Brokenhearted Beauty(Divine Creek Ranch 19)(49)

James tilted her face up and looked into her eyes. She was exhausted and pale, and she was right, her blouse was dirty and her slacks were torn at the knee. And she really did stink. He stroked her cheek and then kissed her through the bars. At the last second she turned so his lips landed on her cheek. “You don’t want to kiss me. I need a toothbrush, soap, and maybe a sandblaster first.”

James shook his head. “I still think you’re beautiful. You can’t help all the other stuff.”

A little bit of color entered her cheeks as she reached up and stroked his jaw. “Sweet talker.”

“Hey now,” said the deputy suspiciously. “What’s going on over there?”

Vincent turned to look at him. “None of your fucking business.”

Just then, the deputy starring in the brief snippets of surveillance video James and the others had seen earlier came in through the back door. He slicked his fingers through stringy wet hair before shoving his cowboy hat down on it. Speaking to the deputy, he said, “Holy shit, I thought I’d never get that stink offa me. Damn, it smells like shit in here. Bitch wouldn’t get cleaned up?” Just then he noticed James and Vincent standing there.

Both Vincent and James turned to Leah and she nodded. “Meet Deputy Dicky Bob Harmon.”

Looking intent on doing damage, Vincent released Leah but James clapped his hand on his shoulder and said, “Allow me.”

The intent must’ve been obvious in his eyes because Dicky Bob held out a hand in supplication. “Now, now, I was just doing the dictates of the law when I brung her in. She caused all kindsa hell in town and she’s in that cell for a reason.”

James stalked him across the room until Dicky Bob was up against the back door. The other deputy grabbed his cup of coffee and said, “It’s time for my coffee break,” and split.

Dicky Bob looked ready to piss his pants, right as Hank and Sheriff Harmon entered the room and Hank hurried over to him, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! None of that’s necessary, James. Sheriff Harmon has something he wants to say to Leah.”

The sheriff produced the keys to the cell and unlocked the door. “Mizz Woodworth, on behalf of the town of Tuspita, I’d like to offer my most sincerest condolences to you for the unfortunate misunderstanding of earlier today. Your sheriff has very kindly shared the surveillance video he uncovered as part of his investigation, which fills in the missing blanks from that unfortunate lapse on the convenience store camera. We’re releasing you and you’re free to go and we wish you a speedy and uneventful trip home.”

“What about my car in your impound lot back there?” Leah said, gesturing to the back door as she stepped out of the cell.

“You’re free to take it, no charge.”

“How very generous.”

“No charges have been filed officially and any that might’ve been have been dropped. Georgina Harmon will be picked up and cited for not having insurance—”

James wasn’t surprised. “Georgina Harmon?”

“Yeah,” Leah said. “Turns out Dicky Bob’s ex-stepmother was the other driver, who offered to get out of the ticket by giving Dicky Bob a blow job.” She turned to look at good old Dicky Bob right as he reached for the knob to the back door.

“Not so fast, Dicky Bob,” Sheriff Harmon called out and beckoned for Dicky Bob to present himself front and center. “We ain’t near done. I ain’t surprised Georgina would stoop to suckin’ your dick. She sucked half the cocks in this county before I finally dee-vorced her. And you and I both know that you offer the option of a blow job to anyone you pull over who might be willin’. You owe Mizz Woodworth a sincere apology for acting in an intimidating fashion toward her, for insinuating that she should complicitly allow insurance fraud, for roughing her up unnecessarily, and for generally acting in a fashion unbecomin’ a sworn law officer.”

James stood over Dicky Bob, who couldn’t be much over five feet one inch, and listened as he stuttered out his apology to Leah. He looked like he wanted to make more excuses but his father cut him off again.

“It seems pretty clear that the sheriff of Divine County, these two Divine city police officers, and Mizz Woodworth have been mightily inconvenienced by your arrogance, your stupidity, and your inability to control that pencil dick of yours. You’re fired.”

“But, Daddy!”

“Don’t daddy me. Turn in your badge and your weapon before you leave. I also want you moved out of my house by this weekend. Sissy?”

“Yeah, Daddy?” the young woman said from behind her respirator.