Blood Orchid

20

Holly was about to go to lunch when Ed Shine called. “How are you, young lady?”

“Very well, Ed, and you?”

“I could hardly be better; sold another house, and my ad in the law enforcement journal you recommended has produced a prospect.”

“I’d be happy to talk to him for you,” she said, remembering her promise.

“That’s why I called. He’ll be in touch.”

“All right, what’s his-”

“Gotta run, honey. Let me know what you think, and remember, if for any reason you feel I shouldn’t hire him, you just say the word.”

“Okay, but…”

“Bye.” Ed hung up.

Holly stood up and stretched, feeling hungry. She was about to leave when Hurd Wallace appeared again. “That was quick,” she said. “You got something?”

“Not yet,” Hurd replied. “I’m here for the interview.”

“What interview?”

“Didn’t Ed Shine call you?”

That let the air out of Holly.“You’re Ed’s candidate?”

“I answered his ad.”

“Have a seat, Hurd,” she said, trying to collect herself.

Hurd pulled up a chair and sat down. “I saw the ad yesterday, and I faxed Shine my résumé.”

“Oh,” she replied. She hardly knew what to say next.

“He seemed to think I had a pretty good background,” Hurd said drolly.

“Well, of course you do, Hurd. I mean… this is something of a shock; I thought you were on board until retirement.”

“That’s pretty much what I thought,” Hurd said, “but next year I’ll have twenty-five on the job, and I was thinking of going fishing, anyway.”

“You fish?”

“Figuratively speaking. I thought I’d start a little business or do something part-time that would bring me enough income that, combined with my pension, would make life easy. Shine’s job looked a lot more attractive than that.”

“What’d he offer you?”

“Half again what I’m making, plus a really good benefits package.”

“God, I might be able to get you a ten percent raise if I went to the council and made a special request, but I couldn’t come close to that.”

“I know, Holly, and it’s all right. I don’t think I’m underpaid here, and I’m certainly not unhappy working for you, but Shine’s job looks awful attractive from where I’m sitting.”

“Has he told you what your duties would be?”

“Security; that’s about it. Between you and me, I believe I’d have to work hard at staying awake. It’s certainly not going to be as interesting as working in the department. I mean, we’re probably not going to have floaters turning up, like this morning.”

“I hope to God not,” Holly said. “Palmetto Gardens has made us enough work for a lifetime already.”

“Blood Orchid,” Hurd said solemnly.

“Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting, and Ed keeps reminding me.”

“He especially wanted you to know that he didn’t come to me,” Hurd said. “I just read the ad like everybody else. I got the impression that he’s really interested in my taking the job.”

“With my approval, of course,” Holly said, chuckling.

“I’m sorry to put you on the spot, but…”

“Oh, Hurd, I’ll give you the kind of recommendation that would keep him from even thinking about hiring somebody else.”

“I appreciate that, Chief.”

“How could I do anything else? You’ve been all I could have asked for in a deputy chief.”

“Thank you.”

“When would you want to go?”

“As soon as you’re comfortable.”

“Hurd, I’mnever going to be as comfortable with somebody else as I have been with you.”

“Thank you, again.”

“Tell me, who do you think would be good to replace you?”

Hurd looked at his feet. “Well… I thought about that, and-I hope this doesn’t sound egotistical-I don’t think there’s anybody in the department who’s ready for the job.”

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Holly said.

“They’re all too young and new at it. I admired your wanting to bring in young people, and I understood how that helped with your budgeting, since their salaries start lower, but I guess it’s kept us from having an obvious successor.”

“You’re right about that,” Holly said.

“Tell you the truth, it might be best not to hire one. You could parcel out my duties to three or four other people and get along without a deputy. Maybe before long one of them would start to look like somebody who could handle the whole thing.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Holly said. “At least, it would take the pressure off about searching for somebody to hire. I might get some flak from the city council, though, not having another experienced person around.”

“I could make a couple of phone calls that might help with that,” Hurd said. “I’d be happy to back you up. My advice would be to hang on to the part of the budget that pays me, though. The council will want to reduce your budget if you don’t replace me immediately. You could tell them that you’re just taking your time finding the right person.”

“You were always a better politician than I, Hurd,” Holly said, laughing. “That’s a very good idea.”

“Well,” Hurd said, standing, “I’d better get back to work. We ought to have something later today or early tomorrow on IDing your floater.”

“Okay, that’s soon enough.” She stood up and offered Hurd her hand. “You deserve this.”

Hurd shook her hand and went back to his office.

Holly sat down and called Ed Shine.

“Are we speaking?” Ed asked.

“Only just,” Holly replied.

“What kind of recommendation can you give Hurd Wallace?”

“Only the very best,” she said. “You’re very lucky to get him, and you’d better treat him right or I’ll arrest you on some spurious charge and put you in jail.”

“I didn’t go after him, Holly; he came to me.”

“I know he did, and I don’t blame him a bit. I want to ask a favor, though.”

“Shoot.”

“I want to hang onto him until I can reassign his duties to others in an orderly way.”

“And how long will that be?”

“I don’t know; two or three weeks-a month, maybe.”

“Take as much time with him as you need, sweetheart.”

“You’re getting yourself a good man, Ed.”

“I’d rather have you.”

“You always know how to say the right thing, don’t you?”

“I try.”

“Bye, Ed.”

“Bye-bye.”

Holly hung up and sighed. Oh, what the hell, she thought, everything changes. Just make it work.