Echoes of Glory

Chapter 6

119 CHAPTER SIX s Martha waited anxiously to hear the party’s decision. Why didn’t he call? Unable to sit idle she ironed his shirts, which was almost like caressing him. But dull. TV was even duller so she listened to music on the radio for distraction. Between records P. J. the d.j. said the sheriff of Mills County had threatened to run for reelection if his deputies didn’t change their reports of the Wynn Mills shooting. “He’ll run because he doesn’t want to be remembered for surrendering his pistol while Larry Maddin bravely confronted the gunman.” She turned off the radio and the oven where a roast awaited dinner. When the news came on she turned on the TV, which also reported that the sheriff had asked deputies to rewrite an official report. DA Fulcher stated that the procedure was that each officer on the scene write a separate report. Deputies Cecil Smart and Ernest Klemp confirmed that reports were not rewritten to remove discrepancies. Now if he didn’t run they would say it was because he was caught trying to change the facts about Wynn’s death. She didn’t want him to run. He wasn’t a good campaigner, and he would face serious opposition from a younger man who didn’t carry the weight of old grievances that Timp did. Martha had managed his first campaign . “Mills County Needs His Courage, His Honesty.” Glen Timberlake had paid for his only radio ad—Peggy saying, “I trusted him to defend my country, I believed him when he sold me my first home, I know he can protect Mills County.” He was easily elected, winning a majority in Sleepy Hollow as though a salesman were not responsible for the product he sold. He was their man in ways she had only begun to understand. Timp could retire with honor. Now that was threatened by a young man who wanted to know the madness Timp had known, to be the Timp that Timp had escaped. 120 Echoes of Glory “They’re not going to endorse me,” Timp said when he came home. “If he can’t admit that he made a mistake and learn from it, then he shouldn’t be sheriff.” Martha knew what that meant. He was unwilling to turn the job over to a lesser man but everyone in the county was a lesser man. “If the party doesn’t endorse you the Chamber of Commerce won’t.” “And Pastor Murphy. And Glen Timberlake.” “Were they there?” He nodded. “The money was in the room asking you not to run. You have no money, no campaign plans, no organization.” “We’ve never had an organization,” Timp said. “Because the party endorsed you; they’re the organization.” The party put his name on the ballot, raised money for the party’s candidates , organized volunteers to distribute posters, walk blocks, and telephone voters. “They offered to change the parade to a pageant.” To an ordinary person that would be good news but Timp always saw things differently. “They want to honor you for what you have meant to this county.” She instantly regretted using past tense. “When you—” she didn’t want to say die—“are gone it will be like removing the monument. Do you have to do this, Timp? Haven’t we earned the right to live for ourselves ?” “I’m not going to run in the primary. I may run in the general election as an independent.” “How would you explain changing your mind?” “I said I didn’t plan to run but I didn’t pledge I wouldn’t.” “That’s not what Larry will say.” “It’s a bad time to retire.” “He’ll say you were sheriff of a bad time.” “Five Mills needs an experienced man as sheriff.” “He’ll say your age and experience are what allowed Wynn to disarm you.” “Martha, if I decide to run I’ll have to have your help.” There were twelve windows in the house and she liked to be able to see through them and she couldn’t do that and run a campaign. Had she reminded Timp to mention someone’s name, praise some cause, stop one sentence short? After the campaign she remembered the mistakes even though he won. What would she remember if he lost? “Ask me when you get there,” she said. [3.135.198.49] Project MUSE (2024-04-18 14:51...