Chapter 79: Douggie

You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. – C. S. Lewis

Gina sat behind her desk in the office behind the bullpen of her deputies. She was nursing her third, possibly her fourth, cup of coffee. She always left a little coffee at the bottom of her cup, that way, technically, it was still her first cup. It would get topped off, but never refilled. Her logic had gotten her through more extended shifts than she could count and did not make her feel guilty when she told her doctor she only had one cup of coffee a day.

The large window looking out into the bullpen had holiday cards from local businesses, schools and families surrounding it. A long folding table was set in front and covered with sweets and treats from the community. Gina did not have any delusions of being a better sheriff than her predecessor. But she did have a better relationship with the county.

When the elementary schools had invited her deputies to their holiday