While Henson held the flashlight, Dayton shook the can of spray paint and began to spray. Zach quietly walked in the door behind them. They were so intent on their tasks, neither of the men were aware of Zach’s presence until he flipped on the light switch beside the door and said, “Don’t worry about coming into work, Dayton. You’re fired.”
The men whirled. Zach couldn’t stop the grin that spread over his face. Their expressions were similar to two eight-year-old boys who’d been caught stealing candy. Both men sputtered, searching for an excuse. Henson recovered first. “I got every right to be here. I own this dry cleaners.”
Though Zach knew that was true, he wasn’t about to let the man off that easy. “I’m going to need to see proof of that.”
“Courthouse has documents.”
“Courthouse is closed right now. Looks like I’ll just have to lock you two up until you can prove ownership.”
“Now see here. I ain’t going to jail for entering my own store.”
“If you’re the owner, why’d you break the window?”
“I …” Henson glanced over at Clark for help. Dayton was having his own issues. Sweat beaded on his brow and rolled down into the beard he was so fond of. Finally Henson came up with what he apparently thought was a good excuse. “I left my keys at home, so I had to break the window to reach through and unlock the door.”
“And what’s your reason for showing up here at one-thirty in the morning with a flashlight and a can of spray paint?”
“I’m redecorating.”
This time Zach did laugh. “I always heard you were a cheap son of a bitch, but redecorating with a can of spray paint seems a little extreme.” Zach glanced over at Dayton. “Clark, you got anything you’d like to add?”
“I …” He swallowed and said, “You’re not fit to be police chief. It should be my job.”
“The mayor and city council saw differently, since they appointed me chief and not you.” Zach held up his handcuffs. “Now, let’s get this over with nice and easy.”
“Wait!” Henson snarled. “If you arrest me, you’ll ruin my reputation.”
“Should’ve thought of that before you decided to break the law.”
Henson held out his hand as if to ward him off. “I’ll tell … I’ll tell everyone that secret.”
Zach raised his brow in challenge. “What secret is that? That you and some of your redneck buddies beat the shit out of me ten years ago? Or the other one that you told only me?”
The older man’s lips pursed so tight, they resembled a prune. He hadn’t expected Zach to call his bluff.
Zach nodded. “Yeah. You go ahead and tell that one, Henson. I’m not the one who couldn’t keep my pants zipped.”
Apparently deciding that a night in jail was better than the entire town hearing that he was Zach’s biological father, Henson’s mouth remained tightly closed, his expression grim.
“Now turn around.” The men turned around; Zach had them cuffed in seconds and then backed away. Taking the radio from his pocket, he called his on-duty deputy, Arthur Norton. “Artie, I’m over at Green’s dry cleaners. Got a couple of overnight guests I need you to come by and pick up.”
“I’m a couple of minutes away.”
Zach switched off the radio and eyed the sad-looking idiots before him. “You have the right to remain silent …”
As he recited their Miranda rights, he found it interesting that while Henson’s shoulders seemed to stiffen with each word, Dayton’s became more slumped and dejected. They would be released later today with no charges. Zach wasn’t looking to put either of them away. He had accomplished what he wanted. They’d been found out. Continuing their misadventures would be pointless. Just in case they didn’t realize this, Zach issued a warning after he finished reciting their rights. “Listen and listen good. Tonight you need to give careful thought on where you think this should go. I’m giving you this one chance. Fuck with me again and I’ll find every way possible to make sure you spend quality time behind bars and not just one measly night. Understand?”
Neither man answered but that was fine with him. They’d had their warning. And he was telling the truth.
Deputy Norton walked in the door. “I’m here, Chief. What’s going on?”
“Henson and Dayton need a ride to jail. Lock them in separate cells. It’ll give them privacy for some quality thinking time.”
As the men walked toward the door, Zach followed behind Henson and spoke softly so only he could hear.