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“Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. That’s great to hear.”

“Dirk, please. Now, Chase, you were in LA with our chief of police recently, yes?”

Uh-oh. This wasn’t the way the conversation was supposed to go. “Um, yes, sir—I mean Dirk.”

The Mayor shifted in his seat.“It has come to my attention that our Chief Alec was less than excited about the conference’s itinerary. Am I correct in that assumption?”

The Mayor was fixing him with an intent gaze.

“Um, I guess he thought—well, we thought, that the techniques the conference organizers were expounding weren’t exactly applicable in our specific context, yes, sir.”

“Mh,” said Mayor Dunham, frowning. “You know what I think, Chase? And I’m going to be completely candid with you here, if I may.”

“Of course, sir—Dirk.”

“Chief Alec has been a dear, dear friend of mine for many, many years. He’s also been the head of our police department for going on three decades now, and I think that maybe it’s time some of that fresh air we were discussing earlier was applied to him as well. The man is, what, in his fifties now? He could probably take early retirement if he wanted to. Rest on his laurels. Enjoy his golden years with a nice pension. Go fishing. And I’ll get to the point here, Chase,” he added when Chase had started sputtering muttered objections. “How about you as chief of police? Mh? Would youlike that?”

“Oh, but Dirk. I don’t think—”

“Look, I’m sure your loyalty towards Chief Alec is highly commendable, but you’re young, Chase. In your prime. Just think of all the things you could accomplish. If you became chief now, you could shape the future of this department. You could be its chief for the next twenty, thirty years. Isn’t that an exciting prospect? It sure excites me.”

“But… I thought your niece…”

The Mayor laughed.“I know what the rumor mill says, Chase. Oh, I know perfectly well they already see Fiona in that chief’s chair. But I’ll let you in on a little secret here. Fiona doesn’t want to be chief of police. Oh, no. She has bigger ambitions, and I want to help her accomplish them. What Fiona wants is to sit in this chair one day. First female mayor of Hampton Cove, and I’m not going to stop her. No, sir. I’ll groom her for the job!”

Chase stared at the Mayor, speechless.

“Look, you don’t have to give me your answer now, son. Think it over. Take your time. And then when the time is right, you and I can have another little chat, and let’s just say I see a great future for you here, Chase. A future with you as chief, and Fiona as mayor. I think it would leave Hampton Cove in good hands. The best hands. Now don’t let me keep you,” he added as he got up. “I’m sure you have a ton of work. I know I do.”

And as he stuck out his hand to shake Chase’s, the cop knew he should say something. He should voice some protestations. Put his foot down and demand that Chief Alec stay chief and that Dolores get her rightful place back heading the front desk.

But for some reason Mayor Dunham’s intense stare and iron grip wiped all those thoughts from his mind, and caused him to mindlessly shake the politician’s hand and then walk out of his office, a welter of emotions.

Dang, he thought once he was out on the sidewalk. What had just happened?

Chapter 12

Victor Ball had finally returned home. He’d been forced to walk, as he’d left his bike lying in the road the night before, and Chief Alec had refused to dispatch a squad car. After walking for almost an hour, he entered his home with some trepidation, fully expecting his lovely wife of forty years to have been gobbled up by the monster he met out in the fields.

“Alice,” he asked in a shaky voice. “Alice, honey? Are you still alive?”

When there was no response, he knew his worst fears had come to pass. And as he walked into the living room, he braced himself for the sight of his wife’s mangled body. Instead, she was waiting for him with a rolling pin, one hand on her hip, the other shaking the heavy pin.

“And where have you been, mister?” she demanded hotly. “You didn’t even come home last night! I called the Blue Oyster but they said you already left, so I’ll repeat my question, and don’t you dare try to feed me any of your lies: where have you been?”

“Oh, Alice, am I glad to see you! I thought for sure that monster had torn you limb from limb!”

“What monster? What the hell are you talking about, you drunkard!”

“I met a monster on the road last night. A vicious beast, all hairy with long fangs and a terrifying roar. And so I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, and by the time I got to the police station, I’d lost him.”

“The police station? You were arrested for public drunkenness again?”

“No, I wasn’t, I swear! I went there for protection. I figured it was the only place where I’d be safe. And it worked! The monster didn’t come after me, as it knew it wouldn’t be able to get at me behind those bars.”

“I’m warning you—if you’re lying to me about spending the night at the police station…”

“No, I’m not, I swear. I was there all night. Just ask them.”