Sheriff Cooper stared at the FBI agent in the large brown robe cinch tightly around her waist sipping a cup of black coffee. Sitting in a chair in his office as Sheriff Cooper shakes his head.
“Usually,” Sheriff Cooper commenting; “when a police officer has to take a life in the line of duty, there is a big stink on having them talk to a grief counselor.”
“I don’t need one,” Agent Reed calmly answering; “what I need is for my friend that I’m staying with to get over her with a change of clothes for me. I can’t exactly talk to Frederick Parker,” Agent Reed putting down her coffee cup; “while naked underneath this robe.”
“You have a point,” Sheriff Cooper snorting; he recalls watching the FBI Agent stepping out of the cruiser that parked in the back entrance of the police station. Bare foot and wearing the ugly brown robe she was clearly given when his deputies arrived on scene to where Deputy Carter was shot and Chelnik lay dead. Finding out that Samson Carter will be alright and that he was shot in the shoulder. Immediately escorting Brooke Reed to his office; the agent proceeds to debrief him on what happened while on route to the Knight Estate.
Still upset that the agent failed to inform him of the arrest warrant out for Chelnik; Sheriff Cooper was naturally understanding that the information came fast and that several government agencies were all in an uproar over having a known war criminal hiding in plain sight for so long.
“You’re certain that the NSA and CIA will be fighting for Chelnik’s body,” Sheriff Cooper looking thoughtful.
“Absolutely,” Agent Reed answering; “and since I killed him just after scratching him while in my fursona…”
“Chelnik has the werewolf strain of the were-virus in him,” Sheriff Cooper sighing.
“Their medical tests will discover it,” Agent Reed shifting nervously in her seat; “and I don’t need to tell you what will happen next.”
“Exposure,” Sheriff Cooper sighing; “I already called Tachibana in regards to this. She agrees with your earlier ideal in making it look like Chelnik was taken out in a mob hit. It’s no secret that Frederick Parker does have enemies back in San Francisco,” Sheriff Cooper getting up to collect the empty coffee cups; “making it look like that one of them decided to target Frederick shouldn’t be much of a problem.”
“Yet you are hesitant on doing this,” Agent Reed looking at Sheriff Cooper.
“Dam straight,” Sheriff Cooper looking sad; “I am an officer of the law. Yet to ensure this town’s safety and the secret of were-beasts the world over, I have to break those laws and be a part of a conspiracy.”
“You know Frederick is going to ask questions when he finds out Chelnik is missing,” Agent Reed thinking; “the man is no idiot, he will suspect something is wrong. He might think Chelnik was taken out by the Talbots and lash out accordingly”
“His son already suspects something is off with this town,” Sheriff Cooper looking at Agent Reed; “I overheard him commenting to his father earlier, that the cells smell like a zoo and that he hears growling and snarling in the evening.”
“Has he seen anyone shift into their fursona,” Agent reed asking.
“No,” Sheriff Cooper responding; “my deputies are fortunately not that dumb.”
“Then let him make all the accusations he wants,” Agent reed grinning; “Daniel Parker was a boxer. It’s no stretch of the imagination to play off his claims of bizarre smells to the many times his nose was broken, thus distorting his sense of smell.”
“And the sounds,” Sheriff Cooper chuckling at agent Reeds lateral thinking; “chalk it up to some kind of hearing loss due to cauliflower ears?”
“No,” Agent Reed snickering; “your deputies obviously get bored during the evening shifts and put on some program regarding wild animals. Daniel is probably hearing the animal sounds from those television programs.”
“Not a bad way of thinking,” Sheriff Cooper grinning; “now what to do with Chelnik’s corpse.”
*******
The body in question was currently in the town’s morgue located at Moon Lake’s hospital. Doctor Tora Tachibana staring at the body; viewing the deep claw marks that Agent Reed made during her struggle with the former Spetsnaz, seeing them partially healed. Tora Tachibana could tell the man was well on his way to being a werewolf before his neck was snapped.
“Good thing fur didn’t start sprouting,” the doctor sighs as he nods to the acting coroner to put the body back in the cooler; “Make sure the man is labelled as a John Doe as per my grandmother’s instructions.”
“Is this wise,” the man looking at the head of the hospital; “isn’t he a wanted man?”
“Yes,” doctor Tachibana answering; “but this man has something in him that we cannot let the world know. At this moment,” Tora sighing; “Chelnik is the one who is at the greatest risk in exposing the existence of weres, and he is currently a corpse.”
“So what do we do,” the man complying with doctor Tachibana’s orders.
“Leave that to my grandmother and the elder council,” Tora Tachibana answering; “she will have an idea in how to weather this latest storm.”
*****
When Brooke Reed’s friend arrived at the station with a spare change of clothes; Sheriff Cooper left his office to give the woman some privacy to change. A few minutes later Agent Reed leaves to office, wearing a black pleated skirt and white blouse and a black blazer; her FBI credentials secured on full display as she stepped out of the office.
“I want Frederick to know who I am,” Agent Reed seeing the sheriff eyeballing her FBI badge.
“It should be a nice surprise for him,” Sheriff Cooper chuckling; “you want me join in the room and look disgruntled that you came here to bring Daniel Parker back to California?”
“That’s not a bad ideal,” Agent Reed thinking; “small town sheriff being upstaged by a federal agent. And a female at that; it should put the men on edge and perhaps loosen their tongues somewhat.”
“Give me a moment to look the part then,” Sheriff Cooper stopping at the interview room.