Close To Danger (Westen #4)(33)
“That the sister that raised you?”
“Yes. She got custody of me and Chloe and set about keeping us all together while working full time.”
“She sounds pretty amazing.”
Dylan couldn’t help a smile. “She is. Last year she gave up teaching to become a private investigator.”
“A private eye?”
She almost laughed at the surprise on her friend’s face. “Yes, sir. She had one case that turned into a major Meth lab explosion northeast of Columbus and the take down of a narcotics ring.”
“I read about that. Almost killed the sheriff in a land slide or something.”
“Cave-in. My sister not only helped save him, she married him two weeks ago and is now a deputy sheriff.”
“Congratulations,” he said, lifting his coffee mug in salute then taking a drink. “So, what does the other sister do?”
“Argues.”
Steve choked on his coffee. “Excuse me?”
Dylan laughed, ate the last bite of food and wiped her mouth. “She’s a lawyer. Which fits her perfectly. Never knew any topic she wouldn’t delight in debating with you. So she argues for a living. Which reminds me.” She picked up her phone, double checking the call list. Still no call from Chloe.
“Something wrong?”
“I’m the youngest, so usually both Bobby and Chloe check in on me, especially when the weather is bad. Bobby called last night and I assured her I wasn’t traveling.”
“But Chloe hasn’t called?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Which is so unlike her.”
“Maybe the storm knocked out her cell service,” Steve said and drained his cup.
“Could be.” She pocketed her phone in her lab coat and stood. “I’ll check on her later. Right now, I have a date with some broken legs in the ER.”
“I’m sure she’s somewhere safe,” Steve said, staring straight into her eyes.
For some reason his confident gaze reassured her that Chloe was probably just fine, somewhere safe and warm.
*
“How soon do you think it will be before power is restored to the new subdivision?” Mayor Tobias Rawlins asked Harold Russett, the county engineer.
Gage leaned back in his chair while the members of the town council discussed the state of emergency the blizzard blew into Westen the night before. When he’d first taken over as Westen’s sheriff he’d barely tolerated meetings with Tobias and the town council, seeing them as leaches sucking at the marrow of the town to line their own pockets and inflate their egos. What he’d found one night last spring when his world had literally caved in on him, was that these men would step up when necessary. They’d helped to rescue him and then help Westen not only heal from the near destruction a crazed man had planned for the town, but saw it thrive.
These meetings might bore him to tears, but he knew the group would make decisions affecting all the citizens of Westen. Input from every person, including him, was valued and measured into the decisions.
“The electric company has us on their list. Power’s out in sections all over the state, not just our area,” Harold said.
“Which means we’re low man on the totem pole again,” grumbled Grady Conner, a thirty-year-old farmer elected this past fall to represent the local farming interests on the town council.
“The town center, most of the businesses and civic buildings have power,” Harold continued.
“I checked in at the jail over at the courthouse. Power and heat working just fine, as well as communications,” Gage added.
“Good. Good,” Tobias jotted all the information on the legal tablet in front of him. “I checked in with Doc Clint. He was at the clinic. Everything is functional there, too.”
“Lucky for him, he lives right across the street from it,” Gage said, getting chuckles from the others. “Took me nearly an hour to shovel out my truck before Bobby and I could head into the office. Clint said Harriett let him know the electricity was out at her place, so we can assume all the residents north and east of town, as well as near the river, may be without power.”
Tobias made some more notes. “Thanks to Harold having André keeping the county road plow working, the main roads into and through the downtown area are passible. So, our first order of business should be to check with residents to see if they have power.”
The door to the meeting room opened. Fire Chief Deke Reynolds entered. “Sorry it took us so long. Had to shovel out my truck, drop Libby off over at the courthouse, then get gasoline for the snow blowers,” Deke said, taking the vacant seat by Gage.
“You have more than one?” he asked.
“Kyle and some of his football buddies are going to spend the day helping people get out from under the snow.” Deke turned to Colm Riley, the town treasurer. “Connor was in the crew.”
The tall red-headed man grinned. “Good thing. Keep them out of trouble.”
“I told them not to charge, but I suspect some people will be happy to give them tips.” Deke turned to Gage. “Libby’s getting that list together Bobby asked for.”
“What list?” Tobias asked, peeking up from the tablet.
Gage filled him and the others in on the plan to check on the elderly and any residents outside of town with no phone or electricity.