Discombobulate

Chapter Seven

"You don't have to come in with me. If you want to stay out here, you can." Denise stared at her reflection in the car visor. She used a Subway napkin to wipe away the remaining tears she had left over from the cemetery. 

"Are you kidding me? I'm going to give every employee a piece of my mind. They better get their shit together. I'm not backing down from getting answers." Andy threw her car door open and stepped out. 

Denise sighed before following her friend's actions. She trailed behind her while they walked up to the front of a brick building. A metal door waited for them.

The police station sat on the edge of town. The foundation on one side was crumbling. Pieces of it had chipped off onto the ground. It was a miracle that the building hadn't fallen over. The police station moved into an old industrial building when Denise was a toddler. The foundation had been crumbling when they moved in. It continued to fall apart over the years.

A small buzzer went off when the door opened. Andy held the door open behind her. Denise's stomach churned the moment her boot hit the tiled floor. A wave of nausea washed over her. The heavy door slammed shut behind her. 

Unlike the outside of the building, the inside had been remodeled. Walls had been put up. A well-lit receptionist area had been built. There was only a single metal door that led to the rest of the building. 

"Can I help you?" A voice startled Denise. Her heart hammered in her chest. 

"Yeah," Andy strolled up to the receptionist at a large window. "We're here to talk to Sheriff Sullivan." 

"Do you mean Sheriff Winston? Sheriff Sullivan is no longer working here. Winston was given the position last week." The receptionist's blonde hair bobbed around her shoulders as she spoke. She kept her eyes on a computer screen in front of her. 

Denise blinked taken back. This was new news to her. She didn't know Sheriff Sullivan wasn't in office anymore. He had been the one she talked to in August. He was the one that had been overseeing things with his deputies. She had no idea who Sheriff Winston was. 

The receptionist met her eyes for a few seconds. Denise watched her quickly look back down at her computer screen. The woman slightly shook her head. 

"I talked to someone on the phone this morning. He's supposed to meet us at seven. We have some issues we need to work out." Andy paid no attention to the receptionist's body language. 

"Why don't you two take a seat? I'll call him and he'll be out here shor-" She was cut off by the metal door swinging open. 

A tall dark-skinned man stood silently in the doorway. A sand-colored long sleeve shirt was tucked into dark khakis. A utility belt wrapped around his waist with multiple items in it. An olive tie was tied around his neck. A star-shaped badge sat near his heart. 

One thing was clear, this was definitely not Sheriff Sullivan. 

He pointed his finger at Andy. "Are you the one that called earlier?" 

Andy nodded her head without saying anything. 

"Okay, um..." He turned his head back and glanced over his shoulder. "I think that one room is empty. I can talk to you guys in there. Some of the other officers are in my main office. I'm still new around here and I picked up donuts earlier. Very funny and fitting, I know." 

Andy let out a snort. Denise cracked a slight smile. Sheriff Winston seemed nothing like Sullivan. His face wasn't stuck in a stone scowl. It was refreshing to see someone with a slight sense of humor in charge.

He held open the handle of the door and stepped out of the way. "You know what they say, ladies first. Take a left and you can go into the fourth door on the right."