"I wish the whole business would just go away," she muttered.
"That's not going to happen."
"No," she answered with a sigh. "I don't suppose it is."
Dean wanted to ask when she might return but was hesitant about appearing to hurry her from her mother's bedside. "I miss you," was all he said.
Dean turned at the sound of the shop door opening to see Sheriff Jake Weller standing, hands on hips, staring down at him. "Gotta go," he said to his wife and hung up.
"How's the little lady?" Weller asked
"What do I have, some sort of tracking device stuck in my shorts?" Dean asked.
"I just recognized your bike. Is your phone at home busted?" he asked as he sat down and asked Priscilla for a coffee. He then added, "Or do you figure it's tapped?"
"Is it?"
Weller smiled. "I'm a law man. I wouldn't be giving out that kind of information now, would I?"
Priscilla handed the Weller a coffee cup without being asked, a sure sign the sheriff was a regular. Then, sensing the need for their privacy, she moved to the far room and began shuffling books.
"Which one of these damn contraptions is the real thing?" Weller asked, eying the dispenser suspiciously. "If there's anything I can't stand it's tutti-fruitti coffee."
Dean motioned to one of the units. "If you're looking for an update on what's happening at Bird Song, you're out of luck."
The sheriff filled his cup. "Today I'm delivering information, not collecting. I got the poop on Shipton's condition. He banged himself up fairly badly-broke a couple of ribs, did something to his knee and leg, whacked his head pretty good and cut up his face. Lots of bruises. The word is he fell a pretty fair distance and bounced a couple of times."
"But he's not in critical condition?"
"Naw. He's bitching a lot about headaches, double vision and memory loss, and wants to see his own doctor but he ain't gonna die." The big man pulled up a chair next to Dean.
"Thanks for telling me. I know you're sticking your neck out just talking to me."
"I been giving that matter a little thought too. I've come to the conclusion I don't really give a shit if I have this job or not." Dean looked up at him, surprised.
"Come on, Jake. You can't be serious. Don't let these state guys get you down. It's just politics. That can't be anything new to you. You must have been fighting bullshit like this since the day you first pinned a badge on your shirt. Give it a couple of days and we'll laugh about it over a beer."