Sheriff Of RedRock

A/N: I am so sorry for abandoning you for so long. Please accept this chapter as an apology.

Chapter eight

Lisbon sat at her desk. She was furious with Bosco for blaming the attack on her. Her deputies had made themselves scarce. Lisbon was known around town to have a bit of a temper when she was angry. A knock on the door broke her concentration. "Enter," she said in a clipped tone.

The door opened, and Walter Mashburn entered. "Would you do an exclusive interview for me?"

Lisbon sighed. "For the last time, no. I will not speak to you, now get out."

Mashburn pulled up a chair and sat across from her. "There must be something you want to say. You were gone for a week and have nothing to report?"

Lisbon sat back in her chair and pulled out her gun. "Get the hell out. Now."

Mashburn stayed where he was. "I'm not leaving without a statement, Sheriff."

Lisbon stood up and pointed her gun at Mashburn. "I will shoot you if you don't get out."

The door opened, and Jane walked in with a bottle of whiskey in his hand. "Am I interrupting?" he eyed Lisbon's gun.

She shook her head. "Mashburn was just leaving."

Mashburn stood up and turned to face Jane. "I will leave you and this shop keeper alone. Mr Jane, Ms Sheriff."

He shut the door behind him and headed over to Bertram's for a drink. Jane sat down in the seat Mashburn had vacated and examined the tiny sheriff. He set the bottle down on the desk. "Thought you might need a drink after the shouting that went on in Bosco's office."

Lisbon nodded and grabbed the bottle. She opened the top and poured about two thirds of a mouthful down her throat. Jane watched her put the bottle back on the desk. "That felt good, Mr Jane," she said. "Better than sarsaparilla, in any case."

Jane smiled. "Glad I could be of service. Now, exactly what crime did Bosco accuse our fine sheriff of this time?"

Lisbon fiddled absently with the file on her desk. "He said it was my fault Kingston burned down, and that the Red John attack was my fault."

Jane shook his head. "You were two days late with your info, but that doesn't make it your fault. How would Red John know you were involved?"

Lisbon pulled the note out and handed it to Jane. He read it, and his eyes widened. Lisbon grabbed the bottle and took another swig. "This is why Bosco blamed me."

Jane picked up the bottle and took a swig himself. "Who brought this to you?"

Lisbon glanced towards the door. "Mashburn. Said it was at the scene of the fires."

Jane carefully sniffed the paper, and then held it up to the light. He sniffed it again. "This paper was never anywhere near a fire."

Lisbon frowned. "How did Mashburn get it?"

Jane put it back down. "There are two choices. Mashburn wrote it, which I doubt because it's not his style of writing. Or, Mashburn is in leagues with Red John, and wants you removed."

Lisbon sat thinking for a minute or two. That theory made sense. Mashburn was always first on scene, and he always covered Red John. It made sense that he was most probably involved. Jane grabbed the bottle and took a swig. The door opened, and he abruptly lowered the bottle under the desk. He needn't have bothered. It was only Rigsby, checking to see if Lisbon was calmer.

Lisbon nodded once to her deputy, who disappeared back outside. It began to get darker outside, but neither Lisbon nor Jane moved. They barely spoke. The bottle was soon finished, and they both stood up together. Jane was surprised that the tiny sheriff could hold her liquor so well. A woman her size should have passed out long ago.

Lisbon watched the shopkeeper walk slightly unsteadily to the door. He held it open for her and followed her out into the early evening. Lisbon thought about the people of Kingston, and shuddered. She felt like it had been her fault their town was destroyed. She turned towards Bertram's, but Jane grabbed her arm. "Sheriff, I do not think you should be continuing your drink tonight. Half a bottle of whiskey is quite enough for you."

Lisbon scowled and pulled free. "Mr Jane, I will do whatever I want to. Quite frankly, I do not need you to protect me."

Jane took a step back. This was a very independent woman. Unusual for the era they lived in – where women were subject to a man's reproach – this woman was willing to become a sheriff in a small backward town. And he admired her courage. He nodded to the sheriff. "As you will, Ms Teresa."

Lisbon nodded and walked off to Bertram's, leaving Jane standing outside the sheriff's office watching her. He turned and headed off home, soaking in the summer air.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Lisbon pushed the door open and entered the bar. The men at the counter turned to look at her, before returning to their drinks. She sat at the end of the bar and ordered a whiskey. She chose to sip it, and watched as people moved around the bar. She noted Mashburn sitting in the corner with a serving wench for company. That man was something else, and she decided her instincts were correct about him. He was an unsavoury character who was more than likely affiliated with Red John.

She finished her whiskey and paid Bertram. She stood up and decided to turn in for the night. It was unprofessional for a sheriff to arrive at work with a hangover.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

Mashburn had wisely guessed that he would get nothing from Sheriff Lisbon, and so he planned to catch the dawn train back to San Francisco. He stood on the platform with a few other overnight travellers, and glanced around at the scenery. There wasn't much to look at, so he turned his attention to the tiny station. The sign saying "RedRock" in bold letters was swinging in the gentle breeze, and something caught his attention.

Right in the centre of the "O" in "RedRock" was a single bullet hole. He suspected that it might have come from Sheriff Lisbon, and remembered hearing Bosco talking about how the sheriff had fired her gun when she had arrived. But the aim was so precise; he knew that the sheriff was a formidable woman. Not someone he wanted to get on the wrong side of.

The train arrived, and he got on, glad to be leaving that strange town.

A/N2: Sorry it's so short. I apologise again for taking so long. Please leave me a review and tell me what you think. Thanks.