Shadow of the Sheriff

By Richard Lee Arrington

Tommy Grovetown was bred to the job of sheriff. He had seen his father do the job for three decades and knew exactly what he wanted to do now that he was sheriff. He had decided long ago to do things differently from his father. He would be a man who owed nobody for his election, he would be a sheriff that earned the respect and trust from the comm

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richard L. Arrington
• Release date: Feb 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087943589

Richard Lee Arrington

Richard "Rick" Arrington is a retired police commander with over thirty years in law enforcement. He served another thirteen years as a subject expert in Virginia's criminal justice agency. He currently teaches law enforcement across the United States on the topics of leadership, ethics, community engagement and crime prevention. He resides in rural Virginia where his family first setteled in 1789.

Book preview

1

Tommy Grovetown stared out the window of his spacious office as the January snow fell softly outside. He had spent years in the office staring out the window, but this time was different. The large solid cherry desk dwarfed his previous workstations before he had been elected as High Sheriff some nine years ago. Today he was feeling melancholy. Today he stared at the trees becoming full of snow and ice as he thought intently about his life, his career, and his various achievements. Tommy paused from his thoughts long enough to pour himself three fingers of expensive scotch whisky which he kept secreted in his gun safe, careful as always to pour it into a large coffee mug he had purchased from his time at the F.B.I. National Leadership Academy. Taking a sip of the amber liquid he felt warmer on this bone chilling day. He again stared out the window and pondered what now, what’s next?

Tommy Grovetown was born Thomas Frederick Grovetown Jr. in 1963. The name he bore was both a blessing and a curse. Early in his life he insisted on being called Tommy rather than being stuck with the Junior moniker. Little did the County of Jefferson, located in rural Virginia, know that there was a deeply hidden reason that he preferred Tommy rather than his full name or Junior. There was a reason that he refused to wear the name of his father, the Sheriff.

Sheriff Thomas Frederick Grovetown Sr. preferred to be called Fred or simply T.F. but insisted that as sheriff his deputies referred to him by his title. Fred had been born just after the great depression and lived his childhood some two hundred and fifty miles from Jefferson County, Virginia. Fred was the third of three sons born to Alfred and Emily Grovetown. The family lived in severe poverty during most of Fred Sr.’s life. Fred’s father, Alfred, drank often which resulted in his inability to hold a steady job even after the depression. Although Alfred was a large- framed man and considered quite handsome by many, his fondness for alcohol seemed to occupy most of his days. His drinking also led to his wife and children often being the object of ridicule by others in the small farming community where hard work and a tough as nails character was expected. Fred and his brothers were often hired out by their father to support the family while he recovered from one of his drinking binges. Of course, a portion of the wages received for the boy’s work was earmarked for the purchase of the cheapest rotgut whisky he could find. It was widely believed that the whiskey was the cause of Alfred’s death when Fred was only twelve years old. Alfred had died in a local hotel room where he had spent the night with a woman known for her promiscuity. The rumors and whispers spread like wildfire in the tiny community, adding to the ridicule and heartache the family already had to endure. A local church in the community raised funds and arranged to decently bury Alfred. Members of the church were deeply saddened when they noticed that neither of the boys shed a tear at the grave. While their life had been hard, it was certain to worsen after the death of Alfred. They struggled more than ever, and the boys were forced to take any work possible to help make ends meet.

The eldest of the Grovetown boys, Allen, was one of the first in their small rural community to enter the fighting in World War II. He sent most of his pay home to his mother to aid the family. Allen was a big man like his father and having had to work hard labor jobs to supplement the family while his father drank, made him quite strong. He felt a large weight of responsibility for the care of his mother and siblings and thus found the war an opportunity to provide for their needs.

Terry, the second son was seventeen when Allen joined the fighting in the war. Although he wanted to also join, he was obligated to stay home and help the family. He worked the odd jobs he could find to pick up cash to supplement what Allen sent home. He envisioned himself the man of the house, being the eldest still residing at home, and kept the shabby home in repair as best he could. After his father’s death and his stepping into this role, he became well respected in the little burg of Ranchtown where they resided. He was known for his loyalty to his mother, his willingness to work hard and his honesty.

The youngest of the boys, Fred (Sr.) was somewhat of a small framed, some might even say feeble, child. Perhaps because of his small build, or his being the youngest child, he was overly babied by his mother. His features were soft, and he had a full almost mischievous smile which made him attractive to both younger girls and older women alike, which resulted in them pampering him as well.

While his features ingratiated him to the girls, those same features resulted in many of the boys bullying him frequently. Soon he learned that being silent and out of sight was conducive to his survival. Perhaps in retaliation or a need to feel better about himself, Fred also learned from these experiences how to bully smaller boys and girls. He also learned well how to use his looks and charm to get all he needed, as long as he controlled the situation and controlled who knew about his sneaky actions to get what he wanted.

By the time Fred had reached high school, he had mastered the art of manipulation and had both girls and much older women paying for his every need. Some doled out the cash out of pity for his poor financial state, yet others due to his charm and good looks. Fred had grown to a six foot height but remained thin and timid around the boys and men that he could not personally bully. This silent timidity, he discovered, was an excellent means for avoiding being noticed and consequently any trouble.

Fred was the first of the Grovetown boys to graduate high school, his brothers having given up their opportunity to support the family. This accomplishment of graduation brought great pride to his loving mother. She was concerned for his health and did not want him to consider any job that might result in his moving away from home, so she arranged for him to be hired at the Ranchtown Grocery, owned by the town’s mayor. While several other jobs which paid better were offered to him, they required much more physical labor. Due to Fred’s slight build his mother forbade him from working in such a job for fear of injury. This fact was well known by the town’s people. The continued bullying led to Fred’s beginning to withdraw further to himself and to secretly drink to escape his internal anguish when not at work at the Grocery.

Even though Fred drank heavily on most weekends it did not impact his work at the grocery, nor did it impact his looks and ability to charm the local girls. The drinking did however result in unexpected sudden angry outbursts and even physical and verbal abuse of many of his girlfriends. Somehow, he found one girlfriend, Doris Rheinhart, who seemed to deeply understand him, to see him as a man and soon they were married.

Doris was a timid young girl, born in a family of modest means, but well respected. She could see no wrong in anything Fred did or said and practically worshiped him as the love of her life. She had been raised in a deeply religious family, and she felt it was her responsibility to support her husband no matter what because to Doris, only death could sever the vows they took in marriage. Doris often read, and reminded herself, that the scriptures in Ephesians 5: 22-24 said, Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. These words formed her life of obedience.

Fred and Doris moved in with Fred’s mother after they were married, and life seemed happy for a time. He tapered off on his drinking, but still occasionally would experience outbursts of anger, almost always directed at Doris, but she always forgave him when he would apologize and bring her flowers afterward. Fred continued to work at the grocery and fell into a normal life work schedule but found little happiness in the work. One day, after arriving home from another monotonous day at work, Fred was met with an unexpected announcement from Doris that they would soon have a child. Fred was ecstatic and somehow felt more like a man than he had ever felt in his life.

This first child was a son who Doris wanted to name from the bible and selected the name of Adam, the first man. Soon after Adam’s birth finances became tighter and Fred, refusing to have his son subjected to the ridicule that he had endured as a child, decided that he would need to find a way to make more money. Ever mindful of his mother’s need for him to remain close, he decided to ask his boss, Mayor Breyer, for a raise.

Several weeks went by with Fred being unable to muster the courage to approach Mayor Breyer. Late afternoon on a slow Friday, Fred summoned the courage and approached the office door. The door was slightly ajar, and Fred heard the mayor on the telephone with a town councilman. Now John, you know I’ve always been good to you and I could have talked about your wife’s little breakdown but what good would that do anyone? I hope I can count on you to vote to raise the budget next week. We really want to see you re-elected next year and I am making sure that your wife and you won’t be hurt in this mess. Okay, good, I knew I could count on you, goodbye. Fred stood at the door through two more calls with similar comments and similar results at the end of the calls, fearful to knock at the door. Finally, at the end of the last call,