Board of Selectmen introduced him a lectern, reading into an insensitive microphone from sheet of paper with his remarks typed out on it.
“It gives me great pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, to new police chief, Jesse Stone.”
The chairman of the board was named Hasty Hathaway. wore a pink shirt and a plaid bow tie and a seersucker that appeared too small for him. Jesse wore his dark with a white banded-collar shirt and no tie. He wore short .38 in a black holster in back of his right hip.
handed Jesse the new badge that said “Paradise Department” around the outside, and
“Chief” the center.
Jesse slipped it into his shirt pocket.
· “As most of you know, Chief Stone comes to us from Angeles, California, where he is a ten-year veteran of Los Angeles Police Department, serving most recently a homicide detective.
He holds numerous departmental and was once featured in Parade magazine’s list Top Cops. Chief Stone was selected for this after an exhaustive search from a field which included of very viable candidates. I’d like to thank all the committee who gave unsparingly of time, and my thanks also to Lou Burke, who served so well as interim chief. I know he and all the men, and of the Paradise Police Department will continue to with the devotion to duty that has marked this de partment since its inception. Chief Stone, would you care to say a few words?”
“I’m glad to be here,” Jesse
said into the micropbonc.
“Right now, everyone in the room knows more about the town than I do. I’ll need your help. Thank you.”
He stepped away from the microphone. Hathaway looked as if he were hoping for more. But he rallied.
“Okay,” he said,
“let’s give Chief Stone a. round of
applause.”
Everyone clapped. Jesse went upstairs with Hathaway and the town legal counsel, whose name was Abby Taylor, and signed several papers. While he was signing them he noticed that the town counsel was wearing a nice-looking pale yellow suit, with a short skirt.
Then he went next door to the brick wing where police and fire were housed and sat down in the swivel chair in his new office. Lou Burke came in with a Sig-Sauer nine-millimeter pistol.
“The one Tommy Carson turned in,” Burke said, “when he got fired.”
“Thanks,” Jesse sid.
“I’ve got my own. gun.”
Burke shrugged and put the pistol on the desk.
“Belongs to the department,” he said.
“Goes with the job.”
Jesse picked up the gun and put it in the right-hand drawer of the desk.
“Have a seat,” Jesse said. “I
might as well start learning.‘’
Burke sat. He was a compact man with dark skin and. an advanced case of male pattern baldness. What hair remained along the sides of his head was black and cut very close.
“Is this a first-name department?” Jesse said.
“Has been.”
“Good. How feel about them bringing me in from e outside, Lou‘?y’°‘u Burke sat
quietly for a moment as if thinking about the lquestion.
“Relieved,” he said finally.
“You didn’t like being chief?.”
Burke shook his head.
“Why not?”
“Pay’s not worth the
aggravation,” Burke said.
“Tell me about the aggravation,” Jesse
said.
“You’re used to a big force,”
Burke said. “Big city.
cops, lotta people, you get to keep some distance the civilians. Here you’re a town employee. Every-knows everybody. The dvilians are in our face hours a day. For cfissake you have to attend
Club meetings.“
“Rotary Club?”
