Chapter 106

"You have an idea too?"

The sheriff looked incredulous. "You should just go back to your vacation as soon as possible."

"Chief, just hear me out first."

Jackson was unusually confident. "Aren't the people outside demanding the police give them an explanation? Let's give them one! What's that saying? 'Better late than never!'"

"Go on."

"Our department already has a bad enough reputation, which is why the public is so angry."

Seeing the sheriff about to lose his temper, Jackson quickly added, "So we need to break things down and rebuild! We should deeply reflect on our previous misconduct, and then recruit Beverly into the department!"

"Are you joking?"

"Beverly made a huge contribution to solving the case, right? She's the one who exposed the murderer, so the victims' families should give her some credit!"

The Black sheriff thought that made sense and motioned for Jackson to continue.

"So, we bring her into the department. That way, we can quickly change the public's perception of us. More importantly, Beverly also lost her child in this recent disappearance case. Her child was even harmed by John before. She can evoke empathy from the protestors!"

Jackson was unusually serious, all because he was determined to get Beverly into the force.

"Jackson, who taught you to say all this? Was it Beverly?"

The sheriff had a half-smile on his face.

Jackson quickly straightened his collar. "I came up with this myself!"

But his shifty eyes gave him away.

This was such big news; how could he possibly keep it to himself? He'd called Randy earlier to spill the beans about the internal police discussions, and after hearing the news, Randy had offered him lots of advice.

But they were just suggestions. Jackson still had to present them himself!

The sheriff didn't call him out, simply patted him on the shoulder. Well, even a fool has a moment of clarity after being foolish ninety-nine times. We'll talk more later."

With that, he turned and went after the police chief.

Jackson stood there, both excited and nervous. Was he finally being given some real responsibility? Randy was right—gold will always shine!

The sheriff approached the chief to discuss the proposal, and after a long time in a private room, the sheriff finally emerged, looking pleased.

"Jackson, come over here. The chief has agreed to this plan. Now, go contact Beverly and bring her to the station right away. Actually, no, go pick her up yourself and have her convince those protestors to leave. As for her position, the chief is going to award her the town's Honorary Medal and appoint her as an honorary senior officer!"

This was a high rank.

Most people join as entry-level trainee officers.

Even regular officers like Mike, who had worked for over a decade, could only hope to become senior officers.

If Beverly joined, she'd skip ten years of work.

Jackson had no objections to her special treatment. Even though he had worked for years and was still a regular officer, he thought Beverly's rank was still too low.

She should be the chief… or the sheriff!

"Don't worry, I'll head to her place right now!"

Beverly had left after giving her statement and checking on Casey, so she might not even know what was happening at the station.

Jackson felt it was his duty to share this good news with her.

He immediately left the station, where a crowd of protestors had gathered, holding signs and chanting slogans.

There were even leaders directing the chants with rhythm, and Jackson almost felt like joining in.

The other officers weren't taking any forceful measures either. They were trying to talk the crowd down, but if things escalated, it would be much harder to manage.

Jackson knew he had an important task, so he quickly drove to Beverly's house.

When he arrived, it was already getting dark. Strangely, the lights in Beverly's living room were flickering continuously.

"Is the light broken?"

Just as Jackson got out of the car, the lights suddenly returned to normal.

"Looks like I came at just the right time!"

Jackson walked up with a big grin. Just as he reached the door, it opened.

Beverly appeared, her face slightly flushed. She was adjusting her messy clothes as she leaned out.

"Jackson, what brings you here?"

"Beverly, I've got some great news for you!"

Jackson beamed. "The chief wants to appoint you as a senior officer! He's also giving you the Honorary Medal. Come to the station with me now."

"Senior officer?"

Beverly looked puzzled.

"Yes, it's all thanks to me. I suggested to the chief that they hire you for the department!"

When Beverly heard this, her attitude cooled. "I'm not interested in becoming a police officer."

Jackson was stunned. He didn't know what to say.

Wasn't this supposed to go differently?

"Anything else?"

Jackson, growing anxious, looked at her, trying to find the words to convince her.

Beverly still looked stunning, but she seemed a bit uncomfortable. She was wearing an oversized sweater like a dress, her bare legs showing, and her feet were exposed.

"Beverly, it's getting cold. You should keep warm."

"Thanks for your concern."

Beverly's expression didn't change, but just as she was about to say something, her face suddenly shifted. She quickly closed the door.

When the door reopened, someone familiar stood in front of Jackson—it was Randy.

"Hey, Jackson."

"Randy, what are you doing here?"

"I'm helping George next door look after the place. Sometimes I take the dog for a walk."

"Is that so? Randy, you…"

Jackson didn't suspect anything. He was about to ask Randy to help persuade Beverly, but Randy offered before he could speak.

"I know what's going on, and I'll help you talk to Beverly."

Randy walked closer.

"Jackson, you know Beverly lost her child. I hope no one mentions that later. You should hurry back to the station and tell the protestors that Beverly will be there soon. She's going to work with the department to help solve the recent cases.

You should also explain Beverly's background to the crowd. Let them know her child, Carl, was also a victim of John, but Beverly is still standing strong, doing everything she can to rid the town of evil."

Jackson nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly, that's the right approach! Randy, you're a genius."

Randy just smiled and patted his shoulder.

"You should go quickly. We'll follow shortly. It'll take time to talk to Beverly."

"Got it."

Jackson, always eager to act, rushed back to his car without even saying goodbye to Beverly. He was determined to clear any obstacles for her.

He couldn't let Beverly be hurt anymore! He had to persuade those protestors in advance!

As he started the car, he glanced in the rear view mirror. The lights in Beverly's house were flickering again, this time even more rapidly.

"Sigh, I should've offered to fix the lights. Oh well, Randy can probably handle it."