Chapter 18
Hobbs fixed himself a nice TV dinner for supper, warmed up the tube and was planning on having a nice evening of relaxing television. Sheriff Barnaby Hobbs liked to get as relaxed as possible after a long day’s work of protecting the peace. He just sat down when there was a knock at the door. He let out a grunt and decided it would be best to answer the door. He opened the door and there was his old buddy Frank standing there.
“Why hello there Sheriff, mind if I come in?”
He tried to be stern with his pal Frank and told him
“Now Frank, you know I am off duty, and when I am off duty and in my house I do not like to be disturbed.” Frank kind of nodded and replied back,
“Sure do Sheriff I know that, everybody knows that, but I just figured I was out for a stroll and I’d stop by and see what you was up to?”
He lowered his head as he let out a deep sigh,
“Alright Frank, why don’t you come on in and make yourself at home.” Hobbs said.
Frank came in and gleefully sat down at the seat where the Sheriff had been just a few moments ago.
“Frank, that’s my seat, why don’t you sit over there in that mighty nice recliner?”
“Sure boss, whatever you say. Speaking of which, how’s about a nice cold beer for your company?” The Sheriff shook his head,
“Frank you know where the fridge is, and while you’re up might as well get me one too.”
It was the third quarter and the game was getting really good. Frank stuck around long enough for the old Sheriff to have a couple of drinks before slowly revealing his real motive for stopping by. He wanted to get some more information on that unkempt derelict.
What intrigued him the most was the part of the guys being related to one of the games great super stars. There was a sudden out burst from the Sheriff towards the TV
“Oh come on you stupid ref’s, that was clearly a pass interference not a fumble, DAMN!”
Frank chimed in with a quick
“damn referee need’s to get his head out of his ass!”
Sheriff Barnaby nodded his agreement as he stuffed another handful of potato chips in his mouth.
“Never woulda happened if old Thunderbolt was still in the game, ain’t that right Sheriff?”
Frank was fishing now.
Sheriff Hobbs should have known better not to take the bait; after all he was a man of the law. Hobbs knew Frank was going to continue to press the matter until he got what he wanted. There was no use, he had already slipped up at the diner this morning and he knew it.
“Speaking of old Thunderbolt, what’s that you say about his brother being up here on this mountain, had a wife get herself killed somehow?” Frank asked.
There was silence for the space of about a minute before Hobbs turned down the volume on the television set. He turned to Frank with a stern look and said in an authoritative voice
“Listen here Frank; what I am about to tell you it stay’s right here between you and me, got that. I mean it Frank, if I find out your shooting your mouth off I will slap you with impeding a police investigation you here me.” Frank nodded in excitement.
He was the tightest lipped man on the mountain, sure everybody opened up to old Frank because they knew they could trust him. Considering he was a conspiracy nut most folks didn’t take what he said too seriously anyways so they were all pretty open around the old goof.
“Alright it was about eight years back; man’s wife was killed in a car accident.” Hobbs said. “He used to be a doctor of some sort and he didn’t take it so well. He had some money saved up and decided he would move to the mountains to get some fresh air, you know like most folks do around here. Turns out that his youngest brother was into drugs and I guess he beat up his wife real good and so she left him, took the kid and the house.”
Frank interrupted, “woman needs to learn her place, get a smack across the face once in a while do her some good.” Hobbs glanced over at Frank with a look of disgust
“Frank are you going to let me tell the story or you going to interrupt?”
“Sorry Sheriff won’t happen again.” Hobbs continued his story.
“We;; as I was saying the man gets to drinking and shooting up, lets his life fall apart and decides to blame his troubles on his now ex-wife. She gets into some trouble or something and turns to him, the brother. Long story short, one night he ends up taking his daughter down to the docks and sells her to the traffickers, sick bastard doesn’t stop there. He feeds his woman into the wood chipper head first, still alive. Afterward he makes a video tape logging the whole thing, selling the little girl, murdering his wife right there on camera. We show up, mop up the remains of the dead woman, and life goes on.”
Frank was in total shock, he couldn’t even believe the story the Sheriff just told him.
“What ever happened to the young girl?” he asked as he gulped down a sip of his beer.
“There was an investigation, but nothing ever turned up,” Hobbs said.
After the two finished the football game Frank left the sheriff in peace now satisfied with the information he had obtained.
Stephanie Bri 