Read Online In The Bleak Midwinter: A Special Agent Constance Mandalay Novel by M. R. Sellars - Free Book Online

the service, thereby
missing the horrors of Vietnam, unlike some of his friends. He’d
had little ambition where furthering his education was concerned,
but he’d always wanted to be a cop. Unfortunately, he didn’t have
much luck when applying to accredited police academies in the
bigger cities.
    Eventually, he gave up and contented himself
with working on the family farm. After that, he had no greater
plans in mind other than convincing Kathy Higgins to marry him.
    Then, the position for a deputy sheriff
opened up. Sheriff Morton had taken a chance on him and soon
afterward was making calls. No matter what the old man said, Skip
knew he had called in some markers on his behalf.
    And now here he was, on the verge of what
could be his perfect career. The only problem was that the career
was still on the horizon. Right now, he was just a deputy sheriff
in a small town where the worst thing that ever happened was a
drunk and disorderly call that didn’t even end up on the books
because it was someone you knew and you just drove them home, or
let them sleep it off in the holding cell for a few hours.
    He had been trained, yes; Sheriff Morton had
seen to that. But he hadn’t been prepared for something like this.
Besides, training wasn’t everything; experience was often the real
teacher, and that was something he sorely lacked. Even he would
admit that he was green enough to sprout roots if he stood still
long enough.
    And it was for that very reason, as well as
the fact that in Hulis everyone seemed to be family whether related
by blood or not, that he did the only thing he could think of to
do. He opened his mouth, and what came out was something that would
have caused any seasoned law enforcement veteran to cringe.
    “Don’t worry Missus Callahan,” he said. “It’s
going to be fine. I promise I’ll find Merrie. I’m sure she’s just
fine. I promise…”
     

     
    PLASTIC slammed hard against plastic.
The initial noise made by the sudden clash of handset versus cradle
was short-lived, but the echo and resulting forlorn ping of the
telephone’s metal ringer hung on a bit longer. Not only did they
linger in the air, they joined together and carried through the
open transom above the closed door of Sheriff Morton’s office. The
blended sound continued, unhindered by obstacles from that point on
as it zipped across the span of the room and entered Clovis’s
ears.
    She swiveled around, startled by the sudden
noise and the resulting commotion. Through the large windows on the
back wall she could see that the sheriff was up from his desk and
moving about his office in a purposeful fashion. It had only been a
couple of minutes since Missus Babbs had called and asked to speak
to him, apparently at Skip’s insistence. She didn’t yet have the
details, but she got the impression they would be coming soon. The
urgency in the woman’s voice had already given her a very bad
feeling.
    And now there was this.
    A few seconds later the office door swung
open and Sheriff Morton stormed out. He was heading straight for
her desk, one arm stuffed into a sleeve of his coat while he fought
to fill the other as well. An index card was tucked between his
lips.
    Given his expression, he didn’t seem like he
was angry. Actually, he appeared more than just a little concerned
and without a doubt, completely driven. Now Clovis was definitely
worried.
    “What’s wro…” she started to ask.
    He cut her off as he yanked the index card
out of his mouth, tossed it onto the desk in front of her, and
began to bark instructions. “I need you to get these descriptions
out to Carl and tell him to keep his eyes open. Tell him if he sees
this car, pull it over and radio for backup. Then call Joe and
Edgar and give the info to them too. Tell them they’re on the clock
as of ten minutes ago. You’ll want to plan on working late too.
Might wanna call Carol too. Get her in here to help.”
    Clovis glanced quickly at the card. The lined
stock