Breaking Point

10

On his way to the Holiday Inn to meet his new director for breakfast, Joe drove past the Twelve Sleep County Municipal Airport on the bench above the town. Despite a high chain-link fence that surrounded the perimeter, a small herd of pronghorn antelope had come back and were grazing between the two runways. Because adult pronghorns ranged from eighty to one hundred fifty pounds, they obviously posed a safety hazard to incoming aircraft and themselves, although they usually had the sense to get far out of the way.

If he didn’t have the appointment, Joe thought, he would pull over and shoo them away by firing blank.22 cracker shells. If the pronghorns continued to hang out between the runways, he might need to dart them and transport them somewhere else in his district. The prospect of a small propeller passenger plane striking one or more gave him a shudder.

And beyond the grazing pronghorns, parked in front of the state-owned hangar, was a glittering eight-passenger Cessna Encore jet. On the tail was the familiar bucking-horse-and-rider logo. It was known as Rulon One-the governor’s plane.

Joe checked his watch as he walked through the aging atrium to the restaurant in the back of the hotel. He was on time. He tried to guess what she might look like, thinking: trim, probably fashionable, businesslike, professional, tightly wound and anxious. He spotted her sitting alone in a booth next to the wall, speed-reading the Casper Star-Tribune, an iPhone within quick reach next to her cup of coffee.

Lisa Greene-Dempsey looked up as he approached her. There was no doubting who she was, and he congratulated himself for profiling her well enough to identify. She practically fell over herself getting up, he thought, tossing the newspaper aside and striding across the carpet to greet him. She took his extended right hand in both of hers and pumped it, and said, “The infamous Joe Pickett-I’m so happy to meet you.”

He said, “Infamous?”

“Probably the wrong choice of words,” she said, pulling him to her booth, still holding his hand. “Call me LGD.”

“Okay, LGD.” He removed his hat and placed it crown-down next to him.

“Director LGD,” she said with a tight smile.

She was slim and tall with severely straight light brown hair parted just off-center on the top of her head. It was streaked with gray and cut along her jawline so it gave the impression of long hair without being long. She had high cheekbones and wore designer glasses that drew attention to her already oversized blue eyes. She smiled enthusiastically with her entire mouth, upper and lower teeth framed by a box of thin lips and thrust out at him in an overeager way. Joe felt more than slightly bowled over by the sheer intensity of her studied sincerity.

He hadn’t even settled in the seat across from her before she started talking.

“On my run this morning with the sun just lighting up the mountains, I thought: what a magnificent place this is,” she said, waggling her fingers in the air. “Mountains and fresh air, clean water in the streams, and I even saw some mule deer along the path. Two females and their babies, just watching me run past them, and I thought: we need to preserve this for future generations. They need to see and experience nature in the same way we do, and I’m afraid we sometimes take what we’ve got for granted, you know?”

Joe said, “Yup.”

“I think an important part of our agency’s mission should be to encourage the appreciation and sense of wonder a viable wildlife population brings us. I hope that doesn’t sound too touchy-feely, but I believe it.”

Joe nodded in agreement, but had trouble keeping eye contact because her look was so. . intense. He was relieved when the waitress came over and asked for his order.

“He doesn’t have a menu,” Greene-Dempsey said archly to the waitress.

The server was middle-aged and overweight, with broad features, stout legs, and a no-nonsense set to her mouth. Her name badge said MAYVONNE. She’d worked at the restaurant for as long as Joe could remember, and she was known for sass. She took a deep breath, as if holding her tongue was a struggle, glanced at Joe, then glared at his new boss.

“That’s okay,” Joe told MayVonne quickly, trying to avert an outbreak of hostilities. “I’ll have the usual.”

As MayVonne filled his coffee cup she said, “Two eggs over-easy, ham, wheat toast, no hash browns?”

“Yup.”

“Ketchup and Tabasco on the side?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She grunted and turned on her heel for the kitchen.

“The service here could be better,” Greene-Dempsey said, watching the waitress retreat. “And the food. .” she said, making a face and gesturing to her picked-through fruit plate. “It’s not exactly fresh. Who knows how long it’s been sitting around back there?”

“We’re a long way from fruit orchards and the ocean,” Joe said. “I don’t eat much that doesn’t come from somewhere closer.” He shrugged. “It’s sort of part of the deal.”

Greene-Dempsey shot a look at the swinging batwing doors to the kitchen MayVonne had pushed through.

She said, “She needs to work on her attitude.”

Joe shrugged and said, “MayVonne has a boy in Afghanistan and a husband who can’t find work. This is her second job. I cut her a little slack.”

“Oh,” LGD said, embarrassed.

Greene-Dempsey said, “Before we discuss the matter at hand, I want to completely clear the air as far as you and the department goes.”

Joe looked up. “I didn’t know there was air to clear.”

She laughed uncomfortably and said, “Of course there is, but not to worry. As far as I’m concerned, we all start fresh. It’s a brand-new day, and it will soon be a rebranded agency, and I want all of my people-all of my team-to know that whatever happened in the past stays in the past. As I said, we all start fresh. The slate is wiped clean.”

She said it with a sense of triumph.

When Joe didn’t respond, she said, “Some people might have been troubled by things that have happened along the way. Some might say a certain game warden was a little too close in proximity when a former director was brutally killed, or a little too familiar with a certain federal fugitive who lived nearby. Some might say that a career history marked by certain periods of defiance to policy and outright insubordination are indicators of future defiance to policy and future insubordination. But those people would be wrong.”

Before Joe could respond and ask who “those people” were, Greene-Dempsey said, “I have something for you.”

“What-my severance papers?”

She laughed loudly, and playfully slapped the back of his hand. “You’re such a character,” she said.

He knew he grimaced.

“Here,” she said, handing over a large, thick legal-sized envelope.

He took it.

“Open it,” she said, her eyes sparkling.

Joe worked his finger under the seal, ripped it open, and dumped the contents on the table. The items consisted of a laminated card, a Game and Fish Department badge, and a smaller envelope.

“I’ve already got a badge,” he said, puzzled.

“Look at the number,” she said, gleaming.

It took him a second to realize what she meant, then he read JOE PICKETT, GAME WARDEN, #21.

“Your number has been restored to where it would have been if you’d never had that unfortunate incident a few years back,” she said. “I asked my staff to do the research, and you’d now be number twenty-one. And that’s what you are again, so congratulations, Joe. And welcome back.”

He fingered the badge. The laminated card also indicated his new-restored-numerical designation. In one fell swoop he’d moved twenty-seven rankings.

“Thank you,” he said.

“In the envelope is a letter from me making it all official.”

“I appreciate it.”

She nodded and said, “When they told me how important those numbers are to game wardens, how the lowest number represents the most years in service, I realized how disenfranchised you must feel. Anyone would.”

She raised her index finger and touched the side of her jaw, as if demonstrating the act of thinking. She said, “So I thought, what would cause a game warden to act out? What would make a good solid employee by all accounts responsible for three times as much damage to state property than any other employee in a large agency? It puzzled me, at first, but when I asked about your history, I found out a previous director had taken away your status. You literally were disenfranchised. So I put two and two together.”

Joe felt himself flushing with embarrassment.

“This really isn’t necessary,” he said. “I’m fine with my badge number.”

“You say that,” she said, mischievously, as if she knew better.

“Really,” he said. “But I appreciate the effort.”

“Of course,” she said. “Like I said, it’s a new day. There are people who thought easing out people like you might be the best thing for the department as we begin our transformation.”

Joe said, “Who are these people who are always saying things?”

“Never mind that,” she said dismissively. “The governor thinks the world of you.”

“He does?”

“He told me so himself. He also made a reference to some special work you did for him once, but he didn’t get specific.”

“I see,” Joe said, not elaborating. If the governor hadn’t told her how the arrangement had worked and what he’d done for him, Joe took that as a cue not to tell her, either.

“Where is the governor, by the way?” Joe asked, looking around. Both the restaurant and the lobby were vacant.

“Oh, he’s here,” she said. “We checked in together last night. At the same time, I should say.” She rolled her eyes and blushed at the implication, even though Joe hadn’t made it. “So I suspect he’s working in his room or meeting with local officials. You can’t imagine how stressful it is to run an agency like mine, much less the entire state.”

Joe could imagine. He wished, though, that LGD would stop referring to “her” agency, “her” team, and “her” staff. He hoped it was a matter of semantics.

Instead, he said, “And what do you mean by transformation?” He was thinking of Bill Haley’s decision to retire.

She said, “I’ve reviewed the duties of a game warden. It’s supposed to be one-third resource management, one-third landowner and community relations, and one-third law enforcement, right?”

“Right.”

“What I see, though, is most wardens skew heavily on law enforcement at the expense of the other two. And wildlife appreciation needs to figure somewhere in that mix.”

He nodded cautiously, agreeing but wondering where she was going.

“I want to change the agency for the better, Joe, and I’m asking you for your support.”

“My support?”

“I’m creating a new position: field liaison. The field liaison would serve directly under me and be my eyes, ears, and advocate for new policy with game wardens and biologists across the state. I know how hardheaded and set in their ways many of these men can be, but they might be persuaded if someone they know and trust-and admire-fills the position. Someone who has been where they are and knows their issues. That someone would be you.”

Joe said, “You’re offering me a new job?”

“You don’t have to answer right now, but I want you to really think hard about it. Believe me, there are people in Cheyenne at headquarters who think I’m crazy. You are not the most popular guy with some of them. They point to your record with state-issued vehicles, for example. But as far as the game wardens go-I haven’t heard a bad word. They would listen to what you have to say.”

Joe didn’t respond.

She continued, “Your salary would increase by eighteen thousand dollars, and you’d move up two grades.”

“Where is the job based?”

“Cheyenne, of course. I even have an office picked out next to mine, and we can share the same administrative staff.”

“Cheyenne?”

“That’s where our office is.”

Joe had done his best over the years to avoid trips to headquarters. He knew several old game wardens who prided themselves on never darkening the halls of the agency building for their entire careers.

“I’m flattered you asked me,” Joe said, “but I really have to think this through and talk to my wife. She’s got a business deal going here right now.”

“Of course you should talk with her,” LGD said. “I wouldn’t expect anything different.”

“I need to hear a lot more about the changes you’re proposing,” Joe said. “I would be a lousy advocate if I didn’t agree with them.”

“Of course,” she said, sitting back. “We’ll have time for that later. But one thing I’m adamant about is reducing the number of wardens in the field and replacing them with people more attuned to new thinking.”

He looked at her. “Are you saying my job might go away?”

“Nothing is set in stone.”

She leaned forward across the table, and her eyes got even bigger. “Joe, this is the twenty-first century, and it’s time for a new paradigm. It isn’t the Wild West anymore, and hasn’t been for quite some time. I realize that it used to be that game wardens out in the field were given almost complete autonomy, and that probably worked back when Game and Fish meant Guts and Feathers. But we all need to realize we’re not just here to check hunting licenses anymore. We’re here to save and protect a precious resource.”

Joe said, “You think all we do is check hunting licenses?”

“No, of course not, but we can get into all that later,” Greene-Dempsey said. “Along with your plans to recover another department vehicle that I understand is still stuck somewhere in the mountains?”

“In a snowfield,” Joe said. “I need to get it out.”

“Yes, you do,” she said, her face turning hard for a split second before recovering. “But first you need to know that I pledged Mr. Batista and Mr. Underwood our full cooperation in their investigative efforts. By extension, that means you.”

Joe whistled.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

MayVonne arrived with his breakfast, and he started on it while Greene-Dempsey sent her plate back and asked the waitress to bring one with only the freshest fruit. MayVonne took another deep breath and stomped off toward the kitchen.

“They’re too heavy-handed,” Joe said when LGD asked about the status of the investigation. “I realize a terrible crime has taken place and we need to find the bad guy. But the way this Batista is going about it. .”

“They’re doing what they think they need to do,” she said. “And we’ve pledged our cooperation and assistance. The governor is fully on board with this.”

“He is?” Joe said, knowing Governor Rulon’s legendary battles with the federal government over a range of contentious issues. He had once challenged the secretary of interior to an arm-wrestling match to determine a state versus federal policy on wolves, for example.

“We really don’t need to get into the political weeds on this,” she said. “It’s not something you need to get involved in. But can you assure me you’ll provide your full assistance and expertise to Mr. Batista and Mr. Underwood?”

Joe took a sip of coffee. “Yes,” he said, “as long as they calm down a little. They’ve been offering rewards to nail Butch Roberson. That’s not the way to do this.”

“No caveats,” she said, again instant steel. “Do I have your assurance?”

Joe took a deep breath and said, “Sure. They haven’t called me yet to meet with them, but I expect that will happen later today. I might be able to help them and make sure it’s not some kind of execution at the same time. I don’t trust this Underwood guy. He seems like the type who would love to pull the trigger on Butch. Maybe I can stop him, and make sure Butch is behind bars where he belongs-for his own safety, if nothing else.”

“That’s good, Joe,” she said, though without her previous enthusiasm. “You sound like you have doubts about their motives.”

“I don’t doubt their motives one bit,” Joe said. “They’ve got two special agents down. I’d be the same if it were two game wardens. But they need to let the sheriff do his job.”

When she looked at him askance, Joe said, “We see this kind of thing too much, and it’s a big problem. Sometimes the Feds are too quick to rush in and assume everyone local is incompetent. It’s like an absentee owner who overreacts because they want to make sure everyone knows who’s boss.”

“But it’s a federal matter, not a local matter.”

“Do you know the story behind it?” Joe asked.

“I’ve heard some things.”

“It’s one of the worst things I’ve ever heard,” Joe said, “if true. And it’s not the first time it’s happened.”

She said, “That isn’t our concern right now. I’m sure you’re aware of the conflicts going on between the state and the federal government on a variety of fronts. There has even been talk that the Department of Justice and the Department of Interior may sue us because of decisions Governor Rulon has made. He doesn’t want another problem.”

“No one does.”

“Maybe,” she said, reaching across the table and touching his hand again in an odd gesture that belied what she said next: “Maybe you’re a little too close to the people involved.”

Joe looked back, stung by the truth in it, and said, “And maybe you’re too far away.”

Her smile wasn’t a smile at all, and he knew at that moment that one of the reasons she was offering him the new job fell partially under the category of Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Her iPhone started skittering across the table, and she caught it and looked at the display screen.

“I need to take this,” she said. “See what I mean about pressures?” And she slid out of the booth. He watched her as she walked swiftly through the atrium, talking on the cell and gesticulating wildly with her free hand.

She returned as he finished his breakfast. A new fruit plate had been delivered that, Joe thought, looked exactly like the first, except moister. He wondered if MayVonne and the cook had spit on it.

Lisa Greene-Dempsey glared at it and pushed it aside and said, “There has to be somewhere I can get fresh food in this town if I have to go to the supermarket myself. Unfortunately, I came here in the governor’s Suburban and I don’t know where he is right now. I assume your town doesn’t have any taxis?”

“Correct. But I’d be happy to take you,” Joe said.

“You would?” she asked, genuinely pleased.

“I’ve got an errand to run first,” he said, “if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

He grabbed the check. He didn’t feel right about her buying his breakfast when she didn’t eat.

Joe said, “Before you make all your plans to transform the agency, do you want to come along and see a little of what I do?”

“Then you’ll take me to the supermarket?” she asked, looking at her watch.

“Yup. Come with me, Director LGD.”

“I’ll get my jacket.”

At the cash register, MayVonne looked at him and shook her head.

“Piece of work you’ve got there,” she said.

“My new boss.”

“I could tell she wasn’t from around here. Is she staying long?”

Joe shrugged.

“Because if she does, her and me are going to go round and round like two wet socks,” MayVonne said, ringing him up.

Joe grinned. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he got the gist.

“One more thing,” MayVonne said, lowering her voice in a way that made Joe take notice. “If those assholes did to Butch Roberson like I heard they did, I hope he takes out the whole damned lot of them.”

Joe said, “You may not want to mention that to the governor if you see him.”

She said, “I already did.”

“What?”

“I saw him this morning,” she said with a wry grin. “He had biscuits and gravy, and he left me a nice tip.”

“Did he say where he was going?”

“Yeah,” she said, smirking. “He said he was going crazy.”