Chapter One

 It was rounding up towards midnight when he pulled up in his new driveway. It had been a long haul up from the city. His back was tight  and his eyes were strained from staring threw the windshield wipers and misty rain. Rolling his broad shoulders back, he unbuckled his seat belt and looked out at his riverside cabin threw the beams of his yellow head lights. “Home.” He said to himself with relief and turned the ignition key back towards himself and killed the lights. For a moment he sat there in the still of nothingness to take in the darkness. There was not a street light or a neighbor in sight. In fact, until his eyes adjusted to the moonless night, he couldn’t see his hand in front of his nose much less his front door. Perfect he thought to himself and swung out his cab door for his thick legs to pour out. The dome light that shone above the rear view mirror illuminated the brim of his ball cap and not much else as the repetitive dinging bell reminded him that his keys were still in ignition as he reached back in for his bags. Once retrieved and the door was now closed, he now shared the northern damp September night alone. The rain had stopped but still seemed to seep threw his sweatshirt as he shuffled threw a blanket of damp leaves up to the porch. This would be the first time that he would turn his new house key into the lock and step foot into his new home. It wasn’t that he had purchased it site unseen, he had seen pictures of it on the internet. It came furnished of some mismatched odds and ends left behind from what once was some old deer and fish camp. Old and broken down didn’t bother Cash any. It would suffice till he bought new. He had wanted to leave everything behind. The bitch could have it all. All he concerned himself with were the clothes in his bag and his new found freedom. He was newly divorced and the road to get there had been a long one. He wanted to leave with very little reminders of the last handful of years spent in hell. The lock was sticky and seized but with a bit of a bump from his shoulder he was able to pop the door free. Immediately his senses were met with a waft of must and mothballs. That alone told him that mice would be a problem. Whatever. He’d get himself a cat and that dog he’d  been wanting for years but could never have. He was already making mental plans as his hand searched the wall just inside the door frame looking for a switch with a suitcase by his leg and a strap over his shoulder. Once there was light, Cash noticed that it looked exactly like the photos he’d studied. There sat the beaten down olive couch on the back wall with a flea bitten deer mount hung over the mantle. Scanning the small room as he closed the door behind him he took notice the there was an old box tv sitting atop a rickety microwave cart with a VCR balancing on its top. Obviously there would be no satellite. Would that have to change? He wasn’t sure yet but what he did notice was a box of tapes that sat on the floor beside it all in brown plastic rental cases. With a place like this maybe they were Westerns. His curiosity was enough to see maybe what he could pop in for a bit of noise to keep him company should he need it and set down his bags to take a look. It had been years since he’d seen a video tape as it was. Popping one open after another he laughed only reading porno names. “Nice.” He laughed to himself with a big smirk and tossed the last one back in the box. He had hoped for some John Wayne but he supposed the porn could come in handy too. There wasn’t much exploring of his floor plans that would need much more  then turning around to see his small kitchen. It was quaint. Just enough space for a bachelor to do as he pleased and for him, not much more because he was a line backer size of a man that filled the room plenty. The realtor had been in and had turned on his fridge and had lit the pilot light both in the furnace and stove. He kicked it up a notch to take out the draft and make himself comfortable to settle in for his first night in. Once the fans kicked on with a rattle blowing dust being woken up, he stretched with a big yawn. He’d have plenty of time to poke around his cupboards and check the chimney for birds nests. Right now all he wanted to do was lay down and get some sleep. Just off the living and dining room was the bathroom and adjacent from that was the only bedroom. He’d  be able to lay in his bed and see his entire home from his feet. The dated decor continued threw out finding that the velvet drapes that were hung were heavy and sun faded bending the curtain rod in the center. The bed was a rusted old brass frame but that he kind of liked. However the bumpy grandma popcorn quilt needed to go after tonight. Tonight he was too tired to care. The bed filled the room besides the dresser and pantry sized closet. Still it couldn’t be more perfect. He wanted simplicity and simplicity is what he got. He had spent years with his balls in a vice and had surrounded himself with extravagant things. It felt damn good to give two shits now stripping down to his skin and crawling into sheets turned down that God only knew how long they’d been stretched over that mattress. The lights were off and he felt like a free man. The bed didn’t feel empty. Not like it had for there were none of his memories imbedded into this mattress or was there the scent of her hair on the pillows. There was no moonlight that filtered in threw the drapes. All he studied was the blue flame from the pilot light furnace outside his door. The walls were close around him and he felt secure in the bed just big enough for himself with not much room for a partner to speak of. But at this moment, he could care much less about company and certainly not any time soon. He had a good solid week before he’d start his new job and to get himself situated and he couldn’t be happier. Living in the city had just about taken it all out of him and his wife had ran him ragged. In the end it hadn’t mattered anyway for she had found herself with someone else and all of his years trying to appease and make her happy had now turned out in vain. Now that he was hundreds of miles north without a physical reminder of her to speak of, the memory of her creeped up into his brain as it usually did right before he fell asleep. He turned over on his side shifting the bed on its tired springs and tucked a pillow up and under his arm. “Knock it off.” He told himself fighting her image. Nights were the hardest for him even though he knew that she was laying down with another. Somewhere between a thought and another rain system moving threw that pelted the window pane, he fell asleep within the 1/2 hour. 

Morning came early and gave birth to a new day. The rain had stopped and the dawn filtered in from the foggy living room windows to his side of the bed coaxed  him to get up and get moving. Cash knew that he had plenty to do so getting up and out of bed wasn’t a hard thing to do. In fact, he was eager. Aside from the naked cupboards, he needed a coffee pot if he was going to remotely get anything accomplished. As he brushed his teeth standing in the bathroom door frame he devised a plan. That couch and arm chair were going to be the first damn things to get hauled out of there and next would be that 19 inch box tv. The bed wasn’t all that bad other then being a bit squeaky but one step at a time. Then there was the yard that he accessed standing in the window with his hands on his hips. There were years of oak leaves on the ground that were now heavily weighted down from the rain hiding every inch of the ground. It was small to begin with but apparently hadn’t been looked after for years. He’d make this his own before long. He checked his watch. It was just a bit before 8 and a cup of coffee would get him moving in the right productive direction. 

Daylight shed much more light on his property and expanded his view much further then what the internet pictures had allowed him to see. The colors were golden and beautiful in the grand tree tops he gathered looking to the sky stepping off his front porch. The river was still and the waters were high. It was hard telling how many days that the rains had been passing threw but at least for now, the skies were clearing. Everything was quiet and he knew that he had made the right decision to move there as he got in his car and pulled out of the drive onto the old two track dirt road. Cash had never been to Canton so he didn’t exactly know his way into town but where the dirt met the pavement and T’d off, it either could be a left or a right. He knew that he’d know these roads like the back of his hand before long. Being a detective navigation came naturally. If he could figure out every side road and alley blindfolded down in the projects, he was certain that he could figure out these country roads without much more effort. The scenic drive into town was a nice one and the left turn had been the right one for it took him straight into town. As the country view was a bit of culture shock, so was the Canton downtown area. For Canton, the street was hopping as it always was on a Monday morning. Trucks were bumper to bumper heading to work, SUV’s were making their way to school to drop kids off and the cattle trucks were heading towards the stock yards. “So this is the heart of Canton.” Cash chuckled finding himself sitting forward hugging the steering wheel sitting under the traffic light to absorb all of his surroundings. He couldn’t stop smiling. Life was going to be much easier and definitely move a hell of a lot slower. 

He had figured that he’d blend in amongst the towns people but what Cash didn’t know about small towns was that no one moved in, out at the river or not without going unscathed. In the city is where you blend. In the country, everyone knows your name and there was a side to choose. Which side of the tracks you fell onto would determine everything. He was about to get his feet wet when he made his first stop at a gas station for a hot cup of coffee. All eyes fell on him. Not only did his car hug the pavement, it was fast and it was black like the BatMobile. It most certainly sat odd man out amongst the pick up trucks at the pumps and the mini van off to the side but he himself also demanded attention. The car needed to go he realized and that was fine. He’d always wanted a Ford truck anyway. They just weren’t practical in the city and even if they were, Miranda wouldn't have approved. He felt the eyes on him as he stood pouring his coffee, returning the pot and fastening the lid. They all stared with no manners at all to look away when he turned from the counter. He was new, he was different and they all by now knew just who he was and what side of the law would he stand for? That was their biggest concern. It was the cashier who shed light on the gawking for him and took notice of him to speak out and question him as if he were a celebrity. “You’re in the paper.” She greeted  as he stepped forth and put his coffee on the counter & showed her his danish to reach for his wallet. “Come again?” He questioned. “Yeah, Sunday paper, The Canton Clever. Big write up on you.” She added and reached over the counter teetering in her hips to point to the newsstand. “It would be hard to mistake you.” She smiled as Cash had picked up and flattened out the paper before him. Sure shit. There was himself in uniform staring back at himself with his name in bold print. “You’re the new officer from the city who is going to straighten this town out.” She boldly added as Cash scanned the article. “So how come you’re not in uniform?” She pried. He shook his head slightly finding the article too long to properly read at the moment and what exactly did she mean by “sort this town out.”? It couldn’t possibly be gangs and the coed had spoken nothing of town troubles. But if towns folk were concerned to nail him with hopes of a hero there was definitely something being withheld. He unfolded his wallet to pay and be on his way. “It’s free.” She said waving her hand by his coffee cup as well as towards the danish and paper too. He gave her look which made her reply, “Cops don’t pay for coffee, papers or donuts.” She added as if it should’ve been a common given. “Handy to know. Thank you.” He replied with a curt nod and tucked the paper in 1/2 under his arm. The men standing in line behind him made no movement towards a hello but stood there passing judgement in their flannels and work boots. He nodded to them as well and pushed his way threw the chiming glass door. 

“What in the hell is this about?” He asked himself now with mild disgust getting back in car. He had wanted to come in under the radar, make folks believe that he was just a local transfer or fresh from the academy but there he was front and center in color taking up most of the front page and the article continued onto the following page. His coffee steamed up his windshield as he read his credentials even down to his divorce and looking to start fresh. The chief was an obvious ass and had zero business as making any of this public knowledge. He knew better. The chief was dirty and he needed someone to know without blatantly telling them about him. He tossed the paper on the passenger seat and realized that he’d be getting ahold of his new partner a lot sooner than anticipated. They’d have to have that beer like tonight. He would need to feel out his new partner too and brush up on the happenings in Canton.