It had not yet fallen completely dark. As he drove away from Salome toward the sheriff's office, the sky was dark and burning red along the horizon dead ahead. The deep velvet red gently faded into black the farther away from the horizon he gazed. The electric twinkle of a Calion stars washed over the night sky as if a gigantic Fourth of July firework had just exploded. In such an open place, the beauty of the sky was amplified, awesome, and never ending. Jim nearly ran off the road trying to twist his neck to look directly overhead.

There was another deputy behind the counter to greet the walk-ins at the little office where Sheriff Biggalow called the shots. It was a female deputy, petite and gorgeous. Jim wondered why she was standing here in an ugly deputy uniform and not on the cover of a fashion magazine. Her flowing brown hair was down past her shoulders, her eyes were lazy and romantic, and her lips full and red. She was reading from a textbook and playfully twisting a strand of hair with her finger when she finally noticed a visitor.

"Good evening," he said and reached out to shake her hand. It was an ice breaking gesture but she wasn't impressed.

She nodded. "How are you?"

"I'm Jim Bradford and I was in here yesterday talking to the sheriff. I was wondering if he might be available."