It was about as big as I'd expected, but a lot easier to get around in. The Hamilton County Public Service Building took up an entire block, so it was easy to see. I walked up the front steps and through the revolving doors into the main lobby. Right in front of me was a huge sign that pointed left to the 'Police Department' and right to the 'Sheriff's Office'. That was where I was going, so I turned right and started reading the office doors. Didn't have to read too many, as the Personnel Department was the second door on the left.
The receptionist looked up and her eyes focused on my name tag. "Good morning, Officer Kerry. Please have a seat and I'll tell Captain MacFarland that you're here." I did as she said and sat down to wait.
Didn't have to wait long as a tall, smiling gentleman appearing to be in his mid-fifties came out almost immediately. He was wearing the brown and khaki of the Sheriff's Office and had twin silver bars on either collar. I came to my feet and stood at attention.
"Good to see you, Kerry," he smiled, offering his hand. The ensuing handshake showed that there was a lot of strength left in those arms. "Come on in," he continued, "let's get this taken care of."
He showed me into his office and indicated a chair at the side of his desk. There was a file in front of him which was apparently my personnel record. We went over my career to date in law enforcement and why I was moving from Lincoln PD to Hamilton SO.
The entire interview took about an hour. As it wound down, he handed me a check-in sheet and indicated that I should get to the main admin office and then uniform issue. "I'm happy that you're willing to work in traffic. However, department procedure is that you spend your first month in the jail. You're too experienced to waste time with that, so I'm going to start you in patrol. You're comfortable starting on morning watch?"
"Yes sir," I confirmed. "I prefer graveyard shift, but I'll work whenever you need me."
He nodded. "Good attitude. We work rotating shifts here, so you'll get plenty of all three. You can start tomorrow at 2230 at the Bayview Precinct."
"Yes sir. Thank you, sir."
"One other thing," he added. "We have a County Dance at the Excelsior tonight. It starts at 2000. Your friend Mitchell will be there. He can introduce you to some of the crew."
"I appreciate the invitation, sir, but... "
"That's not an invitation, son. That's an order. I'll see you there tonight."
I nodded and allowed myself a half-smile. "I'll be there, sir," I confirmed.
Now the Captain smiled. "Good. Welcome aboard, Deputy Kerry."
The Excelsior was huge, probably the largest hotel I'd ever seen. Our High School graduation was here, but I'd been in the hospital at the time, so I didn't get to attend.
Paul Mitchell was there, as Captain MacFarland had predicted. Paul had been my best friend starting in middle school and through our high school years. We'd even gone to Hamilton State together to get our degrees in Police Science. It was Paul who'd suggested that I leave Lincoln and apply for Hamilton County. He introduced me to several other deputies, most of whom had a great time ribbing me about being 'just' a city cop. I pled guilty and we all headed to the bar for a drink.
When the dancing started, I hung out along the side and watched, as I didn't know anyone other than Paul, and I didn't feel like dancing with him. The dance included county civilian employees, the PD, the SO, the Fire Department and the three ambulance services contracted to the county. There were quite a few women in the ballroom.
It was probably 30 minutes or more before my attention was drawn to a smallish woman sitting on the wall to the right of where I and the other deputies were sitting. It didn't appear that anyone was asking her to dance, so I figured it might as well be me.
I walked slowly across the room to where she and her friends were seated. When I asked if she would care to dance, several of the other women looked at me with apparent surprise. She looked up, smiled, and offered her hand.
The DJ was playing a slow ballad, what they call a 'clutch and grab special', so I got to hold her. She didn't seem to mind and I sure as hell didn't. We slowly moved through the rest of the couples pretending that they knew how to dance. I'd never had dance lessons, but my partner appeared to know what she was doing, so I let her lead. As the song played, she moved closer and closer until we were in a tight clinch. When it ended, I gave a polite bow and lifted her hand to my lips, kissing the back of her fingers.
She gave me the most curious smile, as though she was wondering if I was from another planet. I walked her back to her chair and asked if I might dance with her again that evening. "If you don't," she replied, "I'll be very, very disappointed." I assured her that I would be back. As I turned away, I heard one of her wide-eyed friends ask, "Is he for real?"
I returned to my new group of acquaintances, most of whom were staring at me with the same wide eyes. I looked at Paul and shrugged. "I do something wrong?"
He lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have any idea of who you were dancing with?"
"Uh, no," I admitted. "Should I?"
"Man, that's the demon. Stay the hell away from her."
I gave him a very dubious frown. "What are you talking about? Why would you call her a demon?
"Just hope you never find out." He shook his head again, then walked off, leaving me wondering what was going on.
I got another drink, then sat down and waited. About an hour and a half later, I took another brief stroll across the room. The same attractive young woman was waiting, and she smiled and reached out as I extended my hand. As we walked toward the dance floor, I heard one of her cohorts say, "Two dances with the same guy? What the fuck?"
This song was even slower than the one we danced to the first time. She moved deeper and deeper into my arms, finally laying her head against my chest. She was shorter than me, maybe 5'5" to my 5'11", just the right height to let me lay my cheek against her forehead. She was petite but felt rather well-muscled. I guessed that she was with one of the emergency services divisions. She had short-cropped dark hair, which reinforced my suspicion.
When this song ended, she pulled back slightly but stayed within my embrace. "When they announce the last dance," she told me, "you better be moving toward me." I know it was just the dim light in the ballroom, but I could have sworn her eyes were red.
A large figure met me as I returned to my seat. "Kerry," the captain asked, "who was that you were just dancing with?"
Shaking my head, I admitted, "I don't know, sir. Didn't think to ask her name. Paul told me they call her the demon."
"Ah," he smiled. "Sergeant Dalca. I'm glad to see that someone in this department has some balls. Good for you, son."
That comment left me good and confused. MacFarland walked off and I continued to my destination, to be met by two of the other deputies.
"You got a death wish, boy?" the taller one asked.
"Okay, guys, enough is enough," I hissed. "What's with this demon crap?"
The smaller of the two looked at me. With a perfectly serious expression and in a perfectly serious voice, he told me, "We're not screwing with you, Jay. There's something weird about her. Be careful."
"Do you really believe she's a demon?"
"I don't know," Turner, the smaller deputy admitted. "A couple of the guys have dated her, once. Won't do it again. I won't do it the first time."
I looked and listened, trying to gauge what they were saying and how they were saying it. They sure didn't sound like they were trying to trick me. "Well," I told them, "I'm committed to one more dance with her tonight. We'll see where it goes from there."
Erickson, the taller man, nodded. "Okay, but you be careful, man. This is a small department. We need you on the road, in one piece."
With that the two walked away, leaving me wondering what I was getting myself into.
It was just past 1:00am when the DJ called the last dance. With my curiosity peaking, I started walking toward my now 'mandatory' partner. She was watching me approach. I heard her chuckle and say, "Don't wait up for me, girls." She walked straight to me and slid into my arms.
The DJ couldn't have picked a better closing song. The soft, quiet, slow and lengthy strains of 'Nights in White Satin' filled the ballroom. We started to very slowly slide across the dance floor.
I don't know what got into me but, about half-way through the song, I kissed her forehead. She drew back, looking at me with that peculiar expression again. Then she reached up and kissed my lips.
I thought I'd been hit by lightning. This time, I pulled back. Looking down, for the first time I saw her eyes clearly. They were a magnificent soft purple. The effect was almost hypnotic. It was like she was daring me to kiss her.
