political campaigning had divested Reverend Macula of some of her Christian charity.
“He always did claim to have an inside track with county government.”
“But it’s not such a bad idea,” Milo Davis said.
“After all, the position is vacant. Swearing in the winner right away will give the new administration a head start on solving departmental problems. Dick Voland’s been doing an okay job on an interim basis, but the board would be well within its authority to install the new sheriff immediately.”
“But what if I win?” Joanna objected.
Milo looked at her with a shocked expression on his face. “What do you mean, what if? Are we having a crisis of confidence here? Of course you’re going to win.”
“But I couldn’t just go off and leave you high and dry like that. Not without any notice.”
“I’ve had plenty of notice,” Milo said reasonably, “It’s not going to be a problem. As soon as you said you’d run, I started looking for your replacement.”
Trying to mask the flicker of hurt she felt, Joanna looked away.
She had worked at the Davis Insurance Agency first as a receptionist, and later as office manager, from the moment she graduated from high school eleven years earlier. Before Andy’s death, Milo had been grooming her to take over much of the selling end of the business as well. Was he really finding it so easy to replace her?
“You’ve found someone then?” she ventured tentatively, dreading his answer.
Milo’s cheerful grin wounded her to the soul.
“Yup,” he said, sounding proud and almost gleeful. “Lisa took the last of her licensing exams just last week. The results came in today’s mail. I won’t be able to start taking her out on calls with me, though, until after we find a new receptionist. That could be a whole lot tougher proposition.”
Joanna was dumbfounded. “I see,” she mumbled.
Milo nodded. “Lisa’s had her hands full, working on the licensing exams and trying to stay ahead of the regular workload as well.”
Especially since she was doing it behind my back, Joanna thought bitterly. She said, “What happens if I don’t win, Milo? Does this mean I’m out of a job?”
“Are you kidding? We’ll still need to hire a new receptionist. If I have two full-time agents working for me, I’ll finally start getting to take some time off. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if my wife voted against you today for that very reason. She has her mouth all set for us to go on a two week cruise in the Caribbean come January. If you win she might not get to take it.”
One of Milo’s golf-playing buddies showed up then. Marianne took Joanna by the arm. “The candidate looks as though she could use some fresh air Come on.”
Linda Kimball caught sight of Burton the moment he stepped inside the door. He was green alright, the same shade as in the wedding pictures and in the video she’d taken of him and the kids when they got off the teacups ride at Disneyland.
His hair was standing on end. His clothes looked as though he’d slept in them.
Linda was at his side before he was ten feet into the room. “Where the hell have you been?” she demanded in a tense whisper.
“I’m looking for Uncle Harold,” Burton answered wanly. “Have you seen him? His Scout’s out back in the lot. He must be here somewhere.”
“believe me,” Linda returned coldly, “if Uncle Harold were here, I would have seen him. I’ve been watching this door like a hawk. Now how about telling me what you’ve been up to, mister. I’ve been hearing all kinds of rumors, and I don’t like any of them. Come to think of it, I don’t much like the way you smell, either.”
“Linda, please,” Burton said, glancing anxiously around the crowded room. “Do we have to talk about this here? Couldn’t we have this discussion later?”
“We’re discussing it now!” Linda answered, her voice rising in pitch. “Right this very minute!”
Burton took her arm and guided her back to the door. “Come on, he said. “People are listening.”
“Listening isn’t all they’ve been doing,” Linda replied. “They’ve been talking a blue streak. Everybody in town knows you’ve been out drinking. How come you spent the afternoon at the Blue Moon up Brewery Gulch?”
Burton Kimball’s shoulders sagged. “You know about that?”
“Damned right I know about it. You’d better tell me what’s going on.”
But something about Burton’s careworn face, his desolate expression, muted the worst of Linda’s anger. “What’s wrong?” she asked more quietly, once they were outside.
Burton leaned against the wall of the building.
“I quit Uncle Harold’s case,” Burton said. “He’s going to settle with Holly out of court.”
“Why on earth would he do a stupid thing like that?”
Burton shrugged hopelessly. “Who knows? He’s going to split the ranch in half. When he gets done, there won’t even be enough left for Ivy to make a living.”
That was it. Ivy again! Linda might have known Ivy would be at the bottom of it. She had known her husband for fourteen years and had been married to him for twelve. She had never for one moment doubted that Burton loved her and their two children, but from the beginning she had always known that Ivy Patterson came first.
“And I did something awful,” Burton continued. “If he wanted to, Uncle Harold could see to it that I was disbarred.”
