Sheriff Of RedRock

A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews. I really do enjoy reading them. Now, on to the next chapter.

Chapter four

Kirkland rode into Brookland in the early hours of the next morning. He was barely conscious, and the right half of his shirt was soaked with his own blood. The horse stopped outside the saloon, and Kirkland slumped over in the saddle. He was exhausted. The sound of his drained body hitting the hard dirt in the street drew the attention of the saloon owner. Red John was still in the saloon. Barely five minutes had passed before the six members of the gang were helping Kirkland through the front door.

Kirkland was sprawled on a bed upstairs. He was sipping water, and was relating what had happened in RedRock. Next to him, a member of the gang, Thomas Volker, examined the wound in Kirkland's shoulder. The bullet had lodged itself into the joint, making movement of the arm impossible. Volker was a trained surgeon, but death rates were high. He was reluctant to operate unless it was absolutely necessary.

Red John paced the room as Kirkland spoke. He was furious. Smith had been one of his closest men, and that woman sheriff had killed him. Kirkland tried to sit up. "Red John," he said. "Sheriff Lisbon is dangerous. She was a faster draw than Smith. I can't go anywhere now. But you can't let Smith die for nothin'. She needs to be stopped."

Red John nodded. Kirkland was right. This sheriff was definitely a threat to him and his gang. The remaining members of his gang turned to him. Red John cleared his throat. "Men, this woman needs to be stopped. If word gets out that she killed Smith, people in the area may get the idea that we aren't as tough as they think we are. Especially since it was a woman who killed him."

The six men nodded. Red John strode from the room. He was fuming, and he headed outside to cool off. The dawn air calmed his nerves a little, but not much. Reede Smith had been the first person Red John had asked to join the gang. They had worked together for the better part of fifteen years. Had Red John been any less of a man, he might have begun to shed tears. But he only felt an intense, burning hatred. Hatred for this woman, and the way she was in a position of power. And the way she took Smith's life like it was nothing. Red John was truly angry. Angrier than he had been in years. And it was all this woman's fault.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon sat at her desk, reading her file. It was just after sunrise, and Lisbon was naturally an early riser. It didn't matter that she had only received four hours of sleep because of the shooting. She still woke at half past five every morning. The door opened, and Rigsby strode through the door. Cho was just behind him. "Good morning, Sheriff."

Lisbon looked up. "Good morning. Any news about last night?"

Cho ignored the question. He had questions of his own that needed asking. "Sheriff, please explain the facts about Red John to us."

Lisbon nodded and indicated for her men to sit. The next half hour was filled with her explanation, bringing the two men up to date on the situation. The men asked very few questions, preferring to just listen and absorb the information. When she was finished, the room was very quiet. Cho rose to his feet, and changed the subject. "Sheriff, there is some news about last night."

Rigsby nodded, standing too. "Bosco wants to talk to you. And Bertram is very pissed off that you got blood on the floor last night."

Lisbon sighed. "I will go see Bosco now." She stood up and put on her waistcoat. "And tell Bertram that, either way, he would have cleaned up blood. It might not have been Smith's blood."

The two deputies watched the tiny sheriff stride from the room, and Cho nodded. "Ms Lisbon has a good point, Rigsby. It could have been one of us last night. Especially since it was one of Red John's men…"

Cho's voice trailed off as he realised Rigsby wasn't actually listening anymore. A figure on the street had his attention. Cho could think of only one person who could hold Rigsby's attention so completely. His assumption was correct. Grace Van Pelt was walking past the window, deep in conversation with Ms Harrigan. Cho walked over to Rigsby and nudged his arm. Rigsby jumped and turned away from the window, blushing. "We should, uh, follow Ms Lisbon. You know, in case she needs our support."

Cho rolled his eyes. Rigsby had been infatuated with Ms Van Pelt since he had arrived in the town five years earlier. Ms Van Pelt didn't know, but Jane and Cho could see it. The two deputies left the sheriff's office and headed over to Bosco's office. Lisbon was already inside.

Lisbon stood in front of Bosco's desk. Bosco and three other people were on the other side of the desk. One was Bertram. The second was the local doctor, Virgil Minelli. And the third was a reporter named Walter Mashburn. He was good looking, with dark hair and dark eyes. He was hurriedly scribbling notes down on a notepad while Lisbon explained to Bosco what had happened. The two deputies appeared on either side of her, and Bosco looked less than impressed. "Mr Bosco," said Lisbon. "I am telling you. That man I shot is a member of Red John's gang. His name is Reede Smith and he was causing trouble in the bar. I was doing my duty as an officer of the law, and protecting the town."

Bertram shook his head. "Summer knows what she is getting herself in for when she works at the bar. Officers of the law are not required to intervene."

Cho's jaw tightened. He had a distinct soft spot for Summer Edgecombe, and hated hearing her degraded by Bertram. Lisbon shook her head. "With all due respect, Mr Bertram, I feel that I should judge when it is appropriate to intervene."

Minelli shook his head. "All big words, Ms Sheriff. The fact is that you shot a man in this town last night. The people want answers."

Mashburn leant forwards. "What is your interest in Red John? Why do you know so much? And how are you so certain that the man you shot was indeed Reede Smith?"

Lisbon turned to the reporter, who smiled. "I am not required to answer any of your questions, Mr Mashburn. Yes, I am familiar with the way you take a story and twist it, and so I do not want you here for the rest of this discussion."

Mashburn looked shocked. "You're kicking me out?" he turned to Bosco. "Does she have the authority to do that?"

Cho glanced at Rigsby, who smiled. "Well, Mr Mashburn," said Rigsby. "We are required to enforce anything the sheriff wants us to do…"

The two deputies stepped forwards. Each deputy grabbed an arm and escorted Mashburn to the door. Cho closed the door behind them, leaving Lisbon alone with the three men.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Rigsby and Cho released Mashburn on the porch outside. He turned to face them. "You have no right to do that. I am a reporter, and I have every right to be in that interview. This is press gold for me."

"Exactly," replied Rigsby. "That's why we are respecting Ms Lisbon's request and removing you. She has details she would prefer weren't published by the likes of you."

Cho turned and walked back inside, past Ms Van Pelt's desk, and back into the interview. Rigsby stopped in front of Ms Van Pelt's desk, and turned to the pretty young woman. "Good morning, Ms Van Pelt."

Ms Van Pelt smiled up at the handsome deputy. "Please, Mr Rigsby. I've told you before. It's Grace."

Rigsby felt himself redden. "Yes, Ms Va… Grace."

Ms Van Pelt felt her heart flutter as the deputy turned away and entered Bosco's office again. She took a deep breath, trying to cool herself down. She went back to studiously filling in Bosco's diary with the next week's appointments, trying to listen hard to what was going on inside the next room.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon watched the door close, and turned back to the three men in front of her. Bertram still looked annoyed. "Ms Sheriff, I thank you for your protection, but I do object to having to clean blood up in my bar."

Lisbon turned to face Bertram. "Mr Bertram, whether or not I had fired those shots last night, you would have been cleaning up blood. Reede Smith is, was, the fastest draw in Red John's gang. Cho would not have had his gun out in time."

Minelli shook his head. "Ms Sheriff. You are so sure that this man is Smith. How do you know?"

Lisbon took a deep breath. "I have been keeping very close tabs on Red John's gang for very personal reasons. I could recognise any of the members in the gang if I saw them. I am positive that those two men were from Red John's gang."

Bosco folded his hands as the door opened. Cho entered and returned to his spot next to Lisbon. "But you let the other one, Kirkland – as you called him – get away. That is a problem, because it now gives Red John a target. Ms Lisbon, I fear that your negligence has lead to this town being put in jeopardy."

Cho shook his head. "It all happened so quickly last night. Sheriff Lisbon did not have the opportunity to take a second shot at Kirkland before he was outside and on his horse."

The door opened again, and Rigsby entered. He stood on Lisbon's other side. "None of us could get a clear shot at Kirkland because he was out of the room before any of us could aim at him."

Bertram glanced at the ornate clock on the far wall. "I need to go, Bosco. I open soon."

Bosco nodded and waved his hand. The bartender left, closing the door quietly behind him. Lisbon looked at Bosco. "Mr Bosco, I recommend that the town be secured, at least until we know that this is not going to become a major threat."

Bosco shook his head. "Ms Lisbon, quite frankly, I think our town is fine. As long as nothing happens at our Fourth of July celebrations."

Lisbon felt the anger building. "Bosco, that is the exact target Red John will use to devastate your town. We need to at least have the protection for the celebration."

Bosco didn't like the way Lisbon raised her voice to him. He stood up. "Ms Lisbon. I honestly don't think that was a member of Red John's gang you shot. I think you see Red John behind every bush and under every cactus. You are trying to convince yourself that Red John is involved in order to justify your mother's death. We all feel sorry for you, Ms Lisbon. But you need to keep your professional life away from the personal. Your judgement is clouded."

Lisbon was livid. She turned to Minelli. "I hope to see you around soon, Mr Minelli." She turned momentarily to Bosco. "Mr Bosco."

Without another word, the woman sheriff stalked from the room. She was upset that Bosco would treat the murder of her mother so lightly, and even use it as an excuse for the fact that she shot someone. The general store was just ahead, and Lisbon entered.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Jane looked up as the door opened, and was surprised to see that it was Lisbon who entered. "Good morning, Sheriff."

Lisbon smiled thinly. "It really hasn't been a good morning for me, Mr Jane."

Jane picked up an apple and handed it to Lisbon. "I have a feeling Bosco is going to be involved."

Lisbon nodded and took a bite out of the apple. "I've been blamed for letting Kirkland escape. They don't believe me when I say that he's part of Red John's gang. Bosco said that I see Red John under every bush. I know what I saw, Mr Jane. I know that the man I shot was Reede Smith. But they won't believe me."

Jane sighed. "Bosco can be a bit hard headed, Sheriff. He is very traditional about things. And quite frankly, a pain to work with."

Lisbon took another bite of the apple. "What should I do now?"

Jane stood back behind the counter. "The way I see it, Ms Lisbon, you have two choices. Listen to your hunch and try securing the town as best you can. Or listen to Bosco."

Lisbon took one last bite of her apple. "Thank you for the advice, Mr Jane."

Jane nodded as the sheriff left his store. He was always glad to assist her in any way he could.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon went back to the sheriff's office. Rigsby and Cho were inside waiting for her. Lisbon turned to her two deputies. "Rigsby, I need you to stay in the town and look after the people. Cho and I are heading out to look for any sign of Kirkland or where he may have headed."

Rigsby nodded. Cho grabbed a shoulder bag from behind his half of the desk and left the room. He headed over to the general store and bought food for himself and Lisbon for the next two or three days. He then headed to the bar. "Good morning, Mr Cho," said Bertram, who was polishing some glasses.

Cho nodded. "I would like a bottle of whiskey to take with me."

Bertram frowned. "Mr Cho, you never buy whiskey in bottles."

"The sheriff and I are heading out for a few days to see if we can track Kirkland. I need the whiskey."

Bertram nodded, and handed over the bottle. "Are you sure the sheriff wouldn't prefer sarsaparilla?"

Cho shook his head. "The sheriff wants whiskey."

Cho handed over his money, and left the bar. He knew Lisbon hadn't actually requested whiskey, but he suspected that Lisbon would need it. Especially after what she had told them that morning. Her ties to Red John were deeply rooted. She would need anything she could to keep going. He headed back to the sheriff's office, where Lisbon was waiting with two horses. Cho attached the bag to his saddle, and checked their water supply. They had enough to last four days. Lisbon mounted her horse, and Cho followed suit. They rode out of the town together, ready for their search.

A/N2: Please leave a review and tell me what you think. I would really appreciate it. Thanks.