Red River Falls Stories By soldierboy50401

[Ramesh_Rocky]

I arrived at the Donut Hole the next morning at 7:55 and found that Chris was already occupying one of the booths and was nursing a cup of coffee. I took my seat and the waitress handed me a menu and asked if I wanted coffee, which I did.

I glanced over the menu and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Chris just grunted and said, "I guess a man's gotta eat."
The waitress returned with my coffee and asked if we were ready to order.
"Go ahead and start, Chris," I offered.
"You buying?" he asked.
"Sure."
"Oh. In that case, I'll order big. I'll take the three-egg everything omelet, hash browns, short stack of pancakes, side of bacon, slice of ham and a tall glass of O.J."
"And for you, hon?" the waitress asked.
"I'll just go with a Belgian Waffle and side of bacon."
"Should be about fifteen minutes," she said as she took our menus and disappeared.
"Well," Chris started, "you asked me here. What was it you wanted to talk to me about? Anything to do with the standoff last week?"
"Uh, no," I said. "Actually, it is more of a personal matter."
Chris sat up straight. "Personal matter?" he asked, incredulously.
"Yeah," I went on. "I'm in need of someone who has some hardcore computer knowledge and I was told to ask you."
"Why me?"
"Well, I was told that you have a significant other who is extremely knowledgeable around computers and software and stuff and I was looking for some help."
Chris let out a deep breath. "So, basically you want me to talk to my girlfriend and convince her to help you with.....whatever the hell it is you need help with. Am I right?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"So, you are basically asking me for a favor. Am I right?"
I wasn't sure why he was getting so defensive. "Yeah, right. I'm asking for your help, too."
"And this has nothing to do with the sheriff's department?"
"No, nothing at all. I swear."
"Jesus," he said, folding his arms. "You've got some balls on you, captain. I will say that."
Now I was the one getting defensive. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean you! Basically setting up a breakfast meeting on company time so you can ask me for a personal favor!"
"Well, I thought it would give us a chance to visit a little bit, too. Get to know one another a little more since we're going to be working together in a new capacity."
"Oh, bullshit," he said, disgusted. "Whatever the hell this favor is, you didn't want to ask me back at the station for a reason. Why the hell should I do you any favors at all? Huh? Why?"
"Well," I thought carefully, "why not? What's the harm in asking?"
"Permission to speak freely?" he asked.
"Absolutely," I said, narrowing my eyes.
"I'll tell you what the harm in asking is. I've got a real problem doing any favors whatsoever for Sheriff Bud Roberts' fair-haired boy. I've got a real problem doing one goddamned thing for Bud Roberts' little bitch, that's what!"
"Now hold on a second. I -,"
"No, you hold on," Chris interrupted. "This whole thing tells me out loud that you obviously have absolutely ZERO comprehension for the dynamic that exists in the department now because of you. Do you really think anybody respects you? Do you really think anybody sees you as a leader? You come into this department, you automatically get put on the day shift when everybody else has to put in YEARS of overnight and swing shift work, but you get the best schedule right off the bat! You work, what? Two years? And suddenly you get promoted to the Captain and Chief Deputy position? And you're also the commander of the SOG team? Jesus! I mean, come on! Whatever Pat Quinn wants, Pat Quinn gets! You're friggin' untouchable!"
"You think I just got handed this position? I had ten years on the security officer department of this town before I even left for the sheriff's department. I have an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor's Degree in psychology and public administration. It's not like I'm not qualified for the position I've got. I have dedicated a lot of my life -- "
"Oh, spare me, Quinn. Hell, I've got a double bachelor's degree in criminology and business administration, too. I've also got damned near as much time as you in law enforcement altogether, too. But I had to put my fucking time in for six years on the night shift, another five years on the swing shift all before I ever had a shot at getting on the day shift. But you? Oh, hell no! We'll just put Pat on a day car right off the bat. Never mind looking at promoting him to Sergeant or Lieutenant first. Let's just make him Captain right off the frigging bat," he said in his most sarcastic tone. "Like I said - whatever Pat wants, Pat gets. You've gotten opportunities handed to you here that the rest of us have had to wait YEARS to come by. Look at you! No longer a uniformed officer, you're part of the suit-and-tie crowd now. You don't even look like one of us anymore. And you want ME to do YOU a favor? Gimme a fucking break!"
I didn't know what to say. I needed to excuse myself. "I'm gonna go take a piss. We'll finish this conversation when I get back." I got up and headed to the men's room.
I didn't need to piss but I almost thought I was going to shit myself as angry as I was. I splashed some cold water on my face and looked myself in the mirror. I thought of all the things that Chris had just said to me, all of the hate and anger he had been feeling towards me and kept bottled inside. From the sound of it, a lot of the other deputies obviously felt the same way.
But as I looked myself in the mirror, only one thought entered my mind -- Chris was one hundred percent right. Only he didn't know why. But the truth was that my entire career at the Sheriff's department was one big sham. It was staged. I was a patsy, a setup man, a fall guy. I got onto the sheriff's department because Bud was fucking my wife. I got placed on the day shift so Bud could make it easier to fuck my wife. I got promoted to Captain so I was no longer part of the security officer union Bud could make it easier to get rid of me so he could keep fucking and eventually marry my wife. And Bud had fucked ME by pulling me in so close to his sphere of influence that the rank and file of the department would turn against me. And that prophecy had now proven to be true.
I came out of the men's room and resumed my seat across the table from Chris Hayes. As I sat there, I knew that I would have to tell him the truth or he would never help me. The day had come when I could no longer keep it a secret that my wife and my boss had made me a cuckold in my own home and my place of work. If I was going to get my self-respect back, it had to start now. And it had to start with me trusting Chris Hayes and humbling myself in front of him.
"You're right," I finally said.
"Excuse me?" Chris looked amused.
"I said you're right. All of it. Everything you said is absolutely correct."
"I don't follow. Are you trying to fuck with me or something?" Hayes had a smug look on his face.
"No, Chris. I'm not. I sincerely mean it. And that's why I need your help." It was time for the confession. I took a deep breath. "Bud Roberts has been fucking my wife for over two years. That's why I got hired at the sheriff's department in the first place. Apparently, a quid-pro-quo between Bud and my wife. We had always wanted to move to the country and we could never do that if I stayed on the Red River Falls security officer Department. Somehow, Bud apparently found that out and offered to put me on the sheriff's department if my whore of a wife would put out for him," I explained as I poured myself more coffee. "I have since figured out that the reason Bud put me on the day shift was to make it easier for him to sneak out to my house or to a motel to meet up with my wife during the day so neither I nor Bud's wife would consider it unusual since they were always around at home during the night and the weekend."
Chris let out a slow breath as I continued to reveal my cards.
"So," I continued, "Bud set it up for me to get promoted to Chief Deputy to make it easier to set me up for my eventual fall from grace. I have a lot more responsibilities now and it will be a lot more believable for people when I go from being a hero to a goat whenever he decides to drop the hammer. Plus, as Captain, I'm no longer part of the security officer union so I have no protection there, either."
"What do you think he has planned?" Chris asked, much calmer now.
"I really don't know. Probably something that involves a lot of jail time for me once it all gets out in the open."

"Christ," he said, incredulous. "How did you find out about it all?"
"The hard way."

"What, you walked in on them or something?"
"I might as well have," I said, taking a sip of coffee. "I came home from the conference in Minneapolis early and caught them out at my place. They were both dressed in their underwear, standing in my kitchen, drinking coffee just as candy-ass-as-you-please. A close friend tipped me off that something was going on, although I had no idea who until I found them together."
"Really? No idea at all?"
"Well, I guess I figured it out on the way home. Bud told me he had some emergency situation to deal with from the county supervisors or something and had to leave the conference early. Couple that with the fact that he was a couple of days late GETTING to the conference. It all came together when I tried to call him and tell him I was going home. I couldn't reach him on his cell so I called his house. Margolene, his wife, had absolutely no idea that Bud had left Minneapolis or was on his way back to Red River Falls. What man wouldn't call his wife to let her know he was coming home?"
"Did you tell her?"
"No, I didn't. I didn't have the heart to tell her. Plus, I was too stunned at the realization because it all hit me when I was on the phone with her. Looking back now, I wish I had told her."
We sat there in silence for several minutes.
"Okay, okay," Chris said. "Look, I'm sorry about before. I had no idea. I mean, I don't want you to think that the rest of us think you're incompetent. I mean, you did a helluva job with that little girl from the kidnapping and the job with the hostage last week was awesome. I guess I just wanted you to understand how it looks from the regular troops, ya know?"
"Believe me, I get it," I said. "I guess I was fooling myself thinking that I had gotten to where I was because of my own awesomeness only to have the realization come crashing down on me that I'm nothing but a puppet on some fucking strings with Bud Roberts as Gepetto."
Our food finally showed up and we waited until the waitress had dropped off our order before continuing our conversation.
"Look, Pat," Chris said, "is it alright if I call you Pat?" I nodded. "I'm willing to talk to Tonya about helping you. But first, I need an assurance from you."
"Go ahead."
"I need an assurance from you that, one; you won't go after my girlfriend for anything once you meet her. And two, I need to know that you've got my back if I ever need it, no questions asked. In exchange for those two things, I'll make sure that you have all the support you need from the rest of the deputies and Sergeants. You'll have to make your own amends with the Lieutenants."
I leaned closer across the table. "Chris, if this whole thing works out like I hope it does, you have my word that I will find some way to make it up to you. I never fail to help someone who needs it and I never fail to remember those who help me, either."
Chris nodded. "Well okay, then. As soon as I finish my free breakfast and you're done eating we'll go take a ride. Sound good?"
"Sounds great. All I'm asking for is a chance."
We finished eating about 20 minutes later. I paid the bill and followed Chris outside to where our respective cruisers were parked.
"Before we go," Chris said, "there's something we need to do. Open your trunk."
I did as Chris said and popped the trunk to my Ford sedan. Chris reached into the trunk and moved my tactical gear bags out of the way. He then proceeded to lift up the spare tire from its housing and grabbed and removed a small object. I had no idea it was in there and didn't even know what it was. It was about the size of an egg and was hard-wired into the car itself.
"What the hell is that?" I asked, stunned.
"GPS locator. Have you ever noticed that Bud always seems to know whenever you're around or wherever you have been?" he asked.
"I'll be damned," I whispered. So Bud was keeping track of his deputies' whereabouts at all times. "I wonder why he didn't know I was driving back from Minneapolis that night then."
"Probably 'cuz he was too busy fucking your wife," Chris answered. I'm not sure if it was the bluntness of his answer or the realization of how right he was that shocked me more. "Sorry," he continued. "Not trying to be a prick. Anyway, jump in my cruiser. It will look less suspicious to Bud if he sees my car where we're going as opposed to both of us."
I jumped in his car and we drove for about two miles until we were on the north end of downtown Red River Falls. The area was somewhat blighted, with several pawn shops and a couple of other run down stores. There were also about a half dozen empty store fronts as well as a dingy little eatery that looked like the kind of place you'd go to order a bad case of diarrhea. There was also an adult bookstore on the corner. Even at this early hour there were still people coming and going sporadically from the place, which was open 24 hours a day like 7-Eleven.
Next to the adult bookstore was a large old store that years ago had been a drug store. The store itself was twice as wide as any of the other stores on the block. I followed Chris in the front door and our presence was announced by a simple brass bell that hung above the main entrance. The first thing that struck me was the elaborate security measures in place - cameras, motion-detectors and extremely heavy bars across the front windows.
One side of the store was taken up completely by displays of laptop and desk top computers, some of them in various stages of repair or assembly; it was hard to tell which. Others were for sale outright behind locked glass displays. The other half of the store was made up of rows and rows of vinyl LP records, some of them still in the original clear cellophane wrapping. There were also rows and stacks of used CDs, DVDs, old tape cassettes, VHS and beta movies and even a good variety of old eight-track tapes. Posters of various bands, celebrities, movies and other pop culture were plastered all over the walls. Among them were posters of Jimmy Hendrix, the Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd, which all seemed arbitrary for this particular place.
I took a deep breath in through my nostrils and immediately picked up the scene of freshly smoked marijuana. I couldn't tell if the smell was emanating from one of the patrons or if someone had been toking up inside the building.
Chris observed me sniffing and said, "Yes it is weed and remember that you made a promise."
"It's cool," I said, raising both hands.
"Is Tonya around?" Chris asked one of the employees of the record store. The young lady was dressed head-to-toe in black Chuck Taylor All-Stars, black skin tight pants and a black Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" t-shirt.
"Yeah, she's in back," the girl said, chomping on a huge wad of gum.
I followed Chris to the back of the store through a set of heavy black curtains where there was a very nicely appointed workshop that contained what I imagined was probably every single type of tool that you could need to work on just about any and every type of computer.
"Hey, there, you sexy, gorgeous fucking stud! What the hell are you doing here?" The statement came from a tall, statuesque woman who was about Chris' height, thin build with a very pale complexion. She had pin-straight and jet black shoulder length hair. She wore black lipstick and eye shadow, had black fingernails and was, like the other employees, dressed head-to-toe in black with a t-shirt that read across the chest "I Fuck on the First Date". She was heavily tattooed on both arms and her neck and probably numerous other places on her body. I imagined that she probably had more ink than actual skin showing. I'm also pretty sure there wasn't any flap of skin that didn't contain a piercing, save for her eye lids.
"I came by to see you, ya sexy bitch," Chris replied. They immediately embraced and began making out like a couple of horny teenagers. Even though I am not a huge fan of Goth chicks, I did have to hand it to her that she was a natural beauty and had an absolutely killer body and a terrific rack. Not nearly as big or round as Shannon's, but she definitely put Clarissa to shame.
"Actually," Chris went on as he came up for air, "I'm sort of here on business."
"Oh, my God! Please tell me you're kidding," she said as she looked at me. I could tell she clearly saw the badge on my belt.

"No, I'm not kidding but you can relax. It's not THAT kind of business."
"Oh, thank God. You scared the shit out of me for half a second there. So, who's your friend?" she asked, nodding towards me.
"This is one of my bosses. I'd like you to meet Chief Deputy, Captain Pat Quinn. Pat, this is Tonya."
"Geez, you're a fuckin' hottie," Tonya said, extending her hand.
"Thanks. I don't often get compliments like that," I said, smiling.
"Pat has, how shall I say, a sensitive matter he'd like to discuss with you."
"Okay. No problemo. Let's head out to my office."
We followed Tonya out the back of the store and into an addition to the back of the store that was a large three-stall garage. Tonya headed for a refrigerator and opened the freezer, revealing at least two full-size, tightly wrapped bricks of marijuana. She reached in and pulled out a freshly rolled joint and proceeded to light up. She opened the nearest overhead door about 18 inches, letting in some of the cold wintery air but not enough to make it unbearable. It was all I could do to keep my eyes from popping out of my head at the scene in front of me.
"Remember," Chris said, "you promised." I made the imaginary zipper motion across my lips and just smiled at Tonya.
"So, what's up, Pat?"
I started from the very beginning and told her everything. I figured that giving her the whole story would give her a better idea of what I needed in order to finally catch Clarissa and Bud and get them right where I wanted them. More important than just getting information, I needed it to be information I could really use to nail them both, something that would give me the leverage to end both their affair and possibly even Bud's career.
"Wow, Pat," she said when I finished. "That totally sucks. I can't believe your own wife and boss would do such a shitty thing. And here I thought Bud was just screwing over Chris all these years because of me. Guess he's not the only one."
"So, what do you think you can do to help me?" I asked.
"How much do they talk to each other? Is it mostly on the phone, a lot of texts, or emails?"
"Well, I'm really not sure. From what my son Nick has told me, it sounds like she's on the computer a lot while I'm gone. And I know that Bud spends a massive amount of time on his computer at work, at least when he's actually AT work."
"Okay," she said. "It sounds like the first thing we need to do is install a key logger on your computer."
"What the hell is a key logger?"
"A key logger is a program that will actually record the sequence of keys that were pressed in the right order. You can use it to figure out passwords to her email, Facebook, Twitter or any other kind of shit you want to get into. Does she have a smart phone?"