The Wolf Code

“Tow it?  You can’t be serious?  I thought her mother would just go ahead and drive it home,” the Sheriff said. 

“It’s evidence.”

“If you say so.”

Senora took a deep breath, but this time, she couldn’t stop herself from losing her cool with this man.  Why was he being so pigheaded?  Surely, all Texans didn’t act like this fool.  Senora was waiting for a bit of that Southern Charm she’d heard so much about, but she had a feeling that the Sheriff had given his share of Southern Charm to someone else.  He was a sexist buffoon, and he was horrible at his job; two things that Senora couldn’t stand.

“Look, Sheriff.  I don’t know what you have against this woman, but until we find her, we will consider this a serious case.  If you don’t want to be involved, that’s fine.  I’m sure I can get the Rangers out here to help with the case, and you can go back to whatever it is you do all day.”

He sneered, but she held his gaze, her eye contact never wavering.  Her challenge was clear, and even though he could pull local rank, she knew that he wouldn’t.  Addie’s mother would go to the press without hesitation if that happened, and then the Mayor of the tiny tourist town would be all over the Sheriff to get something done.  This area thrived off its tourist attractions, and there was no way that the men who ran the city would tolerate the bad press.  If people were too afraid to come to Glen Rose to enjoy what the city had to offer, the city would be in trouble quick.

The Sheriff broke eye contact first, and she knew that she had him.  Resisting the urge to smirk at him in triumph, she stepped out of his way and watched him spur the other officers into action.  She was astounded at how fast the tow truck showed up, but she supposed that they didn’t have a lot going on this time of day.

When the car was loaded and leaving for the police station with a cruiser following behind to ensure that the chain of command wasn’t broken, Senora looked to the Sheriff and nodded.

“Have a wonderful day,” she said without inflection, trying to stay neutral.

“Ma’am,” he said, tipping his hat and turning curtly without another word.

Senora watched him go, then shook her head and got into her rental car and made a U-turn in the parking lot.  She didn’t even have to turn the GPS on to find her hotel.  It was right there on the main road that ran through town and out again without much fanfare. 

She was all checked in at her hotel and in her room in record time, and after a few moments spent on her laptop to update the little information that she had on the case, she decided to call it a night.  The sun would be up bright and early, and so would she.

She wanted to get as much canvassing done before the temperature hit one hundred.

She figured she had until at least ten in the morning before it got insanely hot.  Hopefully, that was enough time to get what needed to be done, done.  The sooner she could get out of this good ‘ole boys club, the better.  She stuck out like a sore thumb there, and she couldn’t wait to get back to Virginia and away from this place.