Chapter 7

I had just pulled the Wagoneer into the shop. There was plenty of room in front of the door and I suspected Uncle Tony had kept his car there. I had been told that the vehicle itself had been left to a local family in his will, along with some small endowments to various organizations, both local and national.

I decided I needed some kind of cover for the vehicle if I was going to park it in the shop. I would get Emily on that tomorrow. I enjoyed having an assistant to handle those kinds of things.

Just about then I noted the Ford Explorer parked across my driveway. It was well marked in the livery of the Dinn County Sheriff’s office. Under the driver’s window was written Jason Justin Peers, like it was fighter jet or something.

The man standing in the doorway looking in was a tall bear of a man. Mid-forties probably. He was handsome in a Clint Eastwood or Bogart kind of way. His arms visible due to his short sleeve khaki shirt indicated someone who worked out. He was holding a wide brimmed brown hat.

Seeing that I noticed him he stepped into the shop and stuck out his hand.

“Sheriff Jason Peers, Mr. Becket. Mind if we have a word?”

“No,” I said a little curios.

“I just want to tell you how sorry I was about your Uncle. Tony and I were good friends. I’ve really missed him these last months.”

“Thank you. Uncle Tony seems to have had many friends in town.”

“Yes he did. You may not be aware of this, but Tony was more than just a resident of Lesserton. He was involved in politics too. Both personally and financially.”

“I’ve heard that,” I said, remembering what the Bower sisters had said about Uncle Tony being a city councilman.

“I’ve heard that you’re the owner of most of his properties now. That makes you one of Dinn counties richest residents.”

“I was not aware of that.”

“It’s a fact.” He stood there for a minute looking around the shop. I wondered if he was going to ask me something when he changed the subject.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you, Mr. Becket.”

“Danny, please.”

“Danny. Most people around here call me JJ.”

“Thanks for stopping by JJ,” I said.

He nodded, put on his hat and climbed back into his patrol car.

As soon as I closed the roll up door I called over to Cynthia’s office. She was free and told me to come over.

“I just had a visit from the Sheriff.”

“I was wonder how long it would take JJ to start sniffing around.”

“You don’t like him?”

“I like him fine. He’s one of the reasons Lesserton is the way it is. To make a place where people like me and my family can live without problems, like minded people need to capture all of the constitutional offices in the county. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, the state is divided into counties and independent cities.”

“Independent of the counties you mean?”

“Yes. Not like most states. Here counties and incorporated cities are equivalent. Each county is required to have certain constitutional officers. They are the sheriff, the clerk of court, the commonwealth attorney, what you would probably call the district attorney, the county clerk and the treasurer. There’s also a board of county supervisors.

“When Jefferson Lesserton sought to save Lesserton the first thing he and Tony Baglio and Dennis Bower did was to run candidates for the board of supervisors and the sheriff’s office, followed closely by the commonwealth attorney. JJ’s father Brody was elected sheriff.

“Once that happened it required that a compliant judge be selected. In this state judges are elected by the general assembly. I have no idea how Jefferson arrange that, but he did.”

“What about the town’s governance?”

“According to the constitution, unincorporated towns are not required to have any officials at all. If they do they must be elected by the town’s residents. Lesserton isn’t the only town in Virginia to have the mayor elected by the town council. Eventually Tony and Jefferson became two of the three members of the town council and Dennis Bower was made mayor.

“JJ’s trying to figure out where you stand, as far as local politics goes. You’re the one of the richest guys in the county now. That would be true if all you did was inherit Tony’s property. You’re actually richer than Tony was. JJ’s an elected official. I mean he’s always run unopposed, since his dad retired, but you could make trouble if you were so inclined.”

“For him?”

“For all of us.”

I did not know what to think about that. Making trouble was the last thing on my mind, but I had more emergent issues to deal with.

“I’ve got a couple of other things I need to talk about.”

“Okay.”

“Darla, my wife stopped by.”

“I didn’t know you were married. Problem?”

“We’re separated. I caught her with a friend.” I sighed. “Unlike some people around here Darla and I did not have an understanding. I thought we were monogamous. After I found out I left her.”

“Is it a legal separation?”

“No.”

“Do you want it to be?”

“I saw a lawyer before coming to Lesserton, but I haven’t done anything more.”

“You need to decide at some point. Have you talked to her since the incident?”

“Yes. I didn’t like what I heard.”

“Danny if being poly has taught me anything its that communication is key in any relationship. When is the last time you talked?”

“She showed up at the loft last week. Emily, Carly and Kathryn were there.”

“All at once? That’s advanced.”

I shook my head. “No. Emily lives there. I mean she has her own room.” I could see her disbelief. “Sometimes,” I admitted. “Anyway, the sisters and I went out to dinner and they stayed the night. Darla brought the forms your office sent to my old home address and it was pretty obvious both girls had spent the night. Then I threw her out, telling her to go home.”