North Country(114)
“Let me guess. Erin Griffin.”
“The parents are claiming abuse of authority.”
Something told me they might escalate after they stewed on it for a bit. They care more about their daughter’s embarrassment than her horrid behavior. I have no regrets.
“It’s going to PSB.”
The Professional Standards Bureau is where all complaints for an OPP officer go. “Great. I have Cold River’s mayor as a witness to the exchange.” And Dillon was equally appalled by what Erin said, once he got over Logan being there. “Is that it?”
“No.” He smooths out his tie. “It’s been brought to my attention that you are in a relationship with a recent parolee who has a criminal record that includes double manslaughter and violent assault.”
I keep my expression calm, even as my stomach clenches. “Okay.”
Doug’s eyebrow arches. “That’s your answer? ‘Okay’?”
“I didn’t hear a question.”
“Well? Are you in a relationship with Logan Landry?”
“A ‘relationship’? He’s my neighbor and childhood friend so, yes, we do have a relationship by definition.”
“You know what I mean,” he blusters, his annoyance rising.
“Are you asking me who I’m fucking in my private life, Doug?”
“That’s not—” He regroups, his face turning red. “There is a serious conflict of interest—”
“What conflict of interest? The one Brad Whitley is manufacturing?”
“I wouldn’t call the Monroe case manufactured. ”
“Logan has nothing to do with that case. He has an alibi, obtained by CIB investigators you sent.”
“His alibi is you.”
“And two other people. And why on earth would I cover for him, Doug? What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything.” He shakes his head to emphasize that, forcing his hand to catch another drip.
I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. I don’t care if it’s a defensive stance. I am on the defensive. “Logan has served twenty years of his sentence and was released from prison to serve the rest of it on the outside, even if some people in this community don’t want to accept that. And regarding the assault, there’s a lot more to that story. He is not naturally violent.”
“Are you sure? Because from what Sergeant Lynch told me, it took you everything to keep Landry from ripping apart that guy at the arena parking lot.”
“First off, that’s false. Of course Logan was angry. Axel Murphy shoved me to the ground.” My hip is still tender. A bone bruise, according to my doctor. “But he didn’t do anything other than move quicker than my own officer did to come to my aid.” And I guess I know who’s been feeding Freeman information. “Logan’s not a threat, and my relationship with him is none of anyone’s damn business.” Even if it’s clearly being forced out into the open.
I’ve never raised my voice or spoken to Doug like that before and by his expression, it’s not being well received.
“Watch yourself, McAllister,” he snaps, before toying with a button on his shirt. “The health and reputation of this detachment is very much my business, as is the conduct of my officers. And if Holly Monroe’s case circles back around to Landry, you will be facing a serious misconduct investigation. I’ll make sure of it.” With that he collects his hat off my desk and marches out.
I exhale a shaky breath.
One day down the road, I’m going to look back on this conversation and probably say, “Yeah, that was the beginning of the end for me as a police officer.”
But for now, I have a detachment to run.
Chapter 40
Logan
“I swear, I don’t know how Jon keeps talkin’ me into these things,” my father mutters as we watch the trailer back up slowly toward the loading alley. “As if spring isn’t busy enough with calving and vet checks and soil testing and early seeding, now we’ve gotta manage a new bull and all that comes with that. Quarantine and introductions, dividing them all up and then keepin’ five bulls apart so they don’t kill each other when they’re rutting.” He shakes his head as he runs through the long and tedious process. “Hauling an animal two thousand kilometers ’cause he’s got good genes is batshit crazy, and I don’t care what all its pedigree papers say. And this one’s only three! You don’t pay this kind of money for a bull younger than four!” He tugs on the wide brim of his hat as he complains.
“I guess you should have gone with him, huh?” Jon came back from a trip to a well-reputed ranch in South Dakota with a bill of sale and a wide grin. Apparently, his brother Jacob went with him and showed up at home with one too.
My father sighs heavily. “This one’s gonna be a big boy. Fourteen hundred pounds already. At least he’s not aggressive, from what Jon said.”
“I checked and reinforced all the quarantine pen fences anyway, just in case,” I say.
Dad nods, surveying the expanse of brown land around us. An early spring thaw two weeks ago helped melt the snow in the open, but wooded areas and north-facing slopes are still covered. It’ll be May before the last of it is gone, and late May before the threat of frost is over.