Sheriff Of RedRock
A/N: Sorry for taking so long between updates. Life has become quite hectic, what with a hijacking to top off the last month. Enjoy this chapter.
Chapter nine
Bosco paced his office. This new sheriff was proving trouble for him and his town. He opened his door and turned to Grace of his way out. "Grace, please call the sheriff and her two deputies to my office in half an hour."
Grace nodded and stood up. Bosco left first, and headed to Bertram's, while Grace walked to the sheriff's office. She opened the door, and found Lisbon sitting holding an empty whiskey bottle. She looked up at Grace, and put the bottle down in the desk. "Yes, Grace."
Grace smiled at the sheriff. "Bosco would like to see you and the deputies in his office in about half an hour."
Lisbon nodded, and stood up. She had a feeling that Bosco was at Bertram's, having a quick drink before meeting with her. She turned to the deputies. "I will meet you at Bosco's office. I have to run an errand."
The deputies nodded and went back to their game of cards. Lisbon picked up the empty bottle off of her desk and headed out into the street. She walked up to the general store and pushed the door open. Jane looked up at the sound of the bell and smiled. "Sheriff, I see you're no worse for wear after half a bottle of whiskey last night."
Lisbon smiled. "Good morning, Mr Jane. I thought you might want this back."
She handed him the bottle, and took a walk around the store. She picked up an apple and headed back to the counter. She handed Jane a few coins, and took a bite. Jane smiled. "Quick meal before meeting with Bosco?"
Lisbon nodded. "How did you know?"
Jane glanced towards the door. "Grace hardly ever leaves unless it's official business for Bosco. And he seems obsessed with ruining your day, so that was the logical conclusion."
Lisbon sighed. "I suppose he has something against me being sheriff."
Jane poured a cup of coffee for her out of a flask under the counter. She accepted it gratefully and took a sip. "Bosco has always had a degrading view of women. How Mandy stays with him is beyond even me. I suppose mayor is a well paying job."
Lisbon shrugged. She had never met Mandy Bosco in person, but she had seen the blonde woman in town. She pitied the woman for having to live with a man like Bosco. She finished her cup of coffee and handed the cup back to Jane. "Time to meet my doom."
Jane laughed and followed Lisbon to the door. "Good luck, Ms Sheriff."
Lisbon smiled wryly and descended onto the street. She met up with her deputies outside Bosco's office, and they all went in together. Grace looked up as they entered. "Mr Bosco will see you now."
Lisbon led her deputies through the door. Bosco looked up at Lisbon. "Sheriff, we need to talk."
Cho and Rigsby looked at each other and frowned. This didn't sound good. Lisbon sat down opposite Bosco's desk, while the deputies stood on either side of the door. Bosco looked up at them, before looking at Lisbon. "Sheriff, I don't think this working relationship is going to work. RedRock is the laughingstock of the state for having a woman sheriff. If you could see the stack of letters I have received in the last two weeks from mayors in neighbouring towns, you would probably quit now and go back to Chicago."
Lisbon shrugged. "This is not my concern. I have proven myself to be a competent leader, and I do not think I should be fired because you are embarrassed."
Bosco's face began to turn dark crimson. "Teresa, this isn't working. I want you to get your stuff and get out of town before nightfall."
Lisbon stood up. "I'd like to see you make me."
Bosco stood up, fully prepared to physically carry the tiny sheriff from his office if he had to. Before he could take two steps around his desk towards her, Rigsby and Cho had reacted. Cho grabbed the sheriff and pulled her back, restraining her hands from pulling out her pistols. Rigsby pushed Bosco back and held him away from the sheriff. "Mayor, if you throw Lisbon out, we go too."
Cho nodded, and released the sheriff. She flexed her arms, forgetting what a strong man Cho was. Bosco pulled himself away from Rigsby's grasp. "Teresa, since your men are obviously loyal to you, you have until the fourth of July to prove yourself, or you're out of here."
Lisbon nodded, and turned to walk out. The deputies followed, and the three of them stepped out onto the street together. Lisbon knew they had a lot of work to do.
XxxxxxxxxxxX
27 June 1886
The fourth of July celebrations were approaching rapidly, and Lisbon was stressing out. Red John had attacked three more towns, steadily getting closer to RedRock. The towns of Junction, Wet Falls, and Rocky Canyon had all been burnt to the ground. There had been virtually no survivors, and a huge smiley face scorched into the dirt.
Meanwhile, the town was gearing up for the influx of visitor. The red, white and blue bunting had been put up, and people were gathering supplies for the celebration. Lisbon spent time in the general store, preparing her own celebration supplies. Any revolver bullets Jane could get hold of, he sold to Lisbon. She had headed to the seamstress in the next town with reams of dark olive green material – highly exotic for that region – in order for a dress to be made so that she blended in.
Jane watched the sheriff collecting bullets, and worried for her safety. She was tough, but he worried that Red John was tougher. He looked up as the sheriff entered, her revolvers in their usual position on each hip. She was carrying a package, and handed it to Jane. "Take a look, Mr Jane."
Jane stepped to the back of his store and opened the package. Inside was a green dress. The bodice was curved, and slimmed down into the waist. The skirt flared out and trailed down to the ground. "It's beautiful, Ms Sheriff. But where do you hope to store a gun? There is no place for one on a dress."
Lisbon turned it around and placed her hand where the skirt joined the bodice. There was a leather holster sewn into a gap, concealed by the flowing skirt. Lisbon pulled out a revolver and slid it into the holster. When the dress was held up, nobody would even know the sheriff was armed. There was an identical holster sewn into the other side of the dress, as well as a separate pocket in the front to store extra bullets.
Jane marvelled at the ingenuity of the sheriff, as well as the skill of the seamstress. She had done a very good job at ensuring the safety of the town and of the sheriff. Lisbon turned to Jane. "I still don't have permanent residence here yet, so would it be possible to leave this dress here until the day of the celebrations?"
Jane nodded, and took the dress from Lisbon. He placed it carefully into a back room in the store, and turned to talk to the sheriff. She was gone.
He walked to the door, and saw the sheriff leaning over a body. A crowd was gathering, and the two deputies were trying to keep them back. Jane pushed through the crowd, and baulked when he saw who it was. The body was Walter Mashburn. He was chalky white, and his eyes stood starkly open. He clutched a note in his cold hand. Lisbon turned to a nearby woman. "What happened?"
The woman looked at the sheriff. "A man in a mask on horseback came through, dumped this man, and continued riding. He didn't stop. Just threw him there…"
The woman began to cry, and Lisbon turned to Jane. He took the woman aside and sat her down on the steps of his store. The deputies managed to get most of the crowd to leave, and carried the man to the sheriff's office. Lisbon and Jane followed, and she shut the door behind all of them. Lisbon turned to Jane. "Go and fetch Grace Van Pelt. Bosco won't want to see this, but Grace will be able to report back to him."
Jane nodded, and soon returned with the young lady in tow. She paled slightly at the presence of a dead body, but didn't react further. Lisbon pulled the note from inside Mashburn's clenched fist, and spread it open on her desk.
"Sheriff,
I suggest you leave town, and leave town soon. The blood of my people is on your hands, and we will seek revenge. Mashburn died trying to protect you, saying you were not worth killing. But I will be the judge of that. I hope he was wrong.
Good luck, Teresa.
RJ."
Lisbon picked the note up and turned it over. Smeared on the back was a smiley face, in what everybody could assume was Mashburn's own blood.
A/N2: Any towns mentioned are fictional. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Thank you.