Ch. 35: Like a good old fashioned nightmare
In the back of her mind, she heard the footsteps. There was no real reason for it to register as anything alarming. They weren't running. She assumed that it was Zach. With Cady having just come in, it made sense for Zach to not be far behind her.
She knew that Walt's door was open. So, when Cady came out of the bathroom, Vic kept her conversation to a minimum. She glanced up at Cady.
"You alright?"
She kept her voice low. Cady looked her way with a nod as she moved across the office. Cady had just moved away from her when she heard the footsteps pause just outside the door. She still didn't think of anything of it. They worked, after all, in a public place. They got all kinds here at just about any hour you could imagine.
Vic looked back down just as she heard the impact of the door opening so hard that it ricocheted off the opposite wall. At that point, the conscious part of her brain gave way to the portion that ran on instinct and training.
In one move, she was on her feet and her hand was closing around the 9mm she wore. Her motions were fluid as she drew the gun and raised it at whoever the hell was busting up in here like John Wayne in some damn movie scene.
Only this was no movie.
She recognized him immediately and everything inside of her lit up with warning. Anything she might have still been thinking was suppressed by the cocktail of adrenaline and anxiety that washed through her veins as though it had been injected directly into her bloodstream.
Vic leveled her gun at Derek Gilbert, who was also holding a handgun. He raised it up towards the ceiling and fired one time.
"What the fuck!"
She was so focused on the man in front of her that she just barely saw Cady move in her peripheral, but didn't look that way. She didn't remember hearing anything from Walt's office, but he was suddenly just behind her.
At nearly the same moment, Derek aimed his gun at her and they were suddenly in the middle of an awkward standoff. She very nearly pulled the trigger, but managed to stop herself. At this distance, she would certainly have killed him.
"Drop it."
She said the words to him with surprisingly clarity. Derek maintained his stance, his eyes trained on her. Behind her, she suddenly didn't feel Walt anymore. Derek hadn't seemed to pay him any attention. His entire focus was on Vic.
No surprise there.
"I can't do that."
"Yeah you can. The alternative is that I shoot you right here. Is that what you want?"
He shrugged.
"Dying for one's cause is noble."
Vic huffed.
"Or stupid. What in the hell, Derek? I would have been justified in shooting you the minute you busted in here. Do you know how lucky you are to still be standing there? Put the gun down."
"I can't."
She cocked her head to one side.
"Do you really want to die?"
"Drop it, son."
The voice that came from behind Derek startled him and Vic flinched due to the gun that was still aimed her way. She halfway expected it to go off and moved slightly to one side.
When he started to turn, Walt's free hand snaked out and seized the gun that was in his hand. In Walt's right hand was his Colt.
Vic felt relief flood her as Walt removed the gun. She relaxed her grip on her own weapon as she approached him and motioned for him to step towards her. There was no need to worry with Walt right behind him. She could feel the thump of her heart rapidly in her chest as she put her hand on his shoulder and steered him towards the jail cell.
Cady watched the entire exchange with wide eyes.
Walt lay Derek's gun aside as he slipped his own back into his holster and started to read Derek Gilbert his rights. Vic returned her Glock to her holster and took a breath. The entire episode took less than five minutes even though time felt like it slowed down, damn near stopping in her head.
The cell door clanged shut with an air of finality and Vic could feel the adrenaline starting to leave her system. The effect left her feeling drained with a slight headache starting up the back of her skull.
"Jesus."
She released the word on a breath as Walt came over to her, concern etched into his features.
"You okay?"
He murmured the question more than anything.
Vic nodded and cleared her throat.
"Yeah."
His eyes lingered, but he didn't press her any farther. Cady came over with a shell-shocked expression on her face.
"Wow."
That was all she offered up. Vic shook her head.
"Crazy son of a bitch."
Cady nodded in agreement.
"You were…so calm."
Vic begged to differ. Her heart was still overworking, her body not fully recovered from the entire experience.
"It happened…fast."
She didn't say anything else. Vic snapped into work mode. She fished for an evidence bag and came up with one. Walking over, she bagged the gun that Derek Gilbert brought in with him and carried it into Walt's office. She could still hear him talking to Gilbert. After a moment, she heard the shuffle of his boots as he came in behind her and stopped just inside the door.
"Are you sure…"
"I'm okay, Walt."
She said the words as she turned to face him and he went quiet. She looked beyond him to the main office before returning her eyes to Walt.
"He say anything?"
Walt shook his head.
"No. He wants his phone call and an attorney."
Vic rolled her eyes. No surprise there. The family might be hot headed, but they didn't tend to be stupid. Although, this move might change that. It had been quiet for a while now where the Gilbert situation was concerned. It stayed in the back of her mind, but with life going on and her father visiting, she hadn't worried about it as much lately.
His eyes were still on her with the same worried look. He wasn't even trying to hide it.
"Vic…"
She swallowed.
"I almost shot him."
He went silent momentarily.
"When he came in and I saw what was happening, I almost shot him. I would've killed him."
Her voice was quiet, but oddly steady.
"It would have been justified."
Vic held his gaze before her eyes finally moved away.
"Yeah."
She didn't have anything else to say.
xxx
Derek Gilbert refused to say anything except for that he wanted to call his mother and he wanted a lawyer present before he answered any questions. There wasn't much Walt could do after that. Not legally. Once Ruby was in, Walt had her allow Gilbert to make his phone call while Zach kept watch. His primary goal was to keep Gilbert away from Vic. He caught the looks between them. The young man kept looking her way and Vic wasn't shy about returning the looks with an unreadable expression.
After insisting that she was fine, she went back to her desk. He didn't believe her. But, there wasn't much he could do about that either. He couldn't very well demand that she tell him what she was thinking. That would be met with a predictable resistance he wouldn't be able to break through. Not here.
It was a constant struggle between being her boss and being the man who lived with her.
The morning seemed to eke by. At some point, Gilbert's attorney showed up. Walt didn't know the man and figured he wasn't from Absaroka County. With the family's reputation, that wasn't surprising. Chance always acted as his own attorney, but this kid was barely over age. Walt didn't see that happening.
The short, bald man introduced himself as Ron Yancey and Walt led him into his office. He saw Vic's eyes trail them until the door closed. Before Walt was even seated at his desk, Yancey spoke up.
"I want my client moved."
Walt lowered himself into his chair.
"Moved? To a different jail."
He didn't really need the clarity. But, he asked for it anyway. There was no need for him to make this any easier than it already would be.
"Yes."
The answer was short, to the point.
In truth, Walt didn't have a problem with it. This type of violence was going to get Gilbert some real time. There was a good chance he wouldn't even be able to make bail before his trial. Bringing a gun into the Sheriff's department and actually firing a shot was a move that wasn't going to play well with a judge.
Yancey didn't give him time to respond.
"He doesn't feel safe here."
Walt looked at the man for a moment, his silence clearly unsettling the lawyer.
"How do you think my staff feels after he came in here armed?"
Yancey sighed.
"Sheriff."
Walt laced his fingers together.
"Tri-County will probably have a space for him."
The small man in front of him seemed relieved by that.
"Could you arrange for the transfer, Sheriff?"
Walt nodded.
"I can. But you have to do something for me."
"What's that?"
"Impress upon him how lucky he is to be alive after his little stunt this morning. I think we both know he's doing time for this. If he's lucky, maybe the DA will be willing to work out a deal. But...this was an unprovoked attack on my office. My deputy very nearly shot him. She would have had every right to."
He let the words hang between them.
"Derek would be wise to use this time to get the help he needs. Next time, he might not be so fortunate as to walk away."
He could see the lack of confidence in the attorney and he liked it. The man knew that his client's best hope would be a plea deal that kept his time to a minimum. Especially with the break-ins at Vic's trailer park and the rock being thrown through the window here at the office. The behavior had clearly escalated with this being the climax.
"So, you will have him moved."
Yancey was merely seeking confirmation at this point. He made it clear he wasn't going to allow Derek to talk to them. Not right now.
"Yep. I don't want him here anymore than you do."
Walt planted his hands on his desk and stood up slowly.
"He'll be safe here until then. You have my word on that."
Yancey seemed to accept that and stood up as well.
"He never gave us a full statement."
Walt knew the lawyer would never go for it. Still.
Yancey shook his head.
"Why? So, you can use it against him. I have advised Derek to exercise his right to remain silent. That's not going to change. I have a meeting with his mother this afternoon."
Walt took a breath.
"You would be doing well to stay away from that family. They're bad news. All of them."
Yancey merely shrugged.
"They say the same thing about you, Sheriff. You have a history of harassing them."
Walt leaned forward a bit.
"Them…are dangerous people. They were never held responsible for their part in holding my deputy against her will. If they wind up in here, they will be held responsible."
"Is that a threat, Sheriff?"
Walt shook his head, keeping his cool and not even allowing his voice to let them know anything about this conversation might bother him. What he really wanted to do was beat the hell out of Derek Gilbert. But, some part of him was also relieved. Gilbert was locked up now. He would stay locked up. He would likely be going to jail for a while. This would be over.
"No, Mr. Yancey, that's not a threat. That…is a reality."
xxx
"Can I ask you something?"
Cady was walking along beside her as they pushed through the saloon doors into the Red Pony. Vic scanned the room and found a table with two chairs out of the way by the wall. Right now, she wasn't in the mood to have people buzzing all around her. Especially those who might be drunk after primarily drinking their lunch.
Once everything at the office was calm again and under control, all she really wanted to do was be out. Walt needed to wrap up a few phone calls before he drove Derek Gilbert over to Tri-County for holding until his initial court appearance. He insisted on taking care of that himself to ensure that the transfer was done correctly and completed. Everyone in the office knew that Walt preferred to handle prisoner transfers himself whenever possible.
This was no exception.
In order to alleviate the restless feeling that was taking hold of her, she suggested to Cady that they go patrolling. Cady seemed thankful for the distraction. Vic knew the morning's events were eye opening for her. It would do them both some good to get out and get some air and sunshine.
After writing tickets for a while, it was lunch time.
"Sure."
They sat down and a waitress appeared. The bar wasn't all that busy yet. Most of the people that Vic was seeing were drinkers with only a few actual lunch patrons seated around the room. Cady settled in and waited until the waitress took their drink orders and walked off.
"I don't want to sound…I don't know…heartless or anything. I'm genuinely curious."
Vic waited.
"You didn't…shoot earlier. Why?"
It was a good question. The answer wasn't easy, though. So much went in to deciding whether or not to pull your trigger and shoot someone. Some situations were more clear cut than others. The situation that presented itself this morning was not at all clear cut.
One thing was true. What Walt said earlier. Had she actually shot him, the shooting would have been justified. She very nearly pulled the trigger, but hadn't. In the end, that led to a peaceful conclusion to the brief standoff. Had Walt not been able to get around behind Gilbert, the result may have been entirely different.
Their iced teas arrived and they ordered food. Once they were alone again, Vic sipped her iced tea before answering. Looking across the table at Cady, she ran her right index finger along the condensation on the glass.
"I almost did. But…"
She paused, momentarily reliving the moment when the door burst open and her first instinct was to reach for her gun. Keeping it real, no one ever busted into the Sheriff's department with good intentions. You might even say they were asking for it.
"He was confused."
"Confused?"
Vic nodded.
"He kicked in the door and fired a shot into the air. He didn't aim it at anyone to start with and he didn't come in firing blindly. He wasn't sure he wanted to do what he was doing. He's…"
She paused, gathering up her thoughts.
"…he's a product of being raised in a brainwashed environment. Maybe he's not sure he believes what his family wants him to. Or, maybe he was being guided by someone else. Maybe that someone else misjudged the amount of hate that he has in him. Chance Gilbert…"
Another pause. Every single time.
"…was full of hate for the government and anyone who represented it. It was a hatred that made his world seem black and white. There were those he considered his friends and family, then there were those he considered his enemy. The two didn't mix at all. He would have killed me without giving it a second thought if Walt hadn't shown up. He was so blinded by his own hatred, he didn't even realize that Sean wasn't a cop. Not that it would've mattered. Being my husband would have been enough. He'd already proven he wasn't bothered by protecting what was his. But, this kid…"
She took a drink from her glass.
"…I think he wants to be like that. But, I don't think he's as into it as he wants to be. That could change as he gets older. He's not much more than a kid right now. Hell, he might see that this is a dead end street and break away. Right now, he's going to jail. So…who knows."
Cady leaned back in her chair as their food arrived. They both kept it simple and reasonably healthy by ordering grilled chicken sandwiches with a concession of fries on the side. Vic poured ketchup onto her plate.
"Do you think he has a chance?"
Vic raised her eyes and looked at Cady. With a sigh, she shook her head.
"Not really. Doing this job for a long time doesn't exactly inspire optimism."
Cady nodded slightly.
"I can see that."
Vic started to eat, dragging fries through her ketchup and eating the slowly.
"Do you think you made the right choice?"
Vic looked up again and wiped her mouth with a paper napkin.
"You want my honest opinion?"
Cady's head bobbed.
"Of course."
Vic looked back down at her food. Suddenly her appetite seemed to be draining away in spite of how good the food on her plate smelled. She cleared her throat as her mind reeled through how she wanted to answer the question.
If she wanted to answer it.
Cady was watching her with a clear expectation. That was one thing about Cady she appreciated at this point. Despite being an attorney, she didn't mask her emotions all that often. That would likely change once she officially became Sheriff. But, for now, it was a welcome change to dealing with people who tried to hide everything that crossed their minds.
Even Walt was guilty of that.
"I don't know that there was a right choice."
xxx
Walt walked into the cabin and removed his hat and coat, hanging them both up. Vic was already there and sitting on the couch. She looked his way when he came in, but she was on the phone. He could tell by her conversation that she was talking to her father. He looked her way and their eyes met briefly while she continued to talk.
"Yes. Okay."
Walt ran his hand over his hair, smoothing down hair that didn't need it. He walked around the couch and started to build a fire in the fireplace. He glanced at Vic as she continued to talk.
"Yeah, dad."
She was turned to the side with her bare feet up on the couch, her knees drawn up. Her back was leaned on the arm of the couch. She had changed since being home into cotton pants and a t-shirt. Her hair was loose from the ponytail she wore all day and hanging down past her shoulders. He thought this was the longest he'd ever seen it since she moved to Durant.
Absently, she reached up and pushed some behind her ear. She was only halfway successful and looked his way to find him watching her. Walt dropped his eyes from hers and continued to work on the fire.
Behind him, he heard her move.
The floor creaked as Vic stood up and stretched her back out. Slowly, while listening to her father say something, she walked towards him and stood, almost hovering. Once the fire was going, Walt stood up. Vic stepped up beside him and he felt her free hand trace a pattern over his lower back.
"Sure. I'll talk to you later."
Vic pulled the phone from her ear and sighed loudly.
"Did he make it home okay?"
She nodded.
"Yes. He just walked in the door and was talking to me and my mom at the same time. That's fun."
Walt smiled.
"Sounds like it."
Vic stepped towards the coffee table and set her phone on it with a clatter.
"How was the rest of your day?"
Vic shrugged. She hadn't seen him since the late morning when she and Cady left the office.
"Not bad. We ruined a few days."
He breathed out a soundless laugh knowing that she meant writing tickets. It wasn't anyone's favorite part of the job. But it was necessary and a way to kill time when there wasn't much going on at the office. For Vic's part, he knew she wanted to be out of the office after that morning. He didn't blame her. It also was somewhat of a relief to him that he didn't have to worry so much about keeping her away from Derek Gilbert.
"I can imagine."
"Did you get Gilbert moved okay?"
"Yep. He was quiet on the ride. His lawyer wasn't joking about telling him not to say anything."
"Doesn't really matter. There's not much defense for what he did today. Especially when you consider the charges that are already pending."
Walt nodded, more to himself than anything. She was right. As frightening as the intrusion had been, it was the move they needed to get this kid locked up for more than a night. He wouldn't be so able to wriggle his way out of this one.
"He won't bother you anymore. I hope the rest of them stay away as well."
Vic gave him a look. Derek's mother, Ida, didn't bother to hide her dislike over their previous run-ins. The woman was aggressive in her hatred of Vic.
"You and me both."
"Did you tell your dad about it?"
"Nope."
She answered quick and with a tone that didn't invite further inquiry.
That was all she said on the matter. Her silence pulled at him.
"Something wrong?"
Vic shrugged.
"I guess that was your last big worry before you retire."
The comment hung between them. She wasn't wrong. That was the final issue he wanted resolved before he officially retired and left her at the cabin while he went out on his excursion. She would have insisted that he go. He would have worried entirely too much about her to focus on anything else. This would give him some peace of mind.
"Yep."
Vic turned so that she was facing him.
"Are you ready? Really?"
He thought about the question before he answered it. He wasn't sure if there was a satisfactory response. He thought that he was ready. He was certainly wrapping up his actual work there. He just wasn't certain one could truly be ready for such a big change. So much of his identity was wrapped up in his job.
Of course, he once thought the same thing about taking the next step with Vic. That was turning out better than he could have ever imagined. He was hopeful this would be another positive move for him.
"Think so."
Vic eyed him.
"It's getting close."
"Yep."
There was something she wanted to say. That much was obvious.
"So…"
She paused.
"…I want you to get a phone."
Walt could feel the frown that passed over his face.
"A phone."
She had mentioned it once before, but not since. His first instinct was to tell her no. He really didn't want a phone. He had made it this far into his life without owning one. But, there was something in her expression that gave him pause.
"Yes. A phone. I know you don't like the idea. But…you need to be able to get in touch with someone. We need to be able to get in touch with you."
"A phone won't work where I'm going."
She nodded.
"I know that reception is shitty. But…it's not just for this."
She tried unsuccessfully to mask her concern for him. Her eyes were way too expressive for that to ever work on him.
"You know…"
She rolled her eyes and cut him off.
"You've gone all these years without a phone. I know. You don't have to point it out."
She took a breath.
"Walt…please. Just…do this for me."
Her tone shifted and he knew that she was being sincere.
When she put it that way, it felt like a small thing she was asking of him. Much smaller than him asking her to move in knowing that she had reservations. She had shown faith in him and agreed.
He owed her that much.
"Okay."
Her eyes widened slightly. It was obvious that she expected more resistance from him.
"Okay? Really?"
"Yes, really."
A slow smile spread across her face.
"Wow. Figured I would have to convince you."
"Convince me, huh?"
"Yes."
"Did you have…ideas about that?"
Her smile widened.
"I did, actually. Want me to show you?"
Walt could already feel heat working its way through his system.
"Yep."