a drink?"

Vic shook her head.

"No. I'm picking up dinner."

"Ah. What can I get for you?"

She thought for a minute.

"Um…can I get two hamburgers with fries?"

"You can. It will take me a few minutes. Do you want a beer while you wait?"

She nearly took him up on his offer, but declined.

"No thanks."

He bobbed his head and left her sitting at the bar while he disappeared into the kitchen.

Vic glanced around, scanning the barroom. It wasn't terribly busy. This was the mostly afterwork crowd who would be looking to unwind before going home. No one paid her any attention.

She wasn't aware of anyone behind her until she heard her name.

"Vic."

Vic turned and her eyes landed on Travis. She hadn't seen him in a while. He looked tired, lacking his usual cowboy swagger.

"Travis."

He took a seat on the barstool beside her and ordered a beer from the young bartender who walked over. She set the beer in front of him and moved on.

Travis took a long swallow.

"How you been?"

He wasn't looking at her when he posed the question. His gaze was focused on some point behind the bar that she couldn't name.

"Okay."

He took another drink of beer and thumped the bottle onto the bar.

"You move?"

"Yeah."

She didn't offer anymore than that. To her surprise, he didn't ask for any other information. For maybe the first time, he simply accepted it.

"How are you?"

She really didn't want to engage him in conversation. But, she figured they had to start somewhere. As long as they both lived in Durant, there was no way to avoid seeing each other from time to time.

"Working. Found a job working on cars."

"That's good."

He glanced her way, at her empty hands.

"You're not drinking?"

Vic shook her head.

"Just picking up some food."

He didn't reply to that. That was fine with her. That was part of their problem earlier. His intrusiveness into parts of her life that didn't involve him.

The kitchen door opened and Henry appeared with a bag in his hands. He set it on the bar in front of her and she paid him. He looked between her and Travis, but didn't say anything about the man's presence. Vic stood up, taking the bag.

"Thank you."

"I will see you later."

Vic nodded, turning.

"See ya."

She paused, bag in hand and eyes on Travis.

"Bye."

She said the word quietly. He looked at her over his shoulder, his eyes really meeting hers for the first time.

"Later."

xxx

He thought she was sleeping when he came in from taking care of the horse and found Vic lying on the couch with her eyes closed. He shed his boots and hung up his hat, his eyes falling on her as he approached. His steps slowed and he made a conscious effort to be quiet just in case. She had been sitting up when he went outside earlier, looking at something on her phone.

He was in the process of debating as to whether he should wake her up or leave her alone when her eyes opened slowly. She looked right at him and her eyes didn't have the look of someone who had just woken up.

"Thought you were asleep."

Vic lolled her head to the side.

"No. Thinking about it."

Walt came around the couch. Vic hefted herself up and gave him room to sit down. Once he was seated, she settled back down with her head in his lap. Walt stretched out his legs and propped his feet up on the coffee table. His hand landed on her forehead. It was warm under his palm. He started slowly running his hand over her hair. Vic closed her eyes again and released a low hum. Walt smiled slightly, looking down at her.

"You could just get up and go to bed."

She shook her head ever so slightly.

"I would have to get up."

Walt huffed out a laugh that made no sound. He continued the slow stroking of her hair, the tips of her fingers pressing into her scalp lightly. She seemed to relax into him and didn't talk. That didn't bother him. The quiet that surrounded them was comfortable.

With her eyes closed, he looked down at her. He could tell that she was tired. Honestly, they both were. He just worried more about her than he did himself. She was very much the same way. The fatigue that he saw in her did nothing to diminish how beautiful she was in his eyes. It wasn't very often the he got the opportunity to simply look at her. It was normally when she was asleep.

She was still awake. He could tell based on how she felt and the sound of her breathing. His eyes left her face and moved to the steady rise and fall of her chest underneath the shirt she wore. It was his shirt. A t-shirt that she was wearing over a pair of running shorts. He liked the idea of her wearing his shirts. There was something about it that was undeniably intimate.

"Stop staring."

She spoke up and his eyes moved back to her face.

"I'm not."

Her lips curved up a little.

"Liar."

She wasn't wrong. As a matter of fact, despite her comment, he was still doing just that.

Staring.

If that was what she wanted to call it.

He made no further efforts to deny.

Vic opened her eyes, blinking twice in the low light.

Her eyes found his and held there.

"I can hear you."

"Staring? Not possible."

"Sure, it is. I can hear you thinking sometimes, too."

He didn't doubt that.

His hand still on her head, cradling her forehead. Her eyes stayed connected to his and he felt warm all over. It was an odd, but not unwelcome feeling. After a minute, her eyes closed and she raised her hand to stifle a yawn.

"You should really go to bed."

Vic took in a deep breath.

"Yeah, I should."

She rocked forward and sat up, her loose hair falling around her shoulders.

Vic swung her legs to the floor and leaned forward. Slowly, she stood up and stretched her arms up over her head. Walt stayed in his seat watching her. Not once since she moved her RV had she slept in out in it. She was sleeping in his bed, not mentioning anything else.

He certainly wasn't complaining.

He still wanted her to stay here. To live with him.

The question was, did Vic also want that. Was she ready for that step?

He felt her hand on his head, her fingers combing through her hair. Walt looked up.

"Come to bed with me."

Walt stood up. The fact that she was in her bare feet made her seem smaller than normal. She paused, as if a thought occurred to her.

"I saw Travis at the Red Pony tonight."

That was unexpected.

"Did you talk to him?"

"Some. Nothing much. He told me he has a job."

He studied her. She didn't seem bothered by the encounter. That was progress from her last few encounters with him.

"That's it."

Vic nodded.

"Yep."

He put his hand on her back. Progress.

"Let's go to bed."