Page 151 of Out Of A Fix

“I had no idea, when I walked into the house that Monday, that you were going to change my whole life.”

“For the better, I hope?”

“For the best.”

Always good to hear.

FIFTEEN

Monday morning, when I got home from dropping off Griff, Chief Higheagle was sitting on the front steps of my home.

“This is a surprise.” I took a seat beside her.

“Jared Colter is a terrifying man,” she said quickly.

I smiled at her. “Don’t I know it.”

“He knows I don’t need a lawman in this town, I need a fixer.”

“An arbitrator?”

She nodded. “Yes. For some people, the arbitration will be court-ordered, some will be suggestions from my officers, but Torus is covering your phone, your laptop, and you can work from home and go out and meet with people. The Newcastle Police Department will pay your salary and cover all your mileage on your car. Also, you can use our conference rooms to meet with people.”

“It sounds glamorous.”

“It won’t be, and you’ll have to keep all your licenses, like your conceal and carry, through Torus, but you’ll have a badge to get you in and out of the station and to any crime scenes.”

“Okay.”

“It’s not a job to make millions, but the work will be steady. Mr. Colter says all your health coverage, insurance, dental, etc., are all still on him.”

“I suspect my vision as well.”

Her chuckle was warm. “It’s like, yes, he wants you here, and is helping me with keeping you, but he also does not want to cut ties with you. It’s really very flattering.”

She was not a beautiful woman, but instead a handsome one with dark-tanned, flawless skin with bronze undertones, deep-set sepia eyes, great laugh lines, high cheekbones, and thick silver hair that fell rod straight to her shoulders. When you thought about what someone with the name Higheagle would look like, she was exactly what I’d have pictured. Utterly unforgettable.

“That’s a yes, then?”

I smiled at her. “Of course it is.”

“You can start next Monday.”

“Thank you for the opportunity.”

“No, thank you. You’re the only one remotely qualified.”

We were quiet a moment.

“I thought the Eena police station was going to become an arbitration center.”

“That kind of space isn’t needed for a one-man operation.”

That was true. “So what’s going to happen to the building?”

“It’s being turned into a youth center.”

I couldn’t think of anything better.