Mangrove Bayou Read Online Free

the distance, across Sunset Bay, Troy could see the parking lot and front of the Sea Grape Inn.
    “What’s with the fire door?” he asked.
    “The corridor used to run straight back to the fire exit. Chief Redmond knocked out the wall and expanded his office to include that part of the corridor. But we still had to have the fire exit.” Bubba grinned. “Any fire, you’ll be the first out.”
    There were two visitor chairs and Bubba sat in one. The desk was a battered wood affair with one short leg broken off and replaced with a stack of old telephone books. Troy hadn’t actually seen a telephone book in years. The desktop had a telephone and a charger with a radio in it. There was a lapel mike and an earpiece.
    “I was told at my interview that you’ve been running the department since Bob Redmond left,” Troy said to Bubba. “How do you feel about me taking over?”
    “Good. I can do it, but the paperwork, well, I’m no good at paperwork. And the responsibility. Well, I’m glad to see you.”
    “Glad to be here.” Troy had run across people in the Army, good people, who were simply terrified at the thought of being responsible for making decisions, and who would turn down promotions. He had never understood it, just knew it existed.
    “I’m on the job as of a few minutes ago,” Troy said. “I’d like to go over the roster with you, Bubba. Get your take on each person’s strengths and weaknesses, help me come up to speed quicker.”
    Bubba stared at Troy. “You want me to rat out my friends and coworkers? I don’t think I want to do that. You can come up to speed on your own, fella.”
    Troy was seated and brushing some dust off the desktop. Now he looked up at Bubba. “Let’s all start off on the right foot here. You can call me Troy in private or you can call me Chief at any time. As for my request, I suppose you could see it that way. The way I see it is you’re the last guy to sit in this seat. You don’t want to do it any more or the town council would have hired you, not me. We both know that. But I’m here now. I need to know as much as possible and you know what I need to know. Outgoing guy briefs incoming guy. Always. Everywhere. In any job.”
    “You gonna fire me if I refuse?”
    “Of course not. I’ll just stumble along making dumb mistakes I could have avoided had you helped me.”
    Bubba thought a moment, staring at the front of Troy’s desk. He nodded. “I’ll help you…Chief.”
    “Good. Thanks.”

Chapter 5
    Monday, July 1
    June Dundee came in carrying a cell phone, a .40-caliber pistol with two full magazines, a badge and an I.D. card. “These are all for you,” she said, laying them on the desk. She sat in the other visitor chair.
    Troy checked the pistol. “Glock 22. Good enough for the FBI,” he said. When he leaned on the desk it wobbled. He made a mental note to add something thin to the stack of phone books.
    “You gonna use the gun?” Bubba asked. “There’s a holster for it, fits on a duty belt.”
    “I like my Colt.”
    “Shee-it.”
    “Good point.” Troy looked at the I.D. They had taken the photo after his job interview. He looked like someone he would arrest on sight on general principles. Troy put the I.D. into his wallet and the badge into his shirt pocket. As of this morning, he thought, he wouldn’t need the permit for the concealed gun. He was an official law enforcement officer once more.
    “What’s with the cell phone?” Troy asked.
    “We got two of them,” June said. “I mean, well, we all got cell phones of our own. These are the same number, department phones. We got landlines, both emergency and business numbers, and radios too, of course. Basically, when the landline rings on my desk, so do both cell phones if they’re turned on. This way when I’m not here one of the officers on duty can answer the department cell even if he or she is out driving around.”
    Troy nodded. “Makes sense. Saw the sign out by the front door. I