Sagehen Mesa Part 19 - Officer Gooch Cleans Up the Town.
Officer Gooch reporting in.
It looks like I got an email from Jolene Roland. It's marked "important."
Dear Officer Gooch,
I'm sorry I didn't get together with you to share this information before I left for college. I was just so busy, and so were you.
The night you interrogated Mr. Mahon, I overheard a suspicious phone call where Mrs. Thurston was talking to your fiancé. At least I think it was Trever, as Mrs. Thurston said to the other party: "You are supposed to be distracting the cop. She's YOUR girlfriend," or something along those lines. So don't marry Trever! He's a scumbag!
Also, Mrs. Thurston was saying something about hoping Mr. Mahon hadn't snitched on them. So I think Mrs. Thurston, Mr. Mahon, and Trever are all in kahoots. I also think Mr. Thurston might be dosing both himself and his horse with buzzberry, which is why they are both winning so much.
Oh, and I probably haven't told you about the time I saw Mr. Thurston having a covert meeting with Dr. Baum at the junkyard, and Dr. Baum slipped something in an envelope to Mr. Thurston.
I sifted through Dr. Baum's garbage (which isn't illegal - I looked it up), and found a prescription written for buzzberry, and it had Mr. Thurston's name on it. This was way before Mr. Thurston married Mrs. Thurston, so I think he's been dosing himself for quite awhile, getting the drug from Dr. Baum first, and from his wife later on.
Also, I have it from a reliable source that the Thurstons are terrible parents and have been neglecting their baby. You might want to look into that. There should be some old messages that were taken after Deputy Gandy left and before you were hired.
Anyway, these are all things I thought you should know. Good luck!
Jolene Roland
Wow, there's a lot going on here. I'll need to approach the town council about letting me advertise for a deputy to help me with this.
But first things first. I've got to look into the child neglect case. If I don't have enough evidence to make an arrest for the buzzberry, I can at least arrest them for child endangerment - if that's what is really going on. I must protect that child! I need to pay the Thurstons a visit.
I hear a baby crying, but no one is answering the door. I'll give it a few minutes, then I'm goin' in.
"Is anybody, home? Officer Gooch here. Hello?" No answer.
The next thing I know, Brock Thurston shuffles through the front door. He looks startled.
"Oh, hi officer. What are you doing in my house?"
"I heard a baby crying, and no one answered the door, so I thought I'd better investigate."
"Thanks officer, but everything is fine. Hey, little feller, let's put you in your crib, okay?"
"This child was home alone, lying on a drafty floor! Where were you?"
"I had a game. Lorie had to leave for work before I got home, but we knew the baby would only be alone for an hour or so. Hardly worth hiring a sitter."
"Are you nuts?! You can't leave a newborn alone while you go off to play in a game! The child should have a caretaker at ALL TIMES!
"I hope you enjoyed your game, because it's the last one you'll be playing for a long time! Guadalupe Coy is registered with the foster care system. I'm calling her right now to come pick up the baby!
Child Protective Services is going to be notified, and you and your wife will be doing time!"
Arrests were made. I can hold the Thurstons on child endangerment while I gather evidence to also charge them with drug trafficking.
Keith is now safe in the hands of very capable Guadalupe Coy.
Ms. Coy is filing paperwork to adopt if the parents' charges stick.
Tomorrow I confront that no-good fiancé of mine. How dare he make a fool out of me!
*********
The next morning, I screwed up my courage and knocked on Trever's door.
"Hey, Trever, I received a very interesting email at work. Do you want to know what it said? It said that you were putting on an act, . . .
romancing me in order to keep me from learning about a certain farm . . .
that's growing illegal substances, and those in charge are distributing to other locations! I have the Thurstons in custody, and you're next! I'm gathering all the evidence I need to put an end to this operation."
"Needless to say, the wedding is OFF!"
"Honey, I don't know where you heard this. Are you SURE your sources are reliable? I love you! I can't believe you're falling for all these lies. The way you are acting is very inappropriate! Unless you have a warrant for my arrest, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave!"
Dagnabbit! I don't have a warrant for his arrest. How could I be so stupid? Rookie mistake! I should have thought this through. I let my emotions get the best of me.
"Don't leave town!" I warned as I stomped off. When I got home I was greeted by my little Piggy.
At least somebody loves me. I decided to work off my frustration on the treadmill.
Then I went to the station to look over job applications for the Deputy job. One of the caveats the town council had was that I was responsible for providing lodging for the new employee as housing options are very limited here. I have a spare room, so this isn't a problem.
The only applicant was a young police academy graduate named Rita Massey. We introduced ourselves, and I explained what it was like working in the area, then I invited her over to the house to see if she found the accommodations acceptable and interview her regarding her experience.
"How much experience do you have driving a police car?"
"I've never been the driver of a police car, but I've been on a ride-along, and was allowed to run the siren," she explained.
"Okay, tomorrow I'll give you some driving lessons."
"I'll be looking forward to it," she said.
"How experienced are you with making arrests?" I asked.
"I don't have any experience in that area, but I've sat in court and watched some perps get sentenced. Does that count?"
"Erm, not really, but I guess I can train you up. I mainly need someone to watch my back and follow my lead," I explained. "What do you feel is your greatest strength for this position?"
"I may not look it, but I'm rather strong," she explained.
"Well, let's put that to the test," I said.
I must admit, Rita was relentless.
You're hired. I said. (After all, what choice did I have? She was the only applicant.)
We went back to the station and got a warrant to search the Mahon residence.
"Good evening, Tim. Is your father at home?"
"Wait, officer! Don't you want to search the house? That's just an old shed," Tim pleaded.
Yep, there it is. The shed with a hole in the ground. Just like Jolene's video. Where's my deputy?
"Tim, I have carefully photographed everything in that shed and put police tape over it. Under no circumstances should you or your father enter the shed or touch, move, or alter anything, understand? If you do, your father could go to prison and you could go to juvie. I'll be back in the morning."
The buzzberry was starting to mature, so I took some samples as evidence. In fact, I took most of the mature buzzberry on the farm. This way I'll have a stronger case, and the drug won't fall into the wrong hands. Rita kept guard while I investigated the tunnel. I made sure she knew she wasn't to leave until I returned. I followed the tunnel, and sure enough, it lead to the shed on the Mahon place. I quickly traveled back through the tunnel, and Rita and I took the harvested buzzberry back to the station to log it in as evidence. Then I called the ATF, FBI, Homeland Security, and anyone else I could think of to raid the farm and close it down.
Assaulting a police officer is something I can hold him on until drug charges can be brought. I quickly apprehended the suspect.
"Get used to wearing orange, Bucko!"
With three behind bars, I need only to collar Cliff Mahon. Then I can turn my attention to the matter with Dr. Baum.
We went back with our warrant to try and confront Cliff.
"So when do you expect your father to come home, Tim?"
"He probably won't be back 'til morning, I expect," Tim replied.
"Well I guess we'll wait up for him," I replied. "You can go on to bed if you wish."
The hours ticked by, and Rita and I were getting sleepy.
"So, do you like unicorns? Rumor has it that one has been spotted by the old fishing pond. Wait a minute! Chuck Culpepper has been complaining about some unsavory types out by the fishing pond meeting up in the old shed there. Maybe that's where Cliff is! Let's go check it out."
We waited and waited. We could hear a voice of someone on the phone, and it sounded like Cliff, but of course we didn't have a warrant, so we would need to wait until Cliff came out to arrest him. Somehow he slipped past us. It was time to call it a night. Cliff is a wily one. I don't understand why we can't catch him. It's a small town, and everyone knows him. He shouldn't be hard to spot.
*********
The next day, we canvased the town, asking if anyone had seen Cliff lately. As luck would have it, we ran into Clancy Mahon, Cliff's oldest son.
"Clancy! Look at you all grown up. We were wondering if you have seen your father lately or know who he has been working for. He's a person of interest in a case we are investigating."
"We heard he might be working with some people who meet out by the fishing hole. Does any of that ring a bell?"
"I'm sorry, I'd really like to help, but Dad and I haven't spoken in ages. Have you checked with Tim?"
"Yes, he also says he knows nothing about your Dad's whereabouts. If you hear anything or if your father makes contact with you, please let us know as soon as possible," I implored.
"I will," he assured.
We've checked high and low. His mine claim seems abandoned, though people have reported seeing him out there working not long ago.
Tim assures me he's been home off and on. He seems very mistrustful of us, despite my attempts to assure him we aren't monsters and are just trying to do our job.
Rita has suggested installing cameras around town and simply monitoring them from the police station. However, this town does not have the budget for such a thing.
********
To date, the buzzberry farm has been dismantled, the shed at the fishing hole had been torn down - with the permission of the property owner, who said they were putting it on the market, and felt it might sell better without the shed anyway. The Thurstons and Trever Prescott are securely behind bars, but Cliff still seems to slip from our grasp.
I swear it shouldn't be this hard to locate and apprehend the guy. He's often spotted around town, so I know he hasn't left. The search continues.
END OF SEASON 1 - STAY TUNED FOR SEASON 2
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