Bound to Forever - Book ll

The Two Amigos

Simon's Point of View:

Mayor Herbert Langston didn't have the first clue about law enforcement when he appointed himself the new Chief of Police for the small town of Belfry. He spoke to the citizens in the town hall like he was either the Pope or the President. Whoever he thought he was, I heard nothing but rubbish coming out of his mouth.

My hands were tucked into my pockets as I stood next to Finley, the pair of us having something in common by not wanting to be here at all.

"We will find the person or persons responsible for these crimes, and we will punish them in the full extent of the law—"

"If whoever is doing this is killing a cop in his own home, then what chance do we have? What about our kids that are in school?" A citizen spoke up, and I didn't blame him. To my understanding, Belfry was a small and quiet town in Montana. A town small enough where everybody knew each other, and gossip spread faster than a wildfire.

"A good chance, Michael. Because as of today, per the powers given to me by the town Charter, I have appointed myself as the Chief of Police for our town of Belfry, and I will not rest until this case is closed. I am here for you – my people!"

"Respectfully, what the hell do you know about law enforcement?" Michael asked, standing up from his chair and pointing his finger at Langston. "We need us a real Police Chief and a real Chief Detective, too!" He shouted, then pointing at Finley, and I took advantage of the opportunity to be a cheeky bastard.

"I think he's talking about you." I whispered to him, smirking when I heard him scoff at my comment.

"Will all due respect, but what does some Yankee cop know about Montana? Belfry hasn't seen a murder in three decades and now there's been three in less than two weeks! And then you have two-hundred and fifty pounds of frontier justice come in here to help your department? What does that tell us, huh? That you need to have cops from other counties coming here? That doesn't make me feel safe, and I know I'm not the only one here who feels this way!"

"I think he's talking about you." Finley retorted back to me.

"Yeah!" The townspeople were getting anxious, the room filling with indistinct chatter and sending my senses into overdrive.

"Everyone please!" A voice shouted, and I couldn't tell who it was until the townspeople returned to their seats, and when they did, I was glad I didn't rush to get out of here and back home because my new person of interest for this investigation walked right in my way.

Bloody Steve Ritchenson.

I've been looking for you.

"I know you're all scared, but Mr. Riley here has a rock-solid alibi. For those of you who don't know, his mother-in-law was one of the victims found early last week, and he has every right to use his enforcement to assist in this case,"

How fucking dare you. Standing up there like Eva's death was just another case. You were courting with her – you knew her and us, you made promises, yet you stand up there without a look of sorrow or dread on your face. You're fucking guilty of something, and I can smell it on you from here.

"He has invested as much in finding these murderers as any one of us in here. When I moved Legacy Investments to this town eight years ago, I faced a lot of backlash, remember? I was seen as some out-of-towner who knew nothing about the land and how to make it better than how it was, but let's face it, Belfry was run-down. Low economy and high costs to get what you folks needed from miles away, but you people are the kind that can bounce back from anything, and you all have proven that when I made the foundation of what my company sits at today. As you all have had faith in me, I certainly have faith in our police force. I have faith in our new Chief of Police, our Chief Detective, and Cody's very own Lieutenant Riley. I will provide the funds or resources they will need to find whomever responsible. You all have my word."