Chapter 15

I just about had all the notes together for the meeting tonight when my phone rang and I about jumped out of my chair. I picked it and it was Sergeant Abrams on the other end.

"Sheriff, I just checked my answering machine and there were several messages on it to call you. Have I done something wrong or did I screw up that murder somehow?"

"No, Abrams, you haven't screwed up or anything like that. I wanted to know if you wanted some overtime and to help work on a special operation that's going down tonight? If you are interested, come in wearing civvies for a meeting at six."

"I would be glad to work with you again, sheriff. I will be there at six sharp."

"Ok Abrams, see you at six then."

He hung up the phone sounding happy to be coming in for extra duty. I had looked at his file and still thought he would make a good detective for the department. His actions tonight would better help me make that decision. I would have him ride with me so I can keep an eye on him and see how he acted under pressure or in a firefight if one happened. I had about an hour before anyone showed up, so I decided I would see if there was an extra coffee pot up front for my office.

I called the clerk and she informed that there was a brand new one in the storeroom that she would be glad to set up for me and make sure I always had fresh coffee. I told her she didn't have to make my coffee for me but I was politely told that she considered it part of her job. I couldn't dissuade her from it so I told her to get it set up.

She came in a few minutes later with the new pot and all the condiments and proceeded to start a pot brewing for me. She was at least sixty years old and reminded me of someone's grandmother, whom I found out she was, thirty times over. When I asked her why she hadn't retired I was politely told that she was too young to retire. I also found out her husband was in a nursing home with advanced Alzheimer's disease. She informed me that she had got the job here to have something to do instead of staying home all day long.

We talked awhile longer about the department and what she had seen over the last three years she had worked here and how much the morale had changed since I had taken over. I found out her name was Sunny with a u and she didn't like the old sheriff at all. She said she thought he was one of the cruelest men she had ever met and his son was just like him. She figured that they both would have been in prison if he hadn't known all the politicians in this and several other counties.

She broke her conversation off when she heard the phone ringing at the front desk. Shorty and Beau came in and found seats. Then they both noticed the addition of the coffee pot and helped themselves to a cup and sat back down.

"Abrams just called and he will be in at six sharp. I didn't tell him what the duty was but he didn't seem to care. I still think we will consider him for a slot in the detectives when they start up. I figure we will put him in homicide and see how he does."

"Well if that stabbing was any indication then I feel sorry for the new guy in the cage when he brings his evidence in to have it booked. Do you know it took me almost two hours to record all the bags he brought in. I thought I was going to have writer's cramps before I was through writing."

"I told him if he had any doubts about anything to bag it and tag it. He must have taken what I told him to heart. I still think he did a good job with the whole thing."

"I will agree with you there, Harry. He had all the evidence tape set perfect and all the bags stapled and sealed. Whose idea was it for him to use paper bags instead of plastic, anyways?"

"Shorty, you need to learn a little about forensics. Plastic bags are great for certain things, but they draw moisture with temperature changes sometimes. If you have sensitive evidence you put it in paper, even if you have to triple bag it. I have seen DNA taken from stuff stored in paper bags years later, but it breaks down in plastic bags and gets degraded. Wax bags are about the best but they are hard to find. I told him to put it all in the paper bags."

"Now that you have explained it, I know why he used all paper. I learn something new from you everyday. Did you know that stuff, Beau?"

"Nah, we had a forensics team in the Reno department. I never knew none of that stuff Harry was saying. I would like to learn more though. It sounds interesting as heck and something that would come in handy. Harry, do you ever think we will have a department with all the modern stuff like the big cities have?"

"I doubt it because the expenditure would be too much for this small of a department. The only thing we can do is always teach our men to keep the chain of evidence intact until it goes to wherever we have to send it for analysis. That will probably be the State Police forensics lab in Vegas. You can bet they will always ask about the chain of evidence to protect their butts when it goes to court. Tonight is a prime example of what I am talking about. If we impound all the guns then you two and Abrams will have to itemize every piece and take every serial number down for the State Police."

They both groaned and I laughed at their expression on their faces at the news they would be responsible for all the paperwork for tonight's sting. I opened my mouth to say something else when Abrams came in followed by Jim and Jerry. They were carrying folding chairs and I figured my clerk had a hand in this one. Everyone noticed the coffee pot and got a cup and sat down around the desk talking to each other. The clerk came in again and started another pot of coffee and closed the door as she left. How the hell she knew that all the bodies I was expecting were here I will never figure out.

"Ok gentlemen and I say that loosely. This is a small briefing before we head out to our little sting tonight. Jim, you and Jerry will be our eyes on the target. Both of you will park where you won't be noticed too much, and watch the front and rear of the gun store. You will call in as soon as they start loading any truck. Beau will do the tail as long as he can, then Shorty will take over since he has a dark colored unmarked. I will follow along with Abrams in the rear in my unit. Jim and Jerry will drop back and follow me on side streets as much as we can. That way we won't stand out with all the cars. We will be using channel four at all times. Those of you that don't have it in your units get one of the supervisor's walkies and use it to monitor. Do not tie up the channel with conversation. The tail car will be doing all the talking, giving us all directions. I have my own M-16, but Shorty will give Abrams one of the rifles like the rest of you have been issued."

"My rifle is fully auto but all of yours are semi-automatic. I want no shooting unless you are shot at. If that happens, shoot to kill and don't try to be a hero by trying to shoot someone in the arm or shoulder. That's an idiot's move and I speak from experience. Remember, I don't care how many of them get hit by us if they fire first, but we will not start the firefight. We will give them every chance to surrender. Now, with that, are there any questions?"

"Since there are no questions then the two spotters can go and set up. You have binoculars so you can park far enough away not to be too noticeable. Shorty, give Abrams one of the vests and a rifle then both of you come back here. Jim, Jerry, I want you to head out and set up. Call in and give us your location as soon as you're set. That's all folks so let's get going."

Everyone except Beau got up and left to do as they were told. I handed Beau the search warrants and told him to go over them and see if there were any holes in them we needed to know about before they were served. I sat and sipped my coffee as he read then and he was smiling when he finished.

"Harry, these are the plainest warrants I have ever read. They cover everything including outbuildings and vehicles. Who drew these up?"

"Believe it or not, Shorty did all the paperwork. I read them and they looked more like federal warrants instead of county warrants. I have never seen a warrant done so thoroughly to cover all the things you normally wouldn't think about including. I wonder where he learned all that and what books he has read to learn it."

"I don't know, Harry, but they are good. I am going to sit down and learn all this when I have a chance and find out where he learned to do it this way."

We dropped it when Shorty and Abrams came back in and they were laughing. I watched as Abrams took off his shirt and put the vest on making faces the whole time he was trying to get it on. We were laughing as he struggled to get into it. I could tell he hadn't worn one before and when he finally got it on his shirt wouldn't button over top of it. I nodded at Shorty and he took him back down to the cage to find some shirts that fit him from the uniform stacks he had there. He was in civvies but I knew there were several light jackets he could wear over it. I got another cup of coffee when my walkie went off.

"Unit twelve and unit twenty are in position. Do you copy one?"

"This is one and you are coming in four by four, twelve. Keep me apprised of any movement. One out."

Shorty and Abrams came back in and he had on one of the light jackets on over the vest. I had to ask so I went ahead.

"Abrams, do you have a first name or would you prefer me to call you by your last name all the time."

"I have a first name but everyone just calls me Kit. That's about the only name I ever answer to. I believe it's in my personnel jacket the same way. My real first name is Kitchard after my great grandfather. I shortened it in school so I wouldn't get picked on."

"Ok Kit, works for me. Since we will be riding together the rest of the night it makes it a lot easier.

"Unit twelve to one."

"Go ahead twelve."

"A moving van just backed into the dock and they are loading it with gun boxes."

"Ok twelve, we are on our way. Keep me apprised."