Chapter 51
As soon as Chief Inspector O’Reilly and Miller left the hospital, they went straight to the mayor’s office. His secretary buzzed them in and they went into his office. "Welcome back Chief Inspector and Sergeant Miller. How has your investigation been going and have you found out what you need to press charges against Sheriff Higgins?”
"We’ve got Caulder in protective custody at the local hospital.” Sean reported. “He’s in a coma right now from various injuries and traumas that he sustained. At least the doctors say he’s in a coma but I’m not so sure. He could be faking it. He’s as cunning as a fox, this one. He’s not to be trusted.
"Anyway, we got DNA from him and it matches Higgins’ DNA. We can start to prosecute him for the murder of Maggie Caulder’s husband Tom, and the rape of her.” O’Reilly stated emphatically.
"That’s good to hear but disturbing at the same time. If he is in fact guilty, it will be good to get him locked up. However, he has been an asset to this community. I had sort of hoped that the DNA didn’t match but after you told me about him sending those men after you and your sergeant, I wasn’t so sure.” The mayor spoke and then fell silent.
It was Miller who spoke next. “Mr. Mayor, you can be sure that if Sean has a hunch about something, then it most likely is true. More times than not, he has gone on his instincts, and they have proven to be correct.”
"Yes I am sure you are correct sergeant. It’s just that I treated him like a son. It kind of deflates you a little when you put so much trust in someone and then you find out that they have fooled you and every one around you.”
Sean spoke up. “Don’t worry sir. If he is guilty, and I feel he is, then he will get what’s been coming to him for a long time. You can be sure about that.”
"Yes I am sure you are correct. What can I do to help in your case against him?” The mayor asked and you could tell that he was truly interested in putting Higgins away. He seemed to be the type of man that would go to any length to punish those who did him wrong.
"What I need from you Mr. Mayor is a list of anyone who might have known what Higgins was up to so many years ago. We need people to say what he was really like, that in fact he was and probably still is a murderer and rapist.” Sean spoke and you could tell that he was thinking about the attack that happened to Miller and himself a little while ago. "Miller and I will also testify to the fact that the goons sent after us were in fact hired by Higgins.”
The mayor added. “I will testify to the jury what Maggie said to me. It is as clear to me as it was the day that she told me about Higgins raping her and shooting her husband without even warning him to stop. With what you have told me and with my and other citizens’ testimonies, I am sure that you will get the conviction you are looking for.”
"I hope you are right. I want to get a solid case against him. I think I’ll go over to the jail and have a little chat with him.” O’Reilly stated and Miller again saw a glint in Sean’s eye that he hadn’t seen in a long time.
"Do you want me to come along boss?” Miller asked but he already knew the answer.
"No, I just want to have a few words with the slime ball before we ship him off to prison. Once we get Higgins taken care of, we can have Caulder sent to Cleveland to start processing him on the murder charges."
"Okay boss, give him my regards. I’ll get us a couple of rooms at the inn across the street”. Miller replied. Now he was sure he knew what was on Sean’s mind. He wanted to see Higgins for sure, but he most likely wanted to speak with the secretary Cindy Stevens in private. It was a long time since Sean had taken a fancy to any girl and Miller was happy for him. He hoped the chief inspector would get to know her the way he knew that Sean wanted to. Sean said his goodbyes to the mayor and Miller and then left to go over to the jail. Miller could have sworn that he heard O’Reilly whistling as he left. Yes, Miller knew that Cindy was on his boss’s mind.
The Sergeant shook hands with the mayor and then he went over to the inn to arrange accommodations for himself and his boss. It would be nice if Miss Stevens was as happy to see Sean again as his boss was going to be to see her. Miller knew that Sean had been thinking about her quite a bit lately even though he never discussed it.
He had worked with Sean for more years than he cared to think about, and he could basically read his boss like a book. He knew that O’Reilly had fallen quite hard for the secretary. A little female company was what Sean needed. He put all his time into solving cases, and he had not much time for the fairer sex. Miller knew that Cindy would be good for his boss. And who knows. Maybe things would develop into something more than a casual acquaintance. Only time would tell.
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