Chapter 23

Cindy Rivers was lucid enough to call her mother from the Nurses Station at the Buckhannon Regional Hospital Emergency Room at ten that night. Her mother was relieved to hear from her but was full of questions Cindy would not or could not answer.

“I’m tired, Mom. I just want to come home. Can we let this drop for just a while?” Cindy asked.

“Of course, dear. Your Dad is putting on his shoes now. He’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

Cindy walked back to the treatment room and checked on the other two girls. Even though she didn’t know them she felt a kinship because of their shared ordeal. The other girls turned out to be students at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. The last thing they remembered was having a drink with two guys they met at a popular night club. They were confused and frightened, and not really sure what had happened to them.

Doctor Bass was terrific with the young women as she eased their fears and answered their questions. Cindy exchanged phone numbers with the two college students and promised to contact them in a few days.

“I am a Deputy Sheriff in Coker County and I promise you I’ll find out what happened to us, and who is responsible,” Cindy told them.

Cindy knew the answer to those questions, she just didn’t know what to do with that knowledge.

She did know where to start though, and that was with Jerry Donavan. Even in her drugged state, she recognized Jerry’s voice. Thankfully her parents gave her the space she needed when she promised to answer their questions later Sunday evening.

So it was that a few minutes past eleven the next morning Cindy was knocking on the door of the house on Chaney Hollow Road. Jerry was home alone because Lola dragged his grandfather to church again. Lola was the most confounding person he’d ever met. Yesterday she was a sexy temptress, today she was a demure ingénue.

Jerry wasn’t surprised in the least to see the deputy. He had a lot of respect for Cindy’s strength of character.

“Good morning, Deputy Rivers, come on in. I just made a fresh pot of coffee,” Jerry said.

Cindy followed Jerry to the kitchen and took a seat at the table as Jerry poured her a cup of Maxwell House. He pulled a quart of milk out of the fridge and fished a spoon out of the silverware drawer.

“Milk. No sugar, right?” Jerry asked.

Cindy nodded and doctored up her cup of Joe. When she finished stirring, she finally said something.

“Thank you for yesterday,” Cindy said, her voice subdued.

Jerry shrugged, “You’re welcome. How are you?”

It was her turn to shrug, “Physically I’m fine, but mentally I am angry and frustrated. I’m frustrated because I want to get even and don’t know how. I want to kill Rick and all the rest and cut their balls off, but I don’t know if they are worth spending the rest of my life in prison.”

“I know how you feel Cindy, but there might be another way to make them pay. A friend of my grandfather reported Sheriff Thompson to the State Police last night. I suspect that if they aren’t already at the Sheriff’s Department this very minute they’ll be there tomorrow. I know it will be difficult but if you tell the Staties what happened to you, and what you suspect happened to others, maybe the Thompsons will be the ones that go away for life.”

“Oh hell yeah I will!” Cindy exclaimed.

Richard Thompson arrived at work Monday morning with his son, the Chief Deputy. Thomson thought he’d done a good job of acting shocked and indignant about the goings on at the mine. He was relieved that Miller, the person who knew everything likely to bite him in the ass, had taken off right before the State fellows arrived. The most exposure they’d had was his son’s involvement in the gang and the Sons of Satan were religiously tight lipped around law enforcement.

Rick frowned when he saw Cindy Rivers’ red Karmann Ghia parked in its usual spot as he and his father walked up to the entrance to the Sheriff’s Office. Cindy was an item that Rick neglected to tell his father about. Rick figured Cindy was a Hell’s Angels plaything or more probably dead by now. What the hell was she doing at work?

When the Thompson pushed through the tinted glass door, they were greeted by two State Police Officers and two men in dark suits.

“Sheriff Thompson?” one of the suited men asked.

“That’s me,” Thompson replied, “what can I do for you?”

“Sheriff, I am James Wilson, the State’s Attorney for the Central District of the State Of West Virginia. You are under arrest for official misconduct, with additional charges pending further investigation by the State Police. You have the right to remain silent...”

“I know my rights,” growled Thompson, “and I’m not saying anything without a lawyer.”

The State’s Attorney read him his rights anyway, then turned to Rick Thompson.

“Are you Richard Thompson Junior?” he asked.

Rick blanched but nodded his head.

“Deputy Thompson you are under arrest for rape, assault and official misconduct, with additional charges pending further investigation.”

Then the attorney read Rick his rights. Cindy Rivers watched all this happen, pleased that her statement led to the most serious charges against Rick. It did her heart good to see both men led away in handcuffs. What she wasn’t prepared for was what the State’s Attorney did next.

“Deputy Rivers, you seem to be the only untainted person in this office. So, until Governor Moore appoints an Interim Sheriff, you’re it. That could take up to two weeks. The State Police will assign extra patrols, but it will be on you to figure out a way to keep this office staffed and operational until then. You are authorized to temporarily deputize whomever you feel can help.”

Cindy smiled and replied, “Leave it to me, Mister Wilson, I know some honorable men who will make excellent deputies.”

She did, two of whom lived on Chaney Hollow road.

Acting Sheriff Rivers deputized a reluctant pair of Jerichos first. Then she tapped Henry Bass and two other veterans from the VFW that Bass recommended. The newly appointed deputies selected Henry Bass as Chief Deputy. Henry worked out a schedule they all could live with. Jericho Hatchett and one of the VFW guys were retired so they could work steady shifts, either night or day. Henry Bass cleared it with his brother Fred so Jerry Donavan could work three nights a week, Thursday thru Saturday. That way he only missed work on Fridays.

Jericho Hatchett worked Sunday and Monday night, and then days Wednesday to Friday. His schedule was in sync with Lola’s. The temporary deputies mostly stayed in the station and answered calls when they came. Hatchett was the only deputy who stayed out on patrol. He did that because Lola Goodwin wheedled permission to ride with him. She was deadly serious about making sure Hatchett stayed safe.

Of course, Lola being Lola, she was the only deputy who wore a uniform. She had the uniform made by the seamstress that costumed the dancers at the Top Hat, so it was flattering to the extreme. She told Cindy and Jerry that she planned to use the uniform in her act when her stint in law enforcement ended.

“I’ve been practicing for Jericho when things get boring on patrol. He says it’s my best act yet. Of course, I’ll have to switch to a rubber gun, but the Velcro on the shirt and skirt is perfect,” she gushed.

A week after the arrest of the Thompsons, States Attorney Wilson arrived back in Cokerville. This visit led to the arrest of two members of the Coker County Council. The third member avoided arrest by resigning and turning states evidence against the other two. Turns out that part of the money collected from the Sons of Satan went to the councilmen.

A few days later a representative of Governor Arch Moore arrived carrying the Gubernatorial appointment of interim sheriff of Coker County. The governor’s rep introduced newly retired State Police Lieutenant Luther Riggs as the new interim sheriff. Riggs lived in the next county over, but if elected to the job he promised to move to Coker County.

Riggs immediately made his mark by appointing Cindy Rivers as a patrol deputy. Riggs’ daughter was an FBI Agent thanks to Title VII, and he was convinced women had a role in law enforcement that didn’t involve a desk or social work.