Breath of Kinabalu

Three

The chief was there, of course. The chief was always downtown at this time of day. His eggs over-easy were cooling to the ambient temperature of Roy's Café and Eatery, but he still held one of Roy's porcelain mugs of hot coffee in his hand, even though Roy's was a block and a half back up 2nd. Returning the mug was the least of his concerns. After all, he was the chief. Tomorrow, he would be back in his usual spot at the 2nd chrome and red vinyl bar stool from the left end of the counter, just like every morning except Saturday and Sunday. He would return the mug then, but for now, the mug was his. Chief Riley Wofford had an accident investigation to complete, a fatality no less. He clenched the coffee mug a little tighter in his fist.

Typically, he would delegate this sort of thing to lieutenant Olinghouse, but Doug's wife's water had just broken and Doug was up at Korvac Medical Center preparing to coach her breathing as she brought their number three child into the world. Besides, this was an election year for the mayor and the chief did not want to have to prove himself to a new guy should the town find fault with the chief's law enforcement services and kick the current mayor to the curb. The mayor was no friend of his, but change was bad in a small town. The chief had worked too hard climbing the ladder this high and he wasn't about to rely on his underlings at a time like this. No, he would be sure to be out front and on the scene when the Daily Mirror gal showed up to cover the story. Her photographer would be there, too, and the chief needed to be in the picture. The chief would have some good things to say when she interviewed him, as surely she would. That meant the coffee could wait. It could grow cold even if necessary, but the chief needed to gather some substance before he got locked up with the Mirror reporter.

"Penny," he said. "C'mere a minute. I need to ask you what you saw."

Penny Huether looked up from the cluster of ladies standing on the sidewalk outside the masonry edifice that housed the Agrarian Trust Bank of Raybold, Chesterton branch.

"Sure, Chief. I saw the whole thing. It was nasty, just nasty."

"Can you give me the basics first, Penny, and then I'll ask for details as I need to."

"Yep, it was terrible. I'm standing here waiting for the girls at the bank to unlock the door. I usually get here at 8:35 so that I don't have to stand out in the cold, but today Otis made his own lunch, because he lost our bet about Tank and Lester's big showdown at the alley. I knew that Tank didn't have it in him. Gina's been on him for months about his drinking--don't tell her I said nothing--but you know how stubborn Tank can be. Besides, Lester's been hotter'n a firecracker these days and he's got his hook down real nice. It's been ages since he missed the hole, and with his action, he almost never gets a pocket split. I've been telling Otis for the past week, that Tank's a loser. His last time out he wouldn't stop pinching it, and he kept screwing up his release every time things got hot and heavy. Truth is, Chief, Tank had been getting lucky a lot lately, even though he was hammering Brooklyn all night long. But no, Otis wouldn't hear it, he picked Tank, and he kept. . ."

"Hold, up, Penny," the chief interrupted. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about and I'm not sure I want to know."

"Shoot, Chief, haven't you ever been bowling before? Lester's been hitting the sweet spot like crazy and nearly went all the way last weekend -- y'know a 300 game -- and he would have if he hadn't hung the 10 pin in his last frame. Thought everybody in town must've known about the showdown, but I guess you're a pretty busy guy these days rubbin' elbows with them politicians and mayor types and all."