Hothouse Orchid

44

Holly was having breakfast the following morning when the phone rang. “Hello?”

“Holly, it’s Jimmy.”

“Good morning, Jimmy. I heard about the clearing of the Bruno murders; I want to congratulate you.”

“Thanks, Holly. It’s a big relief. I want to ask a favor of you.”

“What do you need?”

“I need a letter of recommendation to the city council.”

“Recommending who for what?”

“Me for chief of police.”

“I see.”

“Bruno never appointed a deputy chief, and I’m the senior officer, so I’m acting chief. I’d like to have the council make it permanent, and a letter from you would be a big help.”

“All right, Jimmy, I’ll be glad to do that.”

“Can you fax it, then mail it?” He gave her the number.

“Sure, I’ll have it out within the hour. Have you asked Hurd?”

“Yes, and he’s agreed. You and Hurd are the best recommendations I could have.”

“When’s your interview?”

“This afternoon.”

“Good luck, Jimmy.” Holly hung up and put her dishes in the dishwasher, then she went into her secure office, fired up her computer and wrote the letter:

To the Orchid Beach City Council:

I wish to recommend James Weathers for the position of chief of police. Jimmy has been on the force for twelve years now, and I participated in his training as a detective. I always found him eager to learn, organized, efficient and meticulous in his work, and I am sure he would bring these traits to the position of chief. He has the respect of the entire force and mine, as well.

Holly signed it, faxed it and left the envelope in her mailbox for pickup. When she got back to the house, the phone was ringing.

“Hello?”

“Holly, it’s Hurd.”

“Good morning, Hurd, and congratulations on wrapping up the Bruno case.”

“Thanks, but you know very well that we got lucky.”

“Sometimes you need luck.”

“I know. Has Jimmy Weathers spoken to you this morning?”

“Yes, and I wrote him a recommendation, faxed it and mailed it. He told me you had agreed to do so, too.”

“I did, after he told me you had agreed.”

Holly thought it best not to mention that Jimmy had told her Hurd had already agreed. “I think he’ll do a good job.”

“I guess he will. He never gave me any cause to doubt his ability.”

“Well, I hope he gets it.”

“Yes. Lauren told me you asked some time-line questions about Jimmy.”

“I did.”

“I just want you to know that I had the same questions, but they were answered to my satisfaction. Also, I had the benefit of seeing Jimmy work the scene, and I thought he did a good job there, too.”

“I’m glad we’re in agreement, Hurd, and I know you’re glad to get this one off your desk. I’m sure the governor will be pleased, too.”

“I expect so. Well, I’ll get my letter for Jimmy off now. I hope to see you again before you go back to Virginia.”

“You’ll have to come by for a drink, Hurd.”

“Thanks.” He said goodbye and hung up.

Well, Holly thought, I underestimated Jimmy’s capacity for low cunning; he was smart enough to tell both Hurd and me that the other had agreed to write a letter.

Clad in a freshly pressed suit, Jimmy Weathers presented himself in the offices of the city council. He stood and waited in the reception room, not wishing to spoil the crease in his trousers.

The phone on the reception desk buzzed, and the secretary answered it. “Yes, ma’am,” she said, and hung up. “You can go in now, Jimmy,” she said.

Jimmy walked into the council chamber and found all the chairs at the long table filled. He knew these people; some of them had known him since childhood.

“Please sit down, Detective Weathers,” said Irma Taggert, the council chairperson.

Jimmy took the lone chair facing the curved table. “Good morning,” he said to all of them.

“Good morning,” Irma replied. She seemed less unpleasant than usual. “Detective, we each have a copy of your application and a package containing your performance reviews since you joined the force. We want to congratulate you on amassing a very good record over the past twelve years.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Jimmy replied.

“You’re…” she consulted his application, “thirty-six years old, is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“We’ve never had a chief that young,” she said.

“I know,” Jimmy said, “but I do have twelve years on the job, and I would like to point out that all my experience has been in Orchid Beach, which I think gives me an advantage over applicants from other jurisdictions.”

“Good point,” Taggert said. “And we do have favorable recommendations from two past chiefs, Holly Barker and Hurd Wallace.”

“I appreciate those,” Jimmy said, “and I’m confident that the late Chief Marley, who originally hired me, would have recommended me if he could have.”

“Does anyone have any questions to ask the detective?” Taggert asked.

“Jimmy,” one of the men said, “how do you feel about the current staffing of the force?”

“Well, we’re short a deputy chief, and we should have one.”

“Do you know why Chief Bruno didn’t offer you the job?”

“He told me he was considering me and he thought I was qualified, but I had the impression he might have preferred to bring in someone he had known in the army.”

“If you’re promoted, is there anyone currently on the force that you’d promote to deputy chief?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’d hire from outside. However, I would promote someone from within to fill my detective’s slot.”

“I see. So all you’d need to hire would be a deputy chief?”

“For the moment,” Jimmy said. “I’d also continue to work cases as a detective. I don’t think there’s enough administrative work to take up all my time.”

“So we could decrease the departmental budget?”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Jimmy replied. “I’d like to have the budget to hire another officer, should we need one.”

Jimmy was asked a few more questions, then thanked and dismissed.

“We’ll be in touch,” Irma Taggert said.

Jimmy left the room feeling that his interview had gone well.