Free Dorothy Garlock by River Rising Page A

in place. In the back room of the
Fertile Sentinel
the air was heavy with the odor of melting lead, ink and cigarette smoke from the man at the linotype machine setting copy for the Tuesday edition.
    “That son of a gun is heavy.” Jack raised his voice in order to be heard over the sound of the machine.
    “That’s the God’s truth.” Corbin wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. “Thanks. Come on up front where we can talk without having to shout.” He paused beside the man at the linotype and waited for him to complete a line of lead and drop it in place before he spoke. “That’s the last to be set today. When you finish, you can start tearing down pages.” The man nodded, and Corbin led Jack to the office.
    “I’m obliged for the help.” Corbin sat in a rolling chair behind a cluttered desk.
    Jack shrugged. “I’m getting damn tired of this rain. Not much to do at the farm until it dries up a bit.”
    “I was down looking at the river this morning. I’ve not seen it this high. It won’t take much more for it to go over the banks.”
    “It flooded once back during the war. It took out a lot of shacks and came up past Main Street. There’s a high-water mark on the corner of the bank building.”
    “I’ve seen it.” Corbin leaned back in his chair. “Just west of here they’re having droughts. Figure that out.”
    “Too much rain is about as bad as not enough.”
    Both men knew they were making small talk leading up to the real reason why Corbin stopped his work and brought Jack to the office.
    “Did Evan talk to you about the police job?”
    “Yeah, I’ve been thinking I’d like to have a go at it if you think I can do the job.”
    “Jobs are few and far between nowadays. As soon as word gets out, there’ll be fifty men here applying for it.”
    “Do I have a chance?”
    “Better than most. You’ve got me and Evan rooting for you, and I think Doc will put in a good word, but your carousing the last few months may go against you.” Corbin’s level gaze held Jack’s.
    “I’ve been at loose ends lately.” Jack’s voice was neither apologetic nor defensive. It was a mere statement.
    “A man is usually judged by the way he handles the rough hands he’s dealt.”
    “And I’ve failed the test?”
    “Not yet.”
    Jack’s pride was pricked. “If you think I can’t cut the mustard, don’t recommend me. I sure as hell would hate to put you, Evan and Doc in a bad light.”
    “I wouldn’t put my neck out if I didn’t think you’d make a good officer. I’m willing to put my reputation and my years of law enforcement experience on the line and help train you. The mayor asked me to help them find a good man because I was an officer here at one time.”
    Jack grew still. His eyes held those of his friend as he remembered the day Corbin had told him a minor-league baseball team was coming to town to play the locals and that he was good enough to play on the Fertile team.
    The man looking so steadily back at him had played an important role in his life. There was not another man outside his family whom he respected more.
    “I’ll not let you down.” His voice was hoarse.
    “I never thought for a minute that you would, once you decided that this was something you wanted to do. Now we’ve got to work at getting you the job.”
    For the next hour Corbin talked about his own training to be a military policeman while he was in the army, his service in France, coming to Fertile and the problems he’d had with one of the council members.
    “Most of it boils down, Jack, to using good old common horse sense. You’ll run into situations where there are no set guidelines, and you’ll have to do what you think is best. Personal likes and dislikes must be put aside. A hothead has no business in law enforcement. There will be times when you will be so angry you’ll want to bash in a head, but you must hold your temper and do what the law requires. Other times a good friend of yours