Read Through the Evil Days: A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery (Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries) for Free Online Page B

which made him pretty much unavailable for an investigation, a temporary arrangement Russ had signed off on.
    “I know it’s a bad time. And I know if I stay and work the case we won’t have as much overtime. But let’s face it, there’s never a good time.” Russ looked at the corkboard, full to overflowing with circ sheets, alerts, and be-on-lookout faxes. “There’s always going to be some case going on. There’s always going to be a good reason to come in early and stay late and drop in on the weekend and postpone the vacation.” He looked at Lyle. “I screwed up my first marriage because whenever the choice came between Linda and my job, I picked the job. Every. Damn. Time. I’m not going to make the same mistake with Clare.”
    “You’ve got some all-new mistakes to make with her, huh?”
    Russ snorted. “No doubt.” He picked up the case file Lyle had thrust into his hands and gave it back it to his deputy. “You already know you can run this place without me. Put Kevin on as lead investigator with Knox as his support.”
    “Kevin? The guy who trips over himself with excitement when we’ve got a homicide? Paired with Knox, who was working as a California car-show model two years ago.” Lyle stuck out his leg. “Pull the other one.”
    “They’re perfectly capable. We sent Kevin off on those TDYs to upgrade his skill set. Time to get our money’s worth out of him.” Before he jumped ship for Syracuse. “And Knox may still be a little green, but she’s smart and tough. She wasn’t showing off cars on a turntable when she was working for the DOC.” In fact, it had been Hadley’s stint as a prison guard that had convinced Russ to hire her.
    Lyle made a noise that was a cross between skepticism and surrender. Russ slapped his arm. “You and I aren’t going to be here forever. We’ve got to give the next generation a chance to step into our shoes once in a while.” He grinned. “I can just see it now. Chief Flynn and Deputy Chief Knox.”
    “The day Kevin Flynn puts on your badge is the day I hole up in my fishing shack on Raquette Lake. Stock the place with a few hundred pounds of that freeze-dried crap and wait for the end of the world.”
    “Well, don’t plan your retirement yet. You and I—”
    “Chief!” Harlene called. “Better get in here.”
    “What?” Russ looked at his watch. “Is it Clare?”
    “No. Get over here.” In times of stress, the dispatcher ignored the convenient fiction that Russ was her boss. He and Lyle crossed the hall into the dispatch room.
    Harlene waved them closer, setting her springy gray curls in motion. “Hold on a sec, Merva,” she said into her headset. She snapped a switch. “Okay, I’ve put you on the speaker. The chief’s right here.”
    “Russell?”
    He recognized the voice. Merva was one of his father’s cousins, halfway between his parents’ generation and his own. She worked in the town clerk’s office. “Yeah, Merva, I’m here. What’s up?”
    “You need to get over here to the town hall and you need to do it right now. They’re talking about the police department.”
    Russ frowned. “Who is?”
    “The aldermen. They’re going into a closed-door meeting.” Meaning the public hadn’t been notified in advance.
    “It’s okay, Merva. I’ve put in a request to hire another officer. They’re probably in there complaining about the cost.” The only thing they liked to bitch about more than the MKPD was the road department.
    “They’re not complain’ about hiring a new officer.” Merva dropped her voice. “They’re talking about getting rid of you.”
    “Me? What do you mean?” Russ’s contract had just been renewed at the start of the fiscal year.
    “No, no, not you, personally.” She sounded flustered. “The department. The whole police department. They’re talking about getting the state police to take over patrolling here and Cossayuharie and Fort Henry. There’s been other towns done it and saved lots