All The Way
Chapter 33
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Hospital Waiting Room later that afternoon….
Sheriff Samuel Winslow circled Julia Hoffman like a predator sizing up his prey. Julia sat calmly with a quiet, self- assured dignity the sheriff found infuriating. The physician had practiced the routine with the Collinsport authorities.
"I really wish I could help you, sheriff." Julia volunteered. Winslow, tall, thin, with piercing eyes and hawk-like features, was not used to being stone-walled. He circled Julia one more time before swooping in, leaning across the table, his face just inches from the physician's. Easily, she watched a vein throbbing in the sheriff's temple, eyes darting back and forth in search of a crack in the doctor's calm veneer. Julia was exhausted and despondent beneath the facade and fought hard to maintain the calm appearance.
"I really wish I could help you, sheriff." Winslow mocked. "I can tell you this, Dr. Julia Hoffman; I don't like this one bit."
Winslow's eyes narrowed to slits, his voice gritty, "No, I don't like this one damn bit. We have a dead man, beaten, throat cut, who I'm told accidently fell from a cliff. Then we have a second man, with serious head injuries, who just happens to have bruised knuckles. And finally, a third man, with black eyes and contusions, and a camp full of druggies!" The sheriff raised his finger and pointed it accusingly at the physician. "And then we have you, Dr. Julia Hoffman, a physician with impressive credentials, their site physician, who conveniently knows… nothing. You are either lying or the most incompetent doctor I've ever met."
Julia felt his hot breathe and boring eyes. Resolutely, she continued to stare into the sheriff's eyes-unfazed. The standoff continued, the silence growing more uncomfortable, as the sheriff waited, hoping to see some glimmer of guilt. Winslow's hardened eyes were meet by eyes as dark and mysterious as a subterranean pool. Slowly he stood, eyes still locked with Julia's.
"No, I don't like this one damn bit." Winslow repeated, displaying his resolve. "I'm not finished with you yet, Dr. Hoffman." The sheriff's eyes narrowed, continuing as though thinking out loud. "No, you're not incompetent; you're just a damn liar!"
Julia's face remained poker hard, the sheriff's words stinging and cutting but she dare not reveal the pain. Sheriff Winslow moved to the door, turned, his finger dramatically jabbing the air. "Yea, a damn good liar! No you've not seen the last of me, Dr. Hoffman."
~~~tbc~~~