cruiser near the kids, who had moved back over to where Bug was sitting on the fallen tree log. Hunter had wanted to put more distance between himself and the Cat. Funny thing was, his stomach felt worse than ever. He was sitting on the fallen tree beside Eli with his head hung over, the pain on his face visible. Eli had sat next to Bug and told her what was happening. All in all, he thought she took the news about Mr. Jackson well. She told him that judging from the description Hunter had given, it was probably a brain hemorrhage. Either that, or blunt force trauma to the head, but she couldn’t be certain without viewing the body. Then she said, “Knowledge is Power.”
They had relayed the information to Deputy Clay in somewhat disjointed sentences. Between the shock of the circumstances and each of their physical ailments, it was difficult to get a full sentence from any of them. Hunter kept retching, Eli was holding his head in his hands and Bug looked white as a sheet with sweat running down her face. Eventually, the deputy thought he had pieced together their entire story. He left them to talk to the paramedics who were hovering near the bulldozer waiting for instructions, not knowing if it was being treated as a crime scene. They had initially examined the body to confirm death, but needed permission to contaminate the scene by removing the body. Deputy Clay asked them to wait for the sheriff. He would give them the go ahead to take Mr. Jackson to the hospital for autopsy.
The sheriff radioed Deputy Clay that he was on his way. Michael Clay had started to feel sick to his stomach. He wondered if whatever had made those kids sick was catching.
CHAPTER 11
Sheriff Buchanon
S heriff Donald Buchanon was a good man, a really good man. He was a good husband to Margy, a good father to Jeff and Jennifer and a good friend to a lot of people. He was also a very capable sheriff. A town the size of Hallston couldn’t support a very big Police Department, so they had stuck with the Sheriff’s Department that had been in place for years upon years. There were quite a few deputies and volunteers when extra hands were needed, but, all in all, Sheriff Buchanon was the law. He was the last word and the last person you saw leave the scene of any crime in Hallston.
He was a hands-on kind of man. Not so much a control freak, but someone who wanted the job done right and who was willing to put in the time and effort to see that it was. That part was probably a result from his time in the service. He had spent twelve years in the Army and had seen a lot in his two tours overseas. He had been well respected and highly decorated. His life in the Army made sense to him – well ordered, organized, a definite chain of command and a mission to keep people safe and secure. That’s what drew him into the Sheriff’s position after his time in the service was up. He liked the structure of the department, the mission to serve and protect, and the definite chain of command that ended with him.
He did miss the Army sometimes, though. He had made some really fine friendships over the years – not friends so much as brothers. He kept in touch with most of them, and they had reunions now and then, but he missed seeing them. Luckily, one of those brothers was right there in town. Bill Port had been a friend of his since middle school. He had also served with Don on his last tour. It was good to have Bill around.
As Sheriff Buchanon headed over to Bill’s place to grab a drive-thru dinner, he looked forward to seeing his friend. Don’s wife Margy and Bill’s wife Val were good friends also, but they hadn’t seen each other in a while. Kid’s schedules seemed to leave them little free time this time of the year.
He pulled up to the drive-thru menu and waited for Val’s tinny voice to come through the intercom.
“Hey, Don,” she greeted. “What’s it going to be tonight?”
“Hi, Val,” he replied. “Lemme have a couple of corn
They had relayed the information to Deputy Clay in somewhat disjointed sentences. Between the shock of the circumstances and each of their physical ailments, it was difficult to get a full sentence from any of them. Hunter kept retching, Eli was holding his head in his hands and Bug looked white as a sheet with sweat running down her face. Eventually, the deputy thought he had pieced together their entire story. He left them to talk to the paramedics who were hovering near the bulldozer waiting for instructions, not knowing if it was being treated as a crime scene. They had initially examined the body to confirm death, but needed permission to contaminate the scene by removing the body. Deputy Clay asked them to wait for the sheriff. He would give them the go ahead to take Mr. Jackson to the hospital for autopsy.
The sheriff radioed Deputy Clay that he was on his way. Michael Clay had started to feel sick to his stomach. He wondered if whatever had made those kids sick was catching.
CHAPTER 11
Sheriff Buchanon
S heriff Donald Buchanon was a good man, a really good man. He was a good husband to Margy, a good father to Jeff and Jennifer and a good friend to a lot of people. He was also a very capable sheriff. A town the size of Hallston couldn’t support a very big Police Department, so they had stuck with the Sheriff’s Department that had been in place for years upon years. There were quite a few deputies and volunteers when extra hands were needed, but, all in all, Sheriff Buchanon was the law. He was the last word and the last person you saw leave the scene of any crime in Hallston.
He was a hands-on kind of man. Not so much a control freak, but someone who wanted the job done right and who was willing to put in the time and effort to see that it was. That part was probably a result from his time in the service. He had spent twelve years in the Army and had seen a lot in his two tours overseas. He had been well respected and highly decorated. His life in the Army made sense to him – well ordered, organized, a definite chain of command and a mission to keep people safe and secure. That’s what drew him into the Sheriff’s position after his time in the service was up. He liked the structure of the department, the mission to serve and protect, and the definite chain of command that ended with him.
He did miss the Army sometimes, though. He had made some really fine friendships over the years – not friends so much as brothers. He kept in touch with most of them, and they had reunions now and then, but he missed seeing them. Luckily, one of those brothers was right there in town. Bill Port had been a friend of his since middle school. He had also served with Don on his last tour. It was good to have Bill around.
As Sheriff Buchanon headed over to Bill’s place to grab a drive-thru dinner, he looked forward to seeing his friend. Don’s wife Margy and Bill’s wife Val were good friends also, but they hadn’t seen each other in a while. Kid’s schedules seemed to leave them little free time this time of the year.
He pulled up to the drive-thru menu and waited for Val’s tinny voice to come through the intercom.
“Hey, Don,” she greeted. “What’s it going to be tonight?”
“Hi, Val,” he replied. “Lemme have a couple of corn
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