Lana awoke from her nap to heavy sleet. She peeked outside and saw dark clouds ushering in the cold northerner.
When she glanced at the remaining wood, she knew she needed to order some more or call someone to fix the furnace. After making several calls, she found Johnson Tree Service who could deliver a half cord this afternoon. She felt better knowing she would have enough wood for a couple of days, and that certainly lifted a burden off her shoulders, and Mike's.
Once she completed her morning rituals — showering, breakfast, make-up, and cleaning up the kitchen — she relaxed, snuggled in her favorite patchwork quilt and watched the news hoping to find any information about the deceased agent. She flipped through several of the local channels and settled on CBS. The morning show called Today's Headlines seemed to have the best coverage. The news covered the snowfall, the sluggish economy, dishonest politicians, and a dog that gave birth to fourteen puppies. Not one thing was mentioned about the deputy. It's sad that a dishonest politician captured news time, and the deceased federal agent didn't even get mentioned.
About the time she had given up surfing the channels, NBC interrupted the program with a special report. She turned up the volume so she could hear every word. Mike stood on the steps of a courthouse with several microphones stuck in his face saying, "Today, tragically, we lost a comrade, Deputy Frank Bellamy, who lost the battle for his life after being shot. He's from Denver, Colorado, and he'll be laid to rest there." She noticed how he emphasized the word deputy. He wanted the reporters to remember him as an officer of the law.
A female reporter asked, "It's been reported he was shot serving a felony warrant, is this true?" The reporters shoved each other as they tried to stick their microphones in Mike's face.
"Yes," said Mike with one of his short answers. That's a part of Mike she knew extremely well. He looked straight ahead and didn't focus on any one reporter. He looked solemn and in command.
A male reporter asked, "Can you elaborate on that Deputy Ramsey?"
"He went in as the point man, and he was struck in the head by a bullet." Mike's experience led him to answer with only a few words. Through the years, he knew the more he said the more the media could twist his words. All the deputies knew not to say a word at all, even if the media asked them specific questions. That was not a policy of the marshals, only Mike's rule. He didn't want to clean up anything misconstrued by what his men said.
The second reporter asked another question. "What caliber was the bullet, and did he wear protective head gear?" He asked the question as though the agents were idiots and Mike would say: No, we did not have on protective head gear or armored suits, we went in wearing tutus.
Without a doubt to Lana or anyone watching, that question annoyed Mike.
Mike raised his left eyebrow, and Lana thought uh-oh. "Yes we had on protective gear, and I will not disclose the caliber of the bullet." He sounded annoyed. Mike didn't mind answering questions, but make them legitimate questions. It amazed him how they were only concerned with the shooter and not about how many criminals they take off the street.
The first female reporter added to the question. "Did you arrest the shooter?" Mikes eyes softened as he looked at the female reporter. Lana noticed he liked that question.
"Yes, a suspect has been arrested and charged with capital murder. The rest is up the prosecutor."
The second male report rudely asked another question. He didn't seem to have any couth.
"So you're throwing your hands up at the rest of the investigation, and you're finished with the case? This suspect isn't going to get a fair investigation because he killed one of your men?"
Mike's lips tightened, and he glanced down in aggravation as he spoke. He shuffled his feet and then leaned on his right foot. Mike leaned in just a little as if to get in the reporters face as if to say back off, and he meant it. "No, we are not finished with the case by any stretch of your imagination. The district attorney's office will investigate the case, that's protocol."
The reporter did not give an inch. "Isn't it protocol that you typically investigate all other cases when there is a shooting, so why not this one?"
"When an officer is shot, it is our policy that another agency investigates."
All the other reporters were getting aggravated at this idiot who obviously hadn't a clue about what kind of questions to ask. Not only that, he wasn't giving the other reporters time to ask anything. His only goal was to make the marshals look stupid and incompetent. But he wouldn't stop being obnoxious. "So you're saying you can't be impartial to the investigation?"
"That will be all the questions for now. Any other questions can be directed to our public relations department. They will be releasing a statement in the next twenty-four hours. We expect the media to respect the grieving family of Deputy Frank Bellamy and keep them in your prayers. Thank you." Mike made sure he said the deputy's name again. He didn't want anyone to forget the fallen agent's name.
As Mike walked off, the man tried to get in his face with a microphone. The other deputies stepped between Mike and the reporter. The other reporters shook their heads in disgust. It was reporters like him that made all the others look like vultures. The deputies just moved on, apparently they were used to these kinds of idiots.
She was so proud of Mike for not losing his temper, another admirable quality she could add to the list.