6

MAY

LAX was a zoo as usual, so Tess was glad to be in her seat, on the plane. In the month and a half since the jury’s decision, she’d sent out twenty-five résumés all over the country, searching the web for any law enforcement jobs that were compatible with her experience. Among the many “thanks, no thanks” letters came one request for an interview. Since the last few weeks had been fraught with ups and downs, Tess was used to the roller coaster, so this interview situation was no different. On the upside, the job was for chief of police; on the downside, the department was tiny: eight sworn officers and three civilian personnel.

The plane ride would take a little over two hours and Tess would land in Medford, Oregon. From there she’d rent a car and drive forty minutes to a small town on the Rogue River. The Rogue’s Hollow city council wanted to meet her in person.

That was a good sign, wasn’t it?

Tess thought about every interview she’d ever had. They were all in-house; they all pertained to LBPD. Her first application interview, later an interview to advance to detectives, the interview for sergeant, one for lieutenant, and the last one for commander. She’d aced them all.

But she was more nervous about this one than any of those. She still didn’t want to leave Long Beach, but the hints she should leave had not gone away. Rather they’d gotten stronger, more pointed. She’d tried to return to work at the East Division, but Connor-Ruiz and his minions had made it impossible. She was temporarily assigned to the downtown station, to fill in for a commander out for medical reasons, but the tension there was thicker than a hard copy of the California penal code.

She only hoped she’d find another job before the city decided to force her out. And the closer the election drew, the greater the likelihood that the ax would fall. Leaving a job voluntarily was a strain, but not a stain. As a commander, she didn’t enjoy civil service protection.

Tess forced herself to relax as the plane took off and eventually headed north. She reviewed all that she believed the city council in Rogue’s Hollow would be concerned about. She’d risen through the ranks to commander, run a division, and—she thought sourly—dreamed of being the chief someday, but the chief of LBPD. Her dad would have been so proud if that had been the case.

Swallowing the emotions that bubbled up as she thought of her dad, Tess accepted a cup of coffee from the flight attendant and nibbled at the complimentary pretzels, staring out the small window as the plane sped north.

Coffee and pretzels were long gone when Tess felt the plane shift and head downward as the Fasten Seat Belt sign clicked on. She’d never taken hers off. Now the view out the window began to change, and Tess’s breath caught in her throat as they dropped below the clouds. Before her lay the Rogue Valley and it was postcard gorgeous. Snowcapped hills bordered a green—so green—valley, chopped up in what she guessed were large farms and, here and there, small clusters of homes and structures.

There was no sprawling metropolis here like you saw on approach to LA, miles even before you got close to the airport. She saw what she thought had to be Medford, with a ribbon of highway running through it that must be Interstate 5. Tess felt herself calm somewhat. If this was to be her exile, at least it was a beautiful place.

The airport was simple to navigate, small, compact, and Tess was in her rental car less than thirty-five minutes after she disembarked.

Checking her watch, she realized that if she drove straight to Rogue’s Hollow, and it only took forty minutes, she’d be two hours early. Despite the enchantment she’d felt viewing the valley from the air, she didn’t feel like sightseeing. It was cold even though the sun was out, only puffy clouds dotting the sky now—bone-chilling cold, a shock to her Southern California constitution. Firing up the heater, she decided she had time for an early lunch and a visit to the county sheriff’s department.

Rogue’s Hollow was in Jackson County. She’d done a little research, curious about the organizations she’d be working with and around. It had been astonishing to her how large an area so few officers were responsible to cover. But, she had to remind herself, the population they served was so much less than LA County.

A sheriff’s deputy might be able to help give her perspective.

She found a restaurant off Interstate 5 called Elmer’s and picked at a salad. While she ate, several friends texted her good luck wishes. Jeannie had been sad at the thought of Tess moving so far away, but she understood.

“I know being a cop is more than just a job for you,” she’d said when she dropped Tess off at the airport. “But I’ll miss you so much, it’s not funny.”

“You can always come visit.”

Tess tried not to think about life without her close friends a short drive away. It was hard enough to visualize life without LBPD. She found the sheriff’s department easily, off Highway 62, the same highway that would take her to Rogue’s Hollow.

She parked and got out of her car about the same time a tall, good-looking blond deputy stepped out of the station.

Tess caught his eye and saw confusion, then recognition, then confusion again.

He stopped his progress to his car, hooked a thumb in his belt, and said, “Uh, hello, can I help you?”

Tess stepped up onto the sidewalk. She was barely five-six and generally had to look up to everyone; it was no different with this deputy. His name badge said S. Logan.

“Sure, Deputy Logan.” She held her hand out. “Tess O’Rourke.”

He gripped her hand in a firm, warm handshake. “I thought I recognized you. Steve Logan.”

“You recognized me?” Caught off guard a bit, Tess stiffened. But she’d been all over the news for weeks; didn’t it make sense that anyone who wasn’t living in a cave would recognize her?

“Yeah, we’ve been watching everything going on down south.” He shook his head. “Sorry things got so sketchy for you there. You did a great job. Should be hailed as a hero, not as . . . well, what they’re saying.”

“Thank you.” Tess felt her face redden. Sometimes it was harder to take a compliment than a criticism.

He seemed to sense her hesitation. “What brings you up to our neck of the woods?”

She explained about the interview.

“Oh, Rogue’s Hollow. That’s right; they’re short a chief. They actually hired a guy from Grants Pass for the job last month, but he dropped dead before he could be sworn in.”

“Oh” was all Tess could manage with this info and an awkward second passed before Logan cleared his throat and continued.

“I’m sure you’d make a great chief. It’s a quaint place, has its own vibe. The sheriff isn’t in, if you wanted to talk to him.”

“No.” Tess checked her watch. “I just had a few minutes to kill and was hoping to find out the pressing issues in this county from the street level, and a little bit about mutual aid.”

He smiled. “I’d be happy to answer any questions. I don’t make it up to the Hollow often, as much because it’s quiet there as because I’m usually assigned to White City.” He motioned to a bench. “I’d take you inside, but they’re painting and the fumes will knock you out.”

Tess had noticed the utility truck, the ladders, and the paint. “That’s okay. I only have a few minutes.” She shoved cold hands into her jacket pockets and sat next to Logan, glad the bench was in the sun, the familiar creaking of his leather comforting. He was one of those men who exuded testosterone, a masculine presence, something Tess was used to and knew had its positives and negatives. They were the hard chargers, but they could also be the hotheads.

What was Deputy Logan? she wondered as he filled her in on the basics of law enforcement in the Rogue Valley.

–––

“Thank you, Commander O’Rourke, for flying up here for this interview.” Mayor Doug Dixon welcomed Tess, and he seemed warm and sincere, which helped beat out the last remaining butterflies.

This wasn’t a grand jury; this was a small city council looking for a qualified and committed police chief. Tess was certain she fit the bill.

There were four city council members, and thankfully Tess didn’t have to memorize their names; they all had nameplates on the dais in front of her: Casey Reno, Adeline Getz, Cole Markarov, Forest Wild, and the mayor in the center.

First came the easy part: they asked her for an opening statement and she told them the truth—she’d wanted to be a cop all her life and eventually the chief of a department. Law enforcement was an important part of any community because quality of life was important. If people didn’t feel safe where they lived, there was no quality of life.

The question and answer was the hard part. Cole Markarov in particular was antagonistic. Casey Reno was less so, but Tess didn’t think the woman was on her side. Forest Wild didn’t ask any questions, but he listened, and Councilwoman Getz asked about her knowledge of budgets. But Markarov made the biggest impression.

“You were just on trial for a serious crime; is that why you want to leave Long Beach?”

“Technically I was never on trial. No charges were filed—”

“You sat before a grand jury, correct?”

“The grand jury makes a recommendation as to whether an indictment is warranted. They found no wrongdoing on my part, no reason for an indictment to be issued. Additionally, I was cleared by a district attorney’s shooting team.”

“But they investigated this horrible shooting? This boy, what was he? Fourteen?”

Mayor Dixon interrupted, “Cole, we agreed the topic of this interview is her ability to work here in Rogue’s Hollow; we’re not rehashing the past.”

They went back and forth for a few minutes, and Tess knew that Markarov did not want to hire her. What about the rest?

As they finished, the last question asked came from Casey Reno. “Tell us honestly, why do you want to leave Long Beach?”

Tess took a deep breath. She could only give an honest answer to that question and hope that it flew.

“Mrs. Reno, in all honesty, the reason is the shooting. While I am certain I did nothing wrong, the controversy surrounding the incident makes it impossible for me to do my job effectively.”

“What makes you think it will be any different here?”

“I can only hope that people here will examine the facts and not be swayed by emotional rhetoric.”

Tess was in her car, driving back to the airport a few minutes later. The negatives of the interview were tap-dancing in her brain and she felt crushed by a growing pessimism about her situation.