"I don't want to," he said, getting up from the pillow.
"I don't blame you, Jeremy, but it's time," she said.
"You know what's going to happen once I put those pills in my mouth? I'm going to get another headache," he complained.
Terry Cline didn't say anything and gave him his medicine. He swallowed and gagged after drinking the water his wife had in her hand.
"Your mouth is dry," Terry said.
"I know it is. It's been dry every day I wake up, thanks to this machine," he said.
"By the way, Jeremy, we have a counseling appointment coming up. It is the day Andy comes," Terry said.
"I hate those counseling sessions, Terry. They are no help," Sheriff Cline said.
"I find them helpful," she said.
"Maybe you do, but I sure don't."
Terry left the master bedroom and went back downstairs. She turned the TV set on and found a commercial break before the morning news came on. It was talking about a new antidepressant that just came out. It caught her attention so she watched the commercial. She started making breakfast for herself and Sheriff Cline as the commercial break was ending. She heard her husband get up from bed and turn the shower on.
"Just what he needs," she said to herself.
After Sheriff Cline was out of the shower, he joined her in the kitchen. The two of them ate in silence as the morning news chatted away.
"What time is our session?" Sheriff Cline asked, thinking of their marriage counselor, Bob Mason.
"Dr. Mason said one o'clock in the afternoon," Terry answered.
After they finished breakfast, Sheriff Cline excused himself and went to the nearest telephone and called me at the sheriff's office in Mayberry. He knew it was a workday for me.
He heard Barney's voice over the phone say, "Sheriff's office. Fife speaking."
"Is Sheriff Taylor in?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"Who is this?" Barney asked.
"Jeremy Cline," Sheriff Cline said.
"Hold on for a minute," Barney said.
Barney put the phone down and went to look for me.
"Ange, you have a phone call. Somebody by the name of Jeremy Cline," Barney said.
"Thanks, Barn," I said, following Barney to my desk.
"Hi, Jeremy," I said once I picked up the phone.
"Hi, Andy. My wife and I talked about when would be a good time for you to come out," Sheriff Cline said.
"You did? When?" I asked.
"This week. We thought the end of this week sounded fine. You are welcome to sleep in the guest room," Sheriff Cline said.
"Sounds nice, Jeremy. I'll be sure to get ready for the trip at the end of this week. Maybe Thursday or Friday I'll be in Milwaukee," I said.
"All right. We'll be sure to expect you then," Sheriff Cline said.
One thing I didn't know was that the Clines were more up – to – date than Mayberry was. What I would be seeing at my friend's house was remote controls, cell phones, MP3 players, iPods and a lot of other electronics he had never seen before. Later that afternoon, I told Aunt Bee Iwould be going to Milwaukee first thing the next morning.
"So soon? I'd better get your stuff packed tonight if you're planning on leaving right away, Andy. How long do you plan on coming back?" Aunt Bee asked.
"I don't know. I'll call when I plan on returning," I said.
"All right," Aunt Bee said.
"And Barney will take care of protecting Mayberry while I'm gone, so he'll be acting sheriff," I said.
"Does he know you're going to be gone first thing in the morning?" Aunt Bee asked.
"Yes, he does," I said.
"Okay," Aunt Bee said.
"Andy said he'll be here this afternoon," Sheriff Cline told his wife the following Wednesday morning.
"All right. Then we have the appointment this afternoon then," Terry reminded him.
She heard her husband groan. Afternoon arrived pretty quickly. One o'clock arrived and the Clines were at the counseling office with Dr. Mason.
"I'm so glad you could come," he said as Sheriff Cline and Terry walked into the office.
He shut the door behind them and they took a seat on the couch.
"Tell me how things have been since our last session," Dr. Mason said.
Terry spoke up first.
"Well, Dr., everything is going fine. In case you haven't heard lately, we have a new sheriff in town," Terry said.
"I haven't heard. Tell me what happened," Dr. Bob Mason said, taking his glasses off and washed them.
"You tell him, Jeremy. It was your job," Terry whispered to her husband.
Mr. Mason heard what she had whispered.
"Any depressive issues that caused you to leave work and the town have a new officer to protect the town?" Dr. Mason asked. Sheriff Cline cleared his throat and began.
"No. I just wasn't thinking clearly enough at work on a case I was working on. Ever since I was diagnosed with severe depression and this sleeping disorder, I just haven't been thinking clearly and have fallen asleep at work a lot," Sheriff Cline said.
"I know I've asked this many times, but I'll ask again. Any thoughts of suicide?" Dr. Mason asked.
"No," Sheriff Cline said.
"That's good then. I'll keep asking this question every time we have a session," Dr. Mason said.
"Dr., our sixteen – year – old son has a football game this Saturday. What would you suggest?" Terry asked.
"I'd suggest your husband go to the game. When was the last time you have been to your son's games?" Bob Mason asked Sheriff Cline.
"I can't remember," Sheriff Cline said.
"We're expecting a friend of my husband's from North Carolina, Dr. His friend knows nothing about my husband's condition. What do we tell his friend when he comes?" Terry asked.
"Give him all the information he needs, Mrs. Cline. Get your husband involved in activities with his friend. Something like hiking," Dr. Mason suggested.
"That's a good idea. Maybe we'll do that," Terry said.
Once the session was over at two o'clock that afternoon, both the Clines paid Dr. Mason and were in the parking lot again. When they got to the house, they found me waiting in the driveway.
"Hi, Jeremy," I said once Sheriff Cline and Terry were both at the door.
"Hi, Andy. How long have you been waiting?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"Not too long. Maybe half an hour or so," I said.
"Sorry we made you wait. We had an appointment in town," Sheriff Cline said.
"I was wondering why I came to an empty house," I said.
"Now you know. Do you need help carrying your things in?" Terry asked.
"I don't have much, but thank you for offering," I said.
"I'll have Jeremy help you carry your things in and show you the guest room," Terry said.
"All right," I said as she unlocked the front door.
The two of us went to the car I drove in and we went to the trunk and got out the suitcase and overnight bag Aunt Bee had packed for me.
"Terry has your room all set for you, Andy. Hope you enjoy your stay. I know our house isn't like yours in Mayberry, but we hope you're comfortable here," Sheriff Cline said.
"I'm sure I will be," I said as the two of us walked into the house.
The two of us went up to the guest room upstairs.
"I hope the house won't be too noisy when the kids are here while you're here, Andy. Sometimes they can be loud when they're home," Sheriff Cline said.
"What do they do that's loud?" I asked.
"Music. Gives me a headache," Sheriff Cline said.
"I'm never home when Opie plays his music," I said.
"You're lucky," Sheriff Cline said.
"You do have a television set in the guest room if you feel like watching television," Sheriff Cline said.
"Thank you, Jeremy. I might do that later," I said.
"You can unpack now if you'd like," Sheriff Cline said as they opened the door to the guest room.
I saw the guest room looked pleasant for guests when they came over to visit. I saw paintings on the walls along with childrens' drawings from the past years.
"We'll leave you alone for a while so you can unpack, Andy. I have something to do downstairs," Sheriff Cline said and closed the guest room door.
I saw there was a bookshelf by the bed I was going to sleep in and it was a three shelf bookshelf. I went over to the bookshelf and saw it had mostly law and medical books in the shelves. I saw the medical books were mostly on depression. I would have never guessed it was on the subject of depression.
"I thought we had a good appointment with Dr. Mason today," I heard Terry say downstairs as she helped her husband with the medications.
Sheriff Cline didn't say anything. I wondered who Dr. Mason was.
"I don't want to talk about Dr. Mason anymore, Terry," Sheriff Cline said as he swallowed the pills and drank some water.
"Where's your friend?" Terry asked.
"In the guest room, unpacking. I told him to unpack first," Sheriff Cline said.
"Good idea," she said.
While looking around the room, I found the TV set on the wall. I tried turning the TV on the way I did at home but got no response from it.
"I get it," I said to myself.
"It don't work."
I went to the suitcase and started to unpack my clothes. While unpacking the clothes from the suitcase and overnight bag, I figured out why the TV didn't turn on the old – fashioned way. I found a remote control on the table by the bed. I wondered what it was. I saw one button read "ON" and the other button "OFF." I also saw some buttons read "1 – "0" and "PLAY," "STOP,", etc.
"What is this thing?" I asked myself.
I knew I'd never seen such a thing like the remote control before. As I finished unpacking the clothes and hanging them up in the closet, I went downstairs and joined Sheriff Cline and his wife.
"You done unpacking already?" Sheriff Cline asked as he saw me enter the kitchen.
"Yes," I said.
"I do have a question about your TV," I said.
"What's that?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"I tried turning the TV on and it didn't. I saw buttons on some weird – looking device that said "ON," "OFF," "PLAY," "STOP," "1 –O. What is that weird – looking device? I've never seen anything like that in Mayberry before," I said.
"It's called a remote control, Andy. Let me show you how it works," Sheriff Cline said and left the kitchen.
"A remote control?" I repeated.
"Yes, sir. You don't use the TV set to turn it on and off anymore like you do in the old days anymore," Sheriff Cline said as we went to the living room. Sheriff Cline found the remote on the coffee table.
"See the on button, Andy? You use it to turn the television," Sheriff Cline said, showing Andy how the remote control worked.
"Well, I'll be darned," I said, surprised that the remote could do such a thing.
"What do you want to watch?" Sheriff Cline asked.
He knew they had several channels. Sheriff Cline found one of his kids' music devices out in the living room.
"Great. Tony!" Sheriff Cline yelled.
Terry came out in the living room.
"What did Tony do?" Terry asked.
"He left this in the living room," Sheriff Cline said.
"His iPod?" Terry asked.
"Yes."
"I'll go put it in his room," Terry said.
"No. Let him do it," Sheriff Cline said.
Sheriff Cline saw the curious look on my face.
"An iPod is when you can listen to music, watch TV and all that other stuff, Andy. The kids play it so loud I get all these headaches," Sheriff Cline said.
"I'm sorry to hear that," I said.
"You don't have to be, Andy. Tony and Sara aren't your kids," Sheriff Cline said.
I knew that was true.
While waiting for Tony and Sara's bus to come home, Terry asked, "Andy, how would you like to go to Tony's football game this Saturday with Jeremy and myself? You don't have to if you don't want to."
"Sounds like fun. Let me think about it," I said.
"Okay," Terry said.
"Terry, I don't want to go," Sheriff Cline said.
"You never have gone to any of the games since Tony was in middle school, Jeremy. How does Tony feel about you not going? Sara feels the same way about you not going to her concerts," Terry said.
Dinnertime arrived pretty fast that day and the kids were home in time for dinner to be on the table.
The kids didn't hear Terry say to Sheriff Cline, "You heard what the counselor said today, Jeremy. You have to go to the game on Sunday. You're going and that's final. You'll make Tony proud by showing up."
"I still don't want to go," Sheriff Cline said.
"I know how bad your depression is, Jeremy, but you've got to get out of the house and have some fun. Maybe we'll invite Cecil to the game," she said.
Terry remembered Cecil Thomas loved to go to the high school football games.
"I don't care if you invite Cecil or not," Sheriff Cline said.
"Who's Cecil?" I asked.
"He works at the gas station. He's a great mechanic, but really young," Terry said.
"You'll get to meet him Saturday," Terry added.
"Guess I will," I said.
After supper that night, I saw how tired I was.
"I think I'll turn in early tonight," I told Sheriff Cline and Terry.
"Did you have a hard day driving here?" she asked.
"I think so. I guess I'll go to sleep now," I said, yawning a little.
"We'll have more fun tomorrow. Good - night, Andy," she said as the two of them watched him go upstairs to the guest room.
"Good – night," I said and headed for the bathroom upstairs and changed into my pajamas and got under the covers and fell asleep.
The next morning, which was Friday, I was up early. I saw the clock by the bed read 6:30 A.M. I heard Terry Cline downstairs with the two teens. I could hear their voices. I saw he couldn't go back to sleep so I was up for the day.
"Not so loud. You'll wake up your father and Mr. Taylor," Andy heard Terry tell Tony and Sara.
"Sorry, Mom," Tony said.
"What time is your game tomorrow, Tony?" Terry asked.
"Early. Right after lunch. One o'clock," Tony said.
"Okay. We'll see you there in the football field," Terry said.
"Okay. I'll be sure to look for you guys," Tony said.
"Mom, I went by to get gas in the car yesterday. I ran into Cecil. He told me he's coming to the game," Tony said.
"All right. That's good," Terry said.
I wondered who this Cecil character was. I got dressed and went to the bathroom and was downstairs after Tony and Sara were on the bus.
"Good morning, Andy. How was your first night here?" Terry asked.
"Just fine, Terry. Couldn't be better," I said.
"That's good," Terry said.
"Did Tony and Sara wake you up?" Terry asked.
"No, they didn't, Terry. I was already up," I said.
"I was worried they would wake you up," Terry said.
"No, they didn't," I said.
"Is there anything you'd like to do today, Andy?" Terry asked.
"Not really," I answered.
"Maybe we could show you around town," Terry said.
"That's fine," I said.
"Maybe today we'll get more gas. The car needs to be filled up. Maybe we'll introduce you to Cecil," Terry said.
"I've wondered who he is since you've mentioned him a few times," I said.
"You'll get your chance, Andy. He's coming to the game tomorrow," Terry said.
"That's fine," I said a second time.
I didn't mind going to a high school football game with a stranger.
"Where do you get your haircuts here, Terry? I was thinking of getting a haircut since I didn't get one before I left," I said.
"We can do that today if you'd like," Terry said.
"Okay," I said.
"We'll take you to Super Cuts this morning. They open at ten," Terry said.
Once I heard the time of the barbershop, I knew it didn't sound like Mayberry to me.
"Who's your barber?" I asked.
"Joseph Miller. He's a nice guy. I'm sure you'll like him," Terry said.
I didn't respond at all.
"We'll try to leave a bit before Joseph opens so you can get your haircut, I usually like to get Jeremy in before all the customers get in so he could get his haircut," Terry said to Andy as she poured him a second cup of coffee.
"Thank you," I said.
"You're welcome," Terry said.
"If you'll excuse me, Andy, I'll have to wake up Jeremy," she said and headed up the stairs.
I watched her carry a couple of bottles in her hands as she headed up the stairs. I could guess they were full of medicine. She opened the bedroom door and saw her husband was already awake. He started to groan as she opened the containers.
"Not those," he said under his breath.
"Yes, these," she said.
"I heard you talking with Andy," he said.
"Yes. We're having a nice chat. I'm going to show him around town this morning. You're coming like our counselor has suggested. Maybe we'll do our hike this afternoon," Terry said.
"I'm not going on the hike. I'm staying in the car," Sheriff Cline said.
"You're going and that's final," she said, "subject closed."
That's when she closed their bedroom door behind herself and was back in the kitchen a couple of minutes later. Sheriff Cline got out of bed and decided to log on the computer for a while to check his e – mail. Before he did, he saw he got his disability check in the mail the other day. He knew it was his first disability check so he hadn't been disabled for long. He knew Terry was the one who talked him into getting disability checks since he was qualified and had most of the symptoms that made him disabled, including his memory.
Sheriff Cline did notice he did get some facebook notices in his e – mails but he would worry about those later.
"How do you feel about hiking today, Andy?" Terry asked.
"Sounds good," I said.
"We'll do that this afternoon before the kids get out of school," Terry said.
"Okay," I said.
Ididn't mind. The three of us left the house that morning at 9:30. We went to get gas first. I saw Terry talking with a young, skinny, blonde – haired man in his twenties. I saw the man wearing a sports hat.
"Cecil," Terry said to the man in the hat, "Jeremy and I would like you to meet a friend of ours."
"Who?" Cecil asked.
I had a feeling Cecil was a lot like Goober back home in Mayberry. Cecil saw Andy in the backseat.
"Cecil, this is Jeremy's friend back in Mayberry, North Carolina, Any Taylor. Andy, this is our friend, Cecil Thomas," Terry said, making introductions.
"It's nice meeting you, Mr. Taylor," Cecil said.
"It's nice to meet you, Cecil. I've heard a lot about you," I said.
"Nice things, I hope," Cecil said.
"Yes, they are good things. You remind me of somebody I know back home," I said.
"I do? I wonder who that could be," Cecil said.
"Maybe I could meet him sometime," Cecil added.
"Maybe you can. He is a lot like you in a way, Cecil. He is our mechanic back home. He's a fine mechanic," I said.
"I'm sure he is. Are you here for the high school football game tomorrow?" Cecil asked me.
"Yes, I am," I said.
"Great. I'll see you tomorrow, then," Cecil said.
"Okay," I said as the car drove away from the gas station.
We finally made it to Super Cuts. Terry and Jeremy Cline both saw the place was now open.
"I'll take him in this time, Terry," Sheriff Cline said.
"All right, Jeremy. I won't mind waiting," Terry Cline said as she watched her husband walk out of the car and waited for me to climb out of the car.
The two of us walked into the place.
"Hi, Joseph," Sheriff Cline said to the man behind the counter.
"Hi, Jeremy. You here for a haircut?" the man asked.
"I'm not, but a friend of mine would like to get one," Sheriff Cline said.
"Be right with you," the man said.
"Okay," Sheriff Cline said.
"He's our barber, Andy," Sheriff Cline said, reading my thoughts.
"We usually don't have barbers anymore like you do. Times have changed since, Andy. We usually cut our own hair now," Sheriff Cline said.
I didn't reply to my old friend so I just listened to what my friend was saying. I couldn't believe how times had changed since I had kept in touch with Sheriff Cline. Where had the times gone since Cline and I talked? I didn't know the times had gone so fast. The man came back to the counter.
"What's your man, sir?" the man asked me.
"Andy Taylor," I said.
The man typed my name into the computer. I knew I'd never seen such a machine before.
"May I have your phone number and address?" the man asked.
"Don't bother with that, Joseph. He's with me and Terry for a while. He's from Mayberry, North Carolina," Sheriff Cline said.
Joseph Miller gave his friend a questioning look.
"Mayberry is a small town, Joseph. Just do Andy's hair, will you? Terry's waiting in the car," Sheriff Cline said.
"Don't be so pushy, Jeremy," Joseph said.
"Follow me, Andy," Joseph said.
I followed him.
"Tell me a little about you, Mr. Taylor," the barber said.
"Call me Andy, please," I said.
"Okay, Andy," Joseph said as I told him what he wanted with my hair.
I told Joseph a little about myself while Joseph did my hair.
"Very interesting, Andy. Are you sheriff like Jeremy?" Joseph asked, spraying water on my hair a couple of times.
"I am. We don't get much crime in Mayberry," I said.
"We do get lots of crime around here. I'm sure Jeremy has told you about the men and women he's caught here in Milwaukee," Joseph said.
"Women? I never catch women in Mayberry. Except one," I said, remembering the woman I caught for speeding and I had to lock her up.
"You can do better than one woman, Andy. The women prisoners can be pretty exciting once you catch them. The men ain't that exciting as the women. We do have a town druggie that is on drugs. He says his favorite illegal drug is heroine," Joseph said.
"You mean to tell me you have a town druggie that does illegal drugs? That is against the law, you know," I told Joseph.
"The thing with him is that he doesn't take the high doses," Joseph said.
"Still, that ain't right," I said.
"I know it ain't," Joseph said, "but I have no clue why he chose to do illegal drugs."
I could tell that Joseph Miller sounded a lot like Floyd Lawson back in Milwaukee after chatting with the barber back home.
"Did you lock the robbers that came here, Joseph?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"Robbers? I don't think I know what you're talking about, Jeremy," Joseph said.
Andy didn't know what the two were talking about.
"You know, Joseph. The robbers that robbed the real estate agent and this place. Were you able to find them?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"I couldn't find them because they had masks on, Jeremy. How could you find the robbers' faces if they had masks on? That don't make sense at all," Joseph said.
"I have no idea if they are behind bars now or if they still have my money," Joseph told Sheriff Cline, "but I'm not sure if Karen is still on this case or not. Who knows?"
Joseph cleared his throat and started again.
"How did you know about the real estate and this place being robbed, Jeremy?" Joseph asked.
"I read about it in the newspaper," Sheriff Cline said.
"You ain't sheriff anymore. How would you know about this place being robbed if you ain't sheriff no more?" Joseph asked.
"Reading the paper. How else? I also have the television to tell me what's going on with the sheriff's office. That's how I keep up with the ongoing cases," Sheriff Cline told the barber.
Joseph was finally finished cutting my hair and I rejoined Sheriff Cline at the counter so we could pay for the haircut.
"You remind me of somebody back home in Mayberry, Joseph. Our barber sounds a lot like you," I said.
"Does he? Does he cut hair too?" Joseph asked, interested.
"You bet he does. His name is Floyd. I'm sure the two of you would get along just fine," I told Joseph.
"Really? I'd have to meet him sometime then, but this place just gets so darn busy you can hardly get any time off," Joseph said.
"Floyd ain't busy as you," I said as we paid Joseph and thanked him on our way out after the two of us said nice to meet you as well out of the door.
"Come again, Andy," Joseph said and watched us leave.
"Why didn't you tell me your jail has women prisoners, Jeremy?" I asked as we got into the car.
"I just didn't, Andy. That's how Joseph gets sometimes. He can have a big mouth," Sheriff Cline said.
"So I noticed," Andy said as they put their seatbelts on and said hello to Terry Cline again.
"You look nice, Andy. What do you think of Joseph?" she asked.
"Andy thought he sounded a lot like his barber back in Mayberry. He said the same thing to Cecil," Sheriff Cline.
"I had no idea our townspeople sounded like your people back home," Terry told me as the car started up.
"Some of them do," I said.
We drove around town the rest of the day so I could do some sightseeing around Milwaukee. It was finally time to go home so we could be in time for the kids to come into the house after their after school activities. I saw the time in the car read 3:30 that afternoon. I couldn't believe how fast the day had passed. I could care less about learning about Milwaukee. I knew this place isn't my kind of place to live.
Saturday finally arrived and one o'clock was finally here. Tony was in the locker room with the other players, getting dressed for the game. He knew his parents were already out on the benches outside, waiting for the game to start. He was happy that his mother talked his father into going to the game because of his father's depression and his father hadn't been to his games since he was in the eighth grade. He remembered they were playing against New Jersey that day and New Jersey had flown to Milwaukee to play his school that day.
Tony was ready to beat New Jersey today since New Jersey was a bad school. Tony knew his father's friend, whatever his name was, was sitting out there with his parents and Cecil. He had heard that his father's friend had met Cecil at the gas station that week. The game finally started after the national anthem was over, which Sara and her choir class had sung for the game.
"Hi, Andy," Cecil Thomas said, sitting closer to where I was sitting on the bench.
"Hi, Cecil," I said, seeing Cecil with the high school logo on the hat he was wearing.
"Nice hat," I said.
"Thanks. It's my favorite hat. I wear it all the time. I don't wear it to church. You're allowed to wear hats when you go to church, but I always leave my hat in the car when I go," Cecil said.
That was another thing I never heard of since I lost contact with Sheriff Cline. I didn't reply to Cecil.
"What church do you go to?" I asked.
"The Church of Messiah," Cecil said.
I found that an interesting name for a church.
"Do you know what this church of mine does?" Cecil asked me.
"No. What?" I said.
"My pastor sends needy people five thousand dollars every single week. She does that because she wants to try to find a cure for their health," Cecil said.
"Interesting. Where does she get the money so send to the needy people each week?" I asked.
"Ask her that. I'm not a minister," Cecil said, "but she is an admirable person."
Throughout the game, I had to listen to Cecil jabber the time because he wouldn't be quiet. I wanted to watch the game. I whispered to Sheriff Cline, "Will you tell Cecil to be quiet? I want to watch the game."
"I will," Sheriff Cline whispered back.
"Cecil?" Sheriff Cline said.
"What?" Cecil asked, looking in Sheriff Cline's direction.
"Would you mind being quiet for a chance? We're trying to watch the game. When the game's over, you can talk again," Sheriff Cline said.
"Okay," Cecil said.
"Thanks, Jeremy," I whispered.
"You're welcome," Sheriff Cline whispered back.
A couple of hours had flown by and Milwaukee was winning. After the game was over, Milwaukee had won the game by fifteen points. Tony ran to where his parents were sitting and they congratulated him.
"Thanks," Tony said.
He was feeling dirty.
"I'll be back in a few minutes. I want to get cleaned up," Tony said.
"All right, Tony. We'll wait," Terry Cline said as they watched him head for the locker room.
It didn't take Tony long to get cleaned up and rejoin Cecil and his parents.
"Great game, Tony. I've got to get going. I'll see you some other time," Cecil said, standing up.
"Glad you could make it, Cecil. We'll get together again," Terry said.
"Next time it's at my house," Cecil said as he stood up to leave the family.
"We should do that," Terry said.
"Call me," he said and left the school.
The Clines and I drove to the house. We decided to eat dinner early that night. I did notice while eating dinner that night my friend wasn't eating anything from his plate.
"Are you all right, Jeremy? You're not eating anything," I said.
"That's one of the signs of depression, Andy. He does this a lot," Terry Cline told me.
After supper was over, the family went into the living room and turned the television on and watched some TV for a while except for me. I thought I'd spend some time alone for a change and let the Clines be together without me for the night. I didn't mind that, that's for sure.
"I'm going to my bedroom. I'll see you in the morning," I said.
"Don't you want to join the party?" Terry asked.
"I'm fine upstairs. I'm kind of tired," I said.
"All right. We'll see you in the morning then, Andy. Did you like meeting Cecil and Joseph?" Terry asked.
"I did. I'll see you in the morning," I said.
Sheriff Cline watched Andy head up the stairs.
"Night, Andy," Sheriff Cline said.
"Night, Jeremy," I said and headed up to my bedroom and opened the door and let myself in and shut it again.
The next morning at breakfast, Tony was silent. The school bus headed for the house and Terry watched Tony and Sara climb on and she said good – bye to the two teens as they waved good – bye on their way out of the house.
"Jeremy, can we talk?" I asked.
"About what, Andy?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"The cold case," I said.
"What about it? I'm not sheriff anymore," Sheriff Cline reminded me.
"I know that. There's something about it you should know," I said.
"All right. Let's go somewhere where we can have a private talk," Sheriff Cline said as he finished eating breakfast.
Terry was happy to see her husband eating that morning. She knew it had been years since he had eaten a full meal.
"Why don't we take a walk, Jeremy?" I asked.
"I don't feel like it," Sheriff Cline said.
"Andy wants to take a walk, Jeremy. It'll make you feel better if you did. You haven't exercised in years. It'll do you good," Terry said.
"All right but I won't feel any better," Sheriff Cline said.
"Andy doesn't know his way around Milwaukee, so you go with him," Terry said.
"All right, Terry," Sheriff Cline said.
"You should know by now that exercise is good for depression, Jeremy. You should have done this twelve years ago," Terry said.
"Who cares?" Sheriff Cline said carelessly, sipping his coffee.
"The doctor cares and I care," Terry Cline said.
Sheriff Cline stood up from the kitchen table and he followed me out of the kitchen.
"Let's go on your walk, Andy," Sheriff Cline said as we for the living room.
"We'll be back later, Terry," Sheriff Cline said.
"All right. Take your time, Jeremy," she said as she watched the two men walk out of the front door.
"Tell me about the case," Sheriff Cline said.
"I think there's something you should know," I said.
"What is there to know? We've looked through the case twelve years straight and there's nothing more we can do," Sheriff Cline said.
"Yes, there is," I said.
"What?" he asked.
"Remember when you asked me for help, Jeremy? You told me there were no witnesses to the case. It turns out there is a witness after all," I said.
"There is? Who could that be?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"How do you know there's a star witness in this case, Andy? How?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"Let's just say a birdie told me, Jeremy. Remember when Mayberry High played against your boy's school?" I asked.
"Sure, I remember. Why?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"The birdie told me that the star witness told the birdie that he was the one who was there on the morning of June tenth when your deputy was killed," I said.
"Just who is this star witness that told this birdie of yours?" Sheriff Cline asked cluelessly.
"The birdie is my son Opie, Jeremy. Opie talked to the star witness after the football game was over. Opie told me when he came back home from the game," I said.
"Just tell me who the star witness is!" Sheriff Cline said.
"It's somebody you're going to have to talk to. A member of your family," I said, giving Sheriff Cline a hint.
"Someone in my family was the witness who watched Andy get killed? Can't be!" Sheriff Cline said.
"It's true, Jeremy. You're going to listen to his story," I said.
"You said 'he'? You can't mean my son," Sheriff Cline said.
"That's right, Jeremy. You're going to talk to Tony tonight," I said.
"Tony can't be the star witness to the murder!" Sheriff Cline said surprised.
"Well, that's what Opie said."
"This can't be true!" Sheriff Cline kept saying.
"Why didn't he tell me right away that he was the witness?" Sheriff Cline asked, repeating the questions.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. I didn't answer my friend but kept listening to his friend repeating the questions over and over. That was when the walk was over. We walked into the house when Sheriff Cline was repeating the questions.
"What is it, Jeremy?" Terry Cline asked.
"Can't be, Andy!" Sheriff Cline said.
"It's true, Jeremy," Andy said.
"What's true?" Terry asked.
"Let Jeremy tell you," I said.
"Terry, Andy was telling me that our son is the star witness to Andy's murder!" Sheriff Cline yelled surprisingly.
"What!" she said.
"Ask Andy," Sheriff Cline said.
"Is this true, Andy?" Terry asked.
"Yes, Terry. My son Opie told me since they talked at the game when Opie came out here to play against your boy and your boy was the one who broke the news to my son about his being the witness to the murder twelve years ago," I said.
"Can't be!" both husband and wife said, surprised.
"It's true," I said.
"And you will talk to Tony about this tonight," I said.
"We will," Terry said.
"No. Jeremy and Tony will since it was Jeremy's case to begin with. Once Tony comes home from football practice, you two will sit down and talk," I said.
"Sounds like a good idea," Terry said.
At supper that night, Sheriff Cline said to Tony, "The two of us are going to have a talk."
"About what, Dad?" Tony asked.
"About what happened twelve years ago to Andy. I want to hear everything."
"How did you find out I was there on the morning he died, Dad?" Tony asked, surprised.
"Let's just say a birdie told me," Sheriff Cline said.
"My question is why didn't you come to me right away when Andy died that morning, Tony? It would have been a lot easier that way instead of waiting twelve years later," Sheriff Cline said.
"I couldn't then, Dad. You were busy with the crime scene investigators and after that, you were busy being depressed so I couldn't," Tony said.
"If you told me right away I wouldn't have had depression or my license taken away for life. Start your story," Sheriff Cline said.
"It's a long story, Dad," Tony said.
"I'm going to hear every word," Sheriff Cline said.
Tony gulped and cleared his throat. He didn't know where to begin.
"You're not on the force anymore, Dad. Why do you want to hear such a long story?" Tony asked.
"I don't care if I'm no longer on the force, Tony. I just care what happened to Andy. Start your story," Sheriff Cline said.
Sheriff Cline watched as Terry, me and Sara left the kitchen.
"Andy, stay here. I want you in on this," Sheriff Cline said.
"No. It's a father and son talk," I said.
"Come on, Andy. I asked you to help me on this case so you're involved on this talk," Sheriff Cline said.
"Do what he asks, Andy," Terry said.
"All right, Terry, but he's your son," I said and the women left the kitchen.
"Start talking," Sheriff Cline told his sixteen – year – old son.
"Just what exactly what happened to Andy, Tony?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"Don't get depressed if I tell, Dad," Tony said.
Tony gulped and cleared his throat a second time. He didn't know how to begin his story.
"I'm listening," Sheriff Cline said.
"Tell me what you were doing at the crack of dawn when Andy was killed, Tony. That would be a great start," Sheriff Cline said.
Tony drank some more of his milk he had with that night's meal.
"Where you anywhere near the patrol car, Tony?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"No, Dad. I never touched the patrol car, Dad. It had too much blood on the car. I would never in a million years touch evidence," Tony said.
"Good. I can't believe a four – year – old would be smart enough not to touch evidence," Sheriff Cline said.
"Dad, it was scary to see Andy get murdered. He didn't have a gun with him," Tony said.
"That I know. He would've been more careful. Was he robbed when he was murdered?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"The barbershop and the real estate agency were robbed recently," Sheriff Cline said.
"I didn't know about Joseph being robbed, Dad," Tony said.
"Just answer my question. Was Andy robbed when he was murdered?" Sheriff Cline asked a second time.
"Yes," Tony said.
Both Sheriff Cline and I looked at each other.
"Did the robbers steal Andy's wallet? What did they do?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"I was hiding in the bushes, Dad. They had masks on so I couldn't identify what they looked like. I think they took Andy's wallet. They had guns, of course. They shot Andy about three times right through the patrol car's window. I was scared when they pulled the trigger three times," Tony said.
"Tony, that's second degree murder you're talking about that happened to Andy plus his being robbed," Sheriff Cline said.
"I know, Dad. I know what second degree murder is," Tony said.
"That night of June tenth, Tony, you realize Andy was due for dinner at his parents' house. He never made it because of second degree murder," Sheriff Cline said.
"Dad, after they pulled the trigger three times, they ran off. I think they took all his money he had in his wallet he had. I think they took his credit cards in there," Tony said.
"We did notice the credit cards and cash were gone in the wallet, Tony. That we knew," Sheriff Cline said.
"What I'd like to know what the murders looked like," Sheriff Cline told his son.
"Dad, I heard the murderers talking when they murdered Andy. I couldn't hear the conversation since I was far away from them," Tony said.
"What did their voice sound like?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"The voices were deep," Tony answered.
"That tells us something, Andy," Sheriff Cline said.
"It does," I said.
I was quiet the entire time my friend was asking Tony questions about the morning of the murder.
"Think hard and see if you can remember what the robbers were wearing, Tony. It's important. We need to put them behind bars for life," Sheriff Cline told his son.
"Let me think, Dad," Tony said.
"After you think, I'm going to ask Joseph the same question," Sheriff Cline said.
"Why?" Tony asked.
"Why? I want to see if it matches your answer so we can put these guys behind bars for the rest of their lives for first degree murder, Tony. That's why!" Sheriff Cline said.
Tony was silent for a long time because he was trying to remember what the robbers were wearing twelve years ago.
"I remember now, Dad," Tony said after about thirty minutes of silence.
"What? What? Tell me," Sheriff Cline said.
"They had masks on their faces. One guy was fat and another was skinny. The fat guy was wearing blue jeans, a belt with the jeans, black shoes that were size ten, also a black hat, and the shirt was black with blue stripes," Tony said, describing what the fat man was wearing.
"What was he? African-American? White? Native American? What?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"I think he was Native American," Tony said.
"How old did you think the fat guy was to you, Tony?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"I couldn't tell, Dad. If he had the mask off it would be easier to tell," Tony said.
"Okay. The clothes are good enough," Sheriff Cline said as I wrote down the description of the fat robber.
"Thanks, Andy," Sheriff Cline said.
"You're welcome, Jeremy," I said.
"Now tell me about the other guy. What was he wearing on the day Andy was murdered?" Sheriff Cline asked.
That's when they were interrupted by the doorbell. The we heard Karen McCarey in the living room with Terry Cline and Sara.
"He's in the kitchen, Karen. Why don't you come on in? I'll see if he'll want to visit with you for a few minutes," Terry said.
"All right," Karen said.
"That's Karen. She was my former deputy," Sheriff Cline told me.
I saw the thirty – year – old redhead policewoman.
"She sounds pleasant," I said.
"She is, Andy. She is Andy's age," Sheriff Cline said.
Terry walked into the kitchen.
"Jeremy, Karen's here. She wants to say hello," Terry said.
"Bring her in," Sheriff Cline said.
"All right," Terry said.
"Can I leave, Dad?" Tony asked.
"I have a test tomorrow."
"Not until we're done talking about the other murderer," Sheriff Cline said.
That's when Karen McCarey walked in.
"Hi, Jeremy," Karen said.
"Hi, Karen. Where is Williams?" he asked. He saw that Karen was alone.
"We're off duty, Jeremy. I don't need to be with an officer twenty – four hours straight," Karen said.
Karen saw Andy in the kitchen with her former employer and his son.
"I didn't know you had company," she said.
"Well, he's an old friend, Karen. I hope you're not planning on staying here longer," Sheriff Cline said.
"No. Why?" Karen said.
I spoke up.
"He thinks he has this cold case just about solved, that's why," I said.
"What? What am I missing out? You're not sheriff anymore," Karen reminded him.
"I know I'm not. We had a missing link to the case," Sheriff Cline said.
"What was the missing link?" Karen asked.
Sheriff Cline gave his son a look.
"A witness, Karen. We didn't have a witness to the case. Our witness was him," Sheriff Cline said, giving his son a look.
"Your son?" Karen asked, seeing the look Sheriff Cline was giving his son.
"Bingo," Sheriff Cline said.
"He was four years old back then, Jeremy! How could he remember things back then? He was just a child!" Karen said.
"He's telling me stuff we didn't have info on, Karen. He's our only witness," Sheriff Cline said.
"This can't be true," Karen said, surprised at this kind of information.
"Well, it is," Sheriff Cline said.
"Gosh, I never knew this sort of thing would happen, Jeremy. I'm sorry," Karen said.
He didn't say anything.
"Karen, do me a favor, will you?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"What?"
"Don't do this yet, but once Tony and I are done with our talk, I want you to call Joseph and ask him this question for me. I want to see if it matches Tony's description," Sheriff Cline said.
"What description are you talking about?" Karen asked.
"Of the robbers that murdered Andy twelve years ago," Sheriff Cline said.
"I want to know if those were the same robbers that robbed the real estate agency and Joseph," Sheriff Cline said.
"I see where you're getting at now, Jeremy. I'll stay longer," Karen said.
"Good," he said.
"Tell us, Tony. What did the other murderer wear on the morning of June tenth?" Sheriff Cline asked.
We heard the clock chime nine o'clock.
"I'm going to fail my Spanish test tomorrow, Dad. I've got to start studying," Tony said.
"Not until you tell us what the skinny man was wearing, Tony. Then you can start studying," Sheriff Cline said.
Tony sighed and finished the rest of his warm milk and gulped a third time. Karen could tell the Cline boy was nervous. She wondered if he was nervous this whole time Sheriff Cline was asking questions.
Tony thought for a while and then replied, "The skinny man wore matching clothes, Dad. I think they're related."
"You may be dismissed, Tony. Thank you for the information," Sheriff Cline said.
"Thanks, Dad," Tony said.
Sheriff Cline, Andy, and Karen McCarey watched Tony leave the kitchen.
"I'm going to my room, Mom," Tony said.
"How did it go with your father and Mr. Taylor?" Terry asked.
"Fine. I need to study for my Spanish test tomorrow," Tony said.
"All right," Terry said and watched her sixteen – year – old son head up the stairs.
"Karen, go call Joseph at home now and ask him about the robbers that were at the barbershop recently. I want to know if they matched Tony's description," Sheriff Cline said.
He handed Karen the piece of paper I was writing on.
"Thanks, Andy," Sheriff Cline said.
He kept his eyes on Karen as she dialed the barber's home telephone number. Both Sheriff Cline and Andy listened to Karen's phone conversation with Joseph Miller. A couple of minutes later, Karen hung up the phone.
"What did he say?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"It looks like his description is one hundred percent positive, Jeremy. It does match Tony's description," Karen said.
The we looked at each other.
"Let's not waste our time, Karen. Get the patrol car now and let's go get them," Sheriff Cline said.
"What about him? He's not from here, is he?" Karen asked, giving me the eye.
"No, he's not, but he can come. I asked him to help on this case and he deserves credit. He's an officer from Mayberry, North Carolina," Sheriff Cline said.
"Interesting," Karen said.
"Terry, don't wait up. We're going to catch those murderers that murdered Andy," Sheriff Cline said.
"Good luck, Jeremy. You don't have your badge anymore," Terry reminded him.
"Who cares? I can still catch them," he said.
The three officers went to Karen's car and drove away from the Cline residence and headed for town with sirens on.
"You'll get your name in the paper, Andy. I know you don't live here, but you deserve some credit," Sheriff Cline said.
"No, I don't, Jeremy. This is your case," I said.
"We know that, Andy. You helped me find the star witness, didn't you? That was something I would never be able to do with the case," Sheriff Cline said.
They were finally in town. It took them a while to find the identifications of the robbers that murdered Deputy Jones twelve years ago.
"There they are!" Karen said.
"They're headed for the bank!" she said.
Sheriff Cline and I saw the two men were headed for First National Bank.
"Not First National," Sheriff Cline groaned.
The three off us got out of the patrol car as fast as they could and ran to the bank.
"You are under arrest for the murder of Deputy Andrew Jones," Sheriff Cline said to the two men with the masks on.
"Who are you?" the fat man asked.
"Sheriff Jeremy Cline," Sheriff Cline said.
"Where's your badge?" the skinny man asked.
"I'm former sheriff," he said.
"We'd like to see some proof you're from the force," the skinny man said.
"I was the law, but I have backup," Sheriff Cline said, looking at Andy and Karen McCarey.
Both Karen and I showed the robbers our badges. The robbers saw the badge from North Carolina.
"You're from Mayberry? What's a mayberry?" the fat guy asked.
"It's a small town," I said.
"What kind of crime do you get there?" the fat guy asked.
"Hardly none," I said.
"You're under arrest for first degree murder of killing a deputy sheriff and robbery," Sheriff Cline told the murderers.
He watched Karen as she handcuffed the murderers.
"You have the right to remain silent," Sheriff Cline added.
The three of us put the two murderers in the backseat of the car. Sheriff Cline couldn't believe they finally caught the murderers after twelve long years. I didn't mind sitting in the backseat with the murderers since the front seat was already full. At the jail, Sheriff Nelson was desk, doing some paperwork.
"What are you doing here so late, Karen?" Sheriff Nelson asked.
Sheriff Nelson was eyeing me and Sheriff Cline.
"We're locking up some murderers, Larry. Larry, this is our former sheriff, Jeremy Cline. He's the one you replaced. We caught the murderers from a cold case that happened twelve years ago," Karen said.
"These were the murderers that murdered my deputy twelve years ago," Sheriff Cline said.
"I'm sorry you had to leave the force, Sheriff Cline. Glad to hear the case is now solved. What are they arrested for?" Sheriff Nelson asked.
"First degree murder and robbery. They robbed my deputy when he was murdered in the patrol car while on duty. Read the case file," Sheriff Cline said.
"Is that what made you depressed?" Sheriff Nelson asked.
"Yes, sir," Sheriff Cline said.
Sheriff Cline said no more to Sheriff Nelson and headed to the men's prison cell to where Karen and Andy were.
"You know killing a police officer is wrong," Sheriff Cline told the robbers.
"You get life sentence without parole."
"That ain't fair," the fat guy complained.
"That's the way it works," Sheriff Cline said.
"I'm not very happy about the way you killed my deputy twelve years ago and my son was the witness," Sheriff Cline said.
"Did you know the name Andrew Jones?" Sheriff Cline asked.
"No," the two murderers said.
"That's not a good way to kill somebody if you don't know an officer of law to steal his cash and credit cards," Sheriff Cline said as he and Andy were leaving the cell.
"Karen, would you mind driving me and Andy home? I don't feel like talking anymore," Sheriff Cline said.
"Sure, Jeremy. I'd be glad to," Karen said.
She had a feeling the newspaper reporters would want to talk to them first thing tomorrow morning. As she pulled up to the Cline residence some minutes later, Sheriff Cline thanked her for her help.
"It was no big deal, Jeremy," she said.
She watched me and Sheriff Cline walk into the house and then she drove away.
"We're back, Terry," Sheriff Cline said, seeing his wife watching the late night news on TV.
"They're talking about the case on TV, Jeremy," she said.
"It made the news that fast? Wow," he said as the two friends went over to the couch to watch the late night news.
After watching the news on television, the four adults went to bed after turning the lights out.
Note: I'm sorry this was such a long chapter but I really didn't want to bore you all with this long word count but I wanted to finish chapter 9 so I hope you all enjoyed the Clines in this story. Go to my fictionpress account and read the first of the Cline series after this introduction to them in 'The New Law.' Happy reading!