Adrian – 2
I was going to kill Bishop. I swear to god, if his ass didn’t show up in the next few minutes, he’d wish he’d stayed in bed with whomever he’d taken home last night. Why did I always get stuck with the rookies? Why?
I grabbed another cup of coffee, something I really needed to cut back on—but couldn’t quite do—before I grabbed my keys and said fuck it. If he was too busy getting his dick—
“I’m here! Don’t leave without me, asshole. I had a flat tire.”
“Sure you did,” I replied as I rolled my eyes. Obviously, Bishop had finally graced us with his presence. “You’re over an hour late. If you really had a flat tire, you could have called. I don’t have time for this shit, and if you can’t be responsible, this job isn’t for you.” I stopped short, turned, and glared at my partner.
“I…” He gave up, resigned. I had his number. I watched him leave with the blonde from the Blue Diamond. I simply turned and continued on with my original destination. We had shit to do, and I wasn’t going to let my partner keep me from it.
I raised my coffee at the guard at the door and simply walked out, into the early morning light. It was overcast, which meant I’d most likely be miserable by the end of the day. Without fail, if it rained, I somehow always ended up soaked.
“Adrian, where are we going?”
“You’d know if you’d been on time. But since I know you’ll just ask incessantly, we are on babysitting duty. We’re spending the day at the courthouse, making sure everything goes smoothly in court.”
“Not again. What the fuck? Why did we get stuck with that shit job?”
“Because my dimwit partner was late. If you’d been on time, we’d be doing interviews. And trust me, I’d much rather be interviewing people. I’m going to make your life hell, so watch out.” I got in the vehicle, and after buckling my seat belt, I started the SUV and pulled away from the building. Yep, it was going to be a miserable day, all because Bishop was too busy getting his dick serviced.
“Look, I’m sorry. I woke up late and I had to—”
“Nope. I don’t want to hear it. You are the reason we’re stuck with the shit job. Deal.” I focused on getting us to the courthouse. At least we weren’t required to change into a suit first. I hated those things.
When we arrived at the county courthouse, I’d come to terms with the fact that my day was going to be shit. I didn’t realize just how shitty it was going to be until we walked through the door. Normally, simply flashing our badges and showing our sidearms got us around the metal detectors. Not today. Nope, today, we were met with another fuckin’ rookie who was gung ho about his job. Just great.
What should have been a sixty-second thing turned into an almost life-or-death situation when the deputy pulled his service pistol on us.
“Freeze! Hands where I can see them, both of you.”
“Holy shit, you can’t possibly be that naïve, can you?” I asked as I turned to look at the young man. He couldn’t be more than twenty. Shit. This was bad. “We’re federal agents. We’re here to observe today’s court hearings and to make sure Judge Wilson is safe. He’s expecting us,” I told the young deputy. There were cameras everywhere, and he had the advantage because he was wearing a vest. Bishop and I weren’t. I hoped like hell that someone saw what was going on and he stood down.
Our guardian angel turned out to be none other than the sheriff.
“Deputy Hamilton, what’s going on here?”
I didn’t dare glance at the voice behind us, but the young deputy in front of us did.
“Sheriff McCoy, these two are both armed,” the young deputy told his boss before looking back at us.
“Stand down, Deputy. These two men might be armed, but they’re openly armed, they have badges showing on their belts, and I happen to know Deputy Fisher. Put your weapon away, Hamilton. Now.”
The young man hesitated only moments before he reholstered his service weapon, and I hesitantly put my arms down. I wouldn’t take my eyes off of him, but I felt better with Sheriff McCoy there. The sheriff, though, was muttering under his breath while glaring at his deputy as he pulled out his phone.
“Everything okay, Sheriff? Do you need us to stick around?”
“No. Go on through. I assume you two are here for Judge Wilson?”
“Yes. He has some cases today that could require our services.”
“You know where his office is?”
“Yes. Listen…your deputy…”
“Is an incompetent loon. I’ll deal with it, I promise. I’ll be down in just a little while to take statements from the two of you. Swing by the office later and I’ll give you an update.”
I nodded while Sheriff McCoy told whoever was on the phone to send someone named Jeffries, ASAP. The deputy in trouble was not happy and glared at us. I did not have time for this shit. Bishop and I walked through the metal detectors, both cringing slightly when they went off, but continued on toward our destination. I’d really hate to be Deputy Hamilton right now. But, not my issue. Not directly.
When we reached the door I knew led to Judge Wilson’s office, I opened it and stuck my head through, looking for his assistant, not finding her but the man himself.
“Ahh, Deputy Fisher. Come in. Stacy is running late this morning. Her little one spilled juice all over himself and she had to run home and change him before dropping him off at school.”
“That’s unfortunate. I’m sure my sister has had to do the same. We’re going to be sitting in on your morning cases today, Your Honor.”
“I don’t suppose you’d ever actually call me by my first name, would you?”
“No, sir.”
“Very well. The first case is in twenty minutes. I expected someone an hour ago.”
“That’s my fault, Your Honor. I was late arriving to work this morning.” Bishop gave me a “please forgive me” look, but I wasn’t quite ready to say all was well.
“Must be something in the water today. Anyway, we’re in the courtroom next door, as usual.”
“Very well. We’ll go check it out,” I told Judge Wilson before turning and leaving. Bishop was directly behind me, which was probably a result of our earlier run-in with the young deputy. That was a complete mess, but hell, messes seemed to be par for the course these days.
“Adrian?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s going on?”
“Hell if I know. I’m too old for this shit. Come on. Let’s make sure the courtroom is secure.” I made the short walk to the room next door and glared at the small group gathered outside. They scattered when I showed my displeasure at their loitering.
The courtroom was empty and secure, which was a relief after the way things had gone this morning already. Three hours later—without incident during court, thank fuck—Bishop and I left the courthouse and headed to Sheriff McCoy’s office to make our statements. They’d already pulled the surveillance video, and there was no way it was going to look good for the young deputy. I almost felt bad for him. Almost, but not quite.
When we pulled up to the office in Crooked Bend, I realized their office wasn’t in the county seat, which was Jackson. That was odd.
“Okay, let’s get this over with.”
“You know, I almost feel bad for him. But that shit was scary,” Bishop told me as we climbed out of our vehicle.
“Yeah, I really hope the sheriff has more deputies that aren’t quite so green,” I said as we walked to the door. When we entered, we were greeted by a beautiful German shepherd with a wagging tail.
“She doesn’t bite, unless you’re a bad guy. At least, I’d hope she would. I’m Deputy Andrews. Can I help you?”
“Yeah. I’m Adrian Fisher, and this is Bishop. We’re from the federal marshals’ office. We were told to meet Sheriff McCoy here when we were free.”
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry about that. Jacob ran to his mother’s real quick but said he’d be back in just a few minutes. Something to do with his son having a fit. Knowing Mack, he’s out of goldfish or something. Would either of you like coffee or something else to drink?”
“Coffee would be great,” I said, glancing over at my partner. I had to roll my eyes before giving him a little shove as he stood there staring at Deputy Andrews.
“What?”
“You’re staring. Besides, he’s wearing a ring, so give it up. Do you want coffee or something else to drink?”
“No, I’m fine. But I want to eat after this. I’m hungry.”
I had to agree. I was ready for food as well, but it’d have to wait because it just wasn’t going to happen until after we finished these reports.
“I can take your statements, but you might be happy to know that Deputy Hamilton has been suspended while the investigation is underway. He’s new—only been with us a couple of months—but that doesn’t excuse his behavior. We’re working on getting more personnel, but it’s slow going.”
“That’s fine. If you would point me in the direction of the coffeepot, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
We followed the deputy over to a door that led to a break room of sorts. And on the counter was my target. I swiftly crossed the room, and after grabbing a cup, I filled it with what I hoped was good coffee.
“Do you need cream or sugar?”
“Nope. Black and scalding hot is perfect. Now, Bishop on the other hand, he likes those fancy lattes and stuff.” I rolled my eyes at my partner, but he was trying his best to not stare at Deputy Andrews.
“Yeah? He should check out Son of a Biscuit. They have the best coffee cakes, and their coffee is the best I’ve ever had. They’re open until four today.”
“I don’t have to have a latte. I just like them. Black coffee is fine.”
It took a lot of self-restraint to keep from laughing at Bishop as he walked over to the counter and poured himself a coffee as well. When he took a large swig and his eyes went wide, I lost it and laughed my ass off at him. That look helped make the day a little better.
“How do you drink this stuff. It tastes like…I’m not sure.”
“Well, it’s easy, really. I just open my mouth and take a drink.” I shook my head as Bishop made a face.
“If you two want to have a seat, I’ll give Jacob a call and let him know you’re here.”
“That’s not necessary, unless you think he’ll be delayed. Although, I’ve already decided I’m through with today, and the longer we’re here, the less I’m in my office and have to deal with that mess. Dealing with Bishop is enough.”
“Hey!”
“Don’t start. You were late this morning why?” That shut my partner up in a hurry. I was almost positive he didn’t have a chance with Deputy Andrews, but one could never be sure. Hell, I’d been faithful to Marcus, but look what that got me.
“I’ll go check in with Jacob anyway. And I need to let my husband know I might be a little late for lunch.”
I glanced at Bishop as he stared at Deputy Andrews as he turned and walked off. “So help me, if you hit on the deputy now that you know he’s gay, I’ll make your life a living hell. Understood?”
My partner simply nodded before walking over to the sink and pouring his coffee down the drain. I shook my head and sat down in one of the chairs at the table. The whining and whimpering from the other room alerted me that someone had arrived. Someone that the dog knew well, most likely.
Moments later, Sheriff McCoy entered the break room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. My son was having a meltdown, so my mom called since I’m closer than my husband. He was trying to get caught up on some paperwork this morning, but he’s on the way and Mack is happily watching Mickey Mouse.”
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t have any kids, but I have a niece and nephew and know how difficult kids can be at times,” I told Sheriff McCoy as he poured his own cup of coffee.
“Let’s head into my office and we’ll get the paperwork filled out, and I’ll give you an update on everything that’s happened since the incident this morning.”
“Sounds good.” I looked at Bishop, but he was already standing, waiting to follow. We trailed behind the sheriff as he left the break room and walked to his office. Damn, I was too old for this shit.