Chapter 21

 

Bob indeed had begun to panic. The heat was now on between he and Negan like there never had been before. He shouldn’t have frozen the way that he had . He should have just taken the extra shots when he had failed. He had panicked because of their reactions. Their screams had been unearthly, haunting and unreal. It had him frozen. He had sworn that he had seen fangs on them both. Those canines weren’t normal. Had he been seeing things? He didn’t know because he certainly had heard their cries and those were unmistakable. Even the animals had taken flight. What was quiet moments before, the woods seemed to have come alive in its own panic once Officer Howlett dropped to his knees in an injured scream. Negan would know who had done it too. There would be no guessing game. He should have just shot him dead but he didn’t. He now regretted it. 

Once Negan had led Officer Howlett out of the woods, Bob was on the hustle. He had to get his stand out of the tree and to erase any trace that he had been there. Negan also hadn’t taken the arrow or his broad head that he had pulled out of Officer Howlett. He wasn’t negligent or stupid by any means. Negan just didn’t need it to prove shit and he wasn’t asking either. He had to get to Chief Barnes in a big fucking hurry.

Chief Barnes had just finished his supper wanting a long work day to end when Bob Mackey showed up at his front door. He knew there was trouble because Bob Mackey didn’t just show up for shits and giggles. “Bob.” Ted greeted reading the worry in his face. Now that was new. Bob didn’t sweat a damn thing but there he stood, white as a ghost. “We’ve got a big fucking issue.” Bob said as Ted greeted him to cross his threshold. “Coldwell?” Ted questioned closing the door behind his guest. “Oh, that’s a big fucking understatement. Has any call come in? Apparently not.” He was quick to answer with his own question and the fact that the chief hadn’t been alerted was eerie as well. Certainly any Officer that had been brought into the ER having been shot would certainly have the chief alerted as well as the whole damn department and yet there had been nothing. “What’s happened?” He asked leading Bob in to have a seat. Bob didn’t know where to begin with the whole mess. He thought he’d start out with how Negan and Officer Howlett came to be together in the first place. “Well, first of all, it turns out that Negan Coldwell is a fucking faggot.” He waved angrily above his head  as if it were a personal attack to himself. Ted’s stare narrowed behind Bob’s back. Ted had an adult gay son. He didn’t openly share that he did and he and his son’s relationship had been anything but smooth if not strained because he was gay but that didn’t mean that Bob’s slander sat well with him either. “Explains a whole fucking lot if you ask me. Fucking queer.” Bob scowled further helping himself to a seat. “What’s your point here, Bob?” The chief asked and for the first time found compassion for Negan. This was the exact worry he had for his son. People like Bob. “Well, guess who in the fuck is goddamn butt buddy?” He elevated tensely straightening his composure as if the words alone would find him cast into the pits of hell. The chief tilted his head in question. Bob Mackey was an asshole. He’d been dealing with him for a very long time and he was almost wondering now if Negan really was the lesser of two evils. “Your promise to take care of Canton’s fucking problem, Officer Howlett.” Bob hissed twisting in his seat. He was holding Chief Barnes accountable for choosing so poorly. The chief now honestly shook his head in disbelief. “Oh fucking right they are. I saw it with my own damn eyes, Ted.” He defended pointing his fingers to his eye balls. Ted immediately thought back of his visit to his new officer and how he had declined meeting anyone. In fact, he had interrupted Officer Howlett intimately entertaining someone. Ted hadn’t recognized the pick up trucks in the drive that day and he did find it odd that any female would choose either of those trucks to drive. Sure, plenty of women drove trucks but these two trucks were definitely of a different nature and one in particular had a goose neck hitch on the back. A goose neck meant that it hauled some pretty heavy trailers. That diesel dually had to be Negan Coldwell’s. Negan would need that set up to haul his horses. Negan being Officer Howlett’s company would also explain why he was rushed from staying too long. Officer Howlett didn’t want to be caught with Negan, Canton’s thorn in it’s side. His side. Ted was just in disbelief. Officer Howlett just did not give off any gay vibes. Certainly much different then his estranged son’s and any partner of his son’s that he’d been introduced to. Officer Howlett was indeed one hell of a detective so maybe, possibly this was part of gaining Negan Coldwell’s trust? What was Officer Howlett’s limit? How far would he go? He just didn’t fully believe it. “Well, there’s nothing that I can do about a man’s sexual preference, Bob. I don’t know what you want me to do here. I can put Howlett in for a transfer and maybe if we’re lucky, Coldwell will follow.” Ted suggested clearing his throat and actually thought it was a good suggestion. Bob shook his head no in disgust. “Well, that’s all I can think of. I can move Howlett out of our precinct. He certainly took a step down coming to Canton. He isn’t making a 1/4 of his salary as he had in Burbon City. Maybe Coldwell is why he chose Canton for his transfer.” Ted groaned knowing that Bob wasn’t going to let it go. Bob was the kind of person who had the mentality that he’d turn into a pillar of salt or that he’d catch being gay somehow. “A transfer isn’t going to be good enough.” Bob hesitated. Now he had brought a lot to the chief but he had yet to have a pulled such a stunt as he had. Again, he regretted not taking those extra shots. He could’ve solved this all on his own. 

Bob knew that he had Chief Barnes wrapped around his pinky when it came to many matters but he wasn’t sure about this. “I was in my tree stand, I saw Coldwell and Howlett walking in the woods.” He began. Ted nodded of the irrelevance. “Well, Coldwell..” Bob stalled in a gag. “And?” Ted pried. Bob’s glare bored a hole into Ted. “He pinned Howlett to a tree opposite my stand. They didn’t know that I was there.” Bob embellished but was having a difficult time spitting it out. “Obviously.” Ted added. “I thought I’d take care of it for good. I pulled an arrow and aimed for the kill shot. Coldwell’s back was to me.” He admitted but failed to add in the fact that his intent was to take them both out with one shot. “In a split second, Howlett must’ve sensed me or something because he had pushed Coldwell out of the way at the last second and as I shot, Howlett took the arrow to the shoulder right under his clavicle.” He stated. “You shot one of my men?” Ted heated. “That’s a federal fucking offense. He is not only an officer, he is a heavily decorated officer AND once Marine!” He shouted. “I will take you down with me Ted.” Bob fired back leaping from his chair with his threat. “I will take you with me. Don’t think that I won’t.” He yelled throwing a finger in Ted’s direction. Ted ground his jaw. He didn’t doubt Bob in the slightest. “And how do you fucking suppose I cover THIS up? You shot an officer. Even if you killed him, Coldwell is NOT going to forget this. He knows damn well who took that shot and it wasn’t some fucking misfire at a buck either. Coldwell isn’t stupid and we both fucking know it.” Ted said standing to pace his living room floor. Bob watched as his heat now became Chief Barnes’. Ted paced and raked his fingers threw his hair. “All I’m asking is for you to look the other fucking way. Me and my boys will finish the job. Coldwell and Howlett both.” Bob devised. “This is going to hit the media like this. There will be a federal investigation.” Ted said snapping his fingers and then he now too realized that no call had come in from the hospital. That was strange. “No call has come in.” He said reaching for his phone to call the hospital to see if Howlett had been admitted. Bob waited on the edge of his seat listening to Ted talking with the ER doctor on staff and no, he hadn’t come in for treatment. “Are you sure you landed the shot?” Ted asked ending the call. “I fucking watched Coldwell pull the fucking arrow out of his body. Howlett then stood and Coldwell led him out of the woods.” Bob recalled shaking his head. “Well, it doesn’t make sense. He needs medical attention.” Ted said making up his mind that he was going to find Howlett himself and went to his catch all bowl for his keys and grabbed his jacket. “I’ll keep you posted.” Ted said making it obvious that they were done there for now. He had to do some real quick soul searching himself. It wasn’t Coldwell that needed stopped. It was Bob. He’d gone too far but he wasn’t going to make that any of Bob’s business right now.